Top online retailers face legal action over non-compliant websites

13.10.2012
The Office of Fair Trade (OFT) has written to 62 of the top UK online retailers after it found evidence of non-compliance during a review of potential breaches of the Distance Selling Regulations (DSRs).

A sweep of 156 websites by the OFT found that 33 percent of online retailers imposed unreasonable restrictions on customers' rights to a refund, where most often they require the product must be in its original packaging or in the original condition. This, according to the DSRs, doesn't allow consumers to reasonably inspect or assess the purchased goods.

Some 60 percent also only provided a web contact form, rather than an email contact address, as is required by the E-Commerce Regulations. Two percent provided no electronic contact details at all.

Unexpected charges were also added to customer purchases upon checkout at 24 percent of the websites reviewed.

"The OFT recognises that most businesses want to play fair with their customers and to comply with the law," said Cavendish Elithorn, senior director of the Goods and Consumer Group at OFT.

"We encourage all online retailers to check their websites so customers can be confident their rights are being respected when they shop online."