The exercise will check whether sites provide shoppers with the
contact details required by the Distance Selling Regulations, as
well as correct information on their right to cancel. It will not
check every aspect of legal compliance.
It is estimated that UK consumers will spend £14 billion online
this Christmas, according to the OFT. However, its research has
shown that most online shoppers do not know that they have
additional protection, and many websites may be breaching
regulations by not fully respecting consumers' rights.
In June the OFT published the findings of its internet shopping
market study, which found that 28% of the online traders it
surveyed were unaware or only slightly aware of the laws applying
to internet shopping, and 66% had never sought advice on them.
More than 20% of sites did not provide an email address as
required by regulations and 16% did not tell shoppers that they had
a an unconditional right to cancel without giving a reason,
provided they did so within seven working days of receiving their
purchase. Most sites (59%) appeared to impose conditions that could
prevent or at least deter consumers from exercising their
cancellation rights.
Heather Clayton, a senior director at the OFT, said: "Shoppers
need to be confident that their rights are respected when they shop
online. This sweep will identify where online retailers may be
falling short and need to refresh their knowledge of the law."
Trading Standards officers will decide how best to address any
potential breaches they identify, according to the OFT. An
assessment of the web sweep results will be published in the New
Year but offenders will not be named.
