e-shops: Seven out of ten consumers insufficiently informed about their rights

Online stores at a rate of up to 72% provide no or incomplete information to consumers about their rights.

This resulted from a sample sweep carried out under the coordination of the Directorate-General for Consumer Protection of the Secretariat-General for Trade and Consumer Protection of the Ministry of Development and Investment in electronic stores selling electronic devices, such as mobile phones, computers, tablets.

The main conclusions of the audit, which took place between 26/08/2020 and 31/08/2020 and was repeated on 7/9/2020.

• The 43% Websites do not inform consumers about how to withdraw from a contract, in particular where they have used the goods to a greater extent than is necessary to establish their nature, characteristics and functioning, as well as their liability for any decrease in the value of the goods. This possibility should be presented in a comprehensible manner and with a clear indication of the right of consumers to withdraw.
• The 75% the websites do not provide clear information to consumers about the right of withdrawal. The consumer should be able to open the packaging in order to gain access to the goods, as similar goods usually appear unpackaged in shops. Therefore, damage caused to the packaging simply to be opened is not a cause for compensation. However, any protective strips affixed to the product should only be removed when strictly necessary for its testing.
• The 72% the websites do not provide any information to the consumer about his rights with regard to the delivery of goods in case of delay by the supplier. The supplier must inform the consumer of ‘the period within which he undertakes to deliver the goods’. If the supplier fails to deliver within this period or within the period declared to the consumer, the consumer must agree with the trader to extend the delivery period. If the supplier still has not delivered before the expiry of the extension, the consumer is entitled to terminate the contract.
• The 28% provide incomplete information to the consumer in the event of failure to deliver a product within the agreed time limit.

Measures by the General Secretariat for Trade and Consumer Protection

As next steps, the Secretariat-General for Trade and Consumer Protection will inform the relevant e-shop links of these audit findings in order to make recommendations to their members and suppliers will then be asked to correct their websites.

At the same time, aware of the increased need to protect the consumer public given the continuous increase in the volume of electronic transactions, it draws the attention of the consumer and commits to continue the ex officio sample checks of web pages (sweeps), ensuring the full compliance of suppliers and activating the national procedures for imposing administrative penalties, where necessary, with a view to the proper implementation of consumer legislation.

Law 2251/1994 on the protection of consumer rights ensures, inter alia, that every consumer, when shopping online, has the right to receive clear, correct and comprehensible information on the terms of delivery and the right of withdrawal, if he has used the goods to a greater extent than is necessary to ascertain the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods. In this case, the consumer should not lose the right of withdrawal, but should be liable for any decrease in the value of the goods.