Online Shopping - Know Your Rights

Today more and more people are turning to the Internet to fulfil their shopping needs - the Internet makes it easy to hunt for bargains, offers and hard to find objects.  The Internet has revolutionised the buying process.

However, not everyone is eager to spend their money on the Internet - Jeremy Clarkson wants nothing to do with online shopping!  People are worried that their financial details will be stolen and they will have their identities stolen.

What can I say…it does happen!  However, you don’t get anywhere without taking risks.  Most websites are very safe and secure with your information and the whole process can be very pleasant and efficient.

When shopping online you should make sure that you are aware of your rights - you don’t want to find yourself out of pocket because you weren’t aware of your online shopping rights.  Read on to find out what you need to know…

Cancelling An Order

According to the Distance Selling Regulations you have the right as an online customer to cancel your order from the moment you make your order up to seven days after you receive your purchase.

However, this doesn’t apply to everything - you should be fully aware that you can’t return;

•    CDs, DVDs or software if the seal on the cases has been broken.
•    Food and flowers and other perishable items.
•    Personalised goods.

It is important to know where you stand before you purchase one of these items - you should make sure you know what you’re doing before you “checkout”.

Cancelling A Service

We often buy services online without really thinking about it - a lot of people turn to the Internet to buy mobile phone contracts for example because you aren’t forced to deal with a pushy sales person online.

You have up to seven working days to cancel a service starting from the day you agree the terms and conditions of the contract.

However, these rights are waived if you agree to start the contract straight away - by doing so you are giving up your rights to cancel the contract and you are legally bound for the full length agreed.

Protection Online

The E Commerce Regulations claim that every shopping website must clearly show each stage of the purchase process and must also allow you to check your details before finishing the order.

The Regulations also specify that every shopping site must provide full details of who they are along with a geographical address and email address.  If this information isn’t available then it is advisable to steer clear as they are not complying with the legal requirements for online shopping.

Online Buyer?

Do you prefer shopping online?  Do you think that online shopping is safe or do you think that you could stand to lose everything?  Leave us a comment and let us know…