[14
MAR 01]
WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL NEWS
Worldwide Internet
Sales Fall Below The Mark
An
international trawl of the internet by trading standards officers in
Warwickshire has revealed that many sites fail to provide adequate
information to consumers.
Forty-eight
agencies were involved in the sweep of more than 3,000 sites in 19
countries, including the USA, UK, Canada, Poland, Mexico and Australia.
The
survey revealed that over half (52 per cent) of all sites visited did not
provide any information on how to return a damaged product, or get a
refund or an exchange.
More
than 90 per cent of sites did not mention any parental/guardian
requirements, or minimum age requirements, and less than half (39 per cent
had a privacy policy.
The
sites surveyed sold goods ranging from books to holidays. Warwickshire's
Trading Standards officers looked specifically at sites which sold music,
CDs and software.
Noel
Hunter, Director of Warwickshire Trading Standards said:
"Consumers
should be given adequate information on how to return an item if it
arrives damaged, and be told what a company intends to do with the
information they hold about their customers, but worryingly over half of
all sites visited failed to provide consumers with any information on
these areas at all!
“Just
as worrying is the fact that many children are buying goods on the
internet now, yet less than ten per cent of all sites visited mentioned
any parental or guardian approval requirements or provided any minimum
age requirements on the goods sold."
He
added that officers are working with Warwickshire businesses with an
internet presence to make sure they provide on their websites all the
necessary information consumers need and that the law requires.
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