Websites selling electronic goods
September 9, 2009
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...Today, 9th September I have published the results of a Europe-wide screening of websites selling the most popular electronic goods including digital cameras, mobile phones, personal music and DVD players, games consoles and computer equipment. This is one of the most important online shopping markets for consumers - worth € 7 billion a year. Particularly during the current crisis, as every Euro matters, consumers increasingly shop around and search the web to find the best deal. This is why we wanted to know if consumers are treated fairly by online traders in this field. The authorities of 28 countries (26 Member States plus Norway and Iceland) simultaneously checked almost 400 websites including both the biggest traders and those that have given rise to a high number of complaints.
The results of this screening are disppointing. More than half of the websites under review (55%) revealed serious irregularities. I want to highlight the most significant problems.
First, consumers are very often not informed or even mislead in relation to the rights they enjoy when purchasing a product. One of the most important such rights is the possibility to return the product and get your money back without any particular reason for at least seven days (this period is longer in a number of Member States). But many websites create the wrong impression that this right exists only if the product is faulty or refuse to give a cash refund and only provide store credit that can only be used for the purchase of another product from that same website.
Second, we have identified misleading practices in relation to the information about the total cost of a product. Traders are required by law to clearly indicate the full price including all taxes and extras such as deliveryb charges. Nevertheless, it is very common to hide the cost of delivery - which is often quite substantial - or even to actively trick consumers into believivg that an offer is “all inclusive” although delivery charges are added on.
Third, on many websites the contact details of the seller are either incomplete or missing altgether. This information is essential to enable consumers to exercise their rights and to complain if something has gone wrong.
All these practices are a clear breach of EU consumer protection law. This proves that much works remains to be done to ensure a safe online shopping environment for consumers. But the excellent cooperation with national authorities in tackling these issues also shows that the Commission and Member States are determined to do whatever is necessary to ensure that consumers’ rights do not remain dead letter but are implemented and enforced in the real world.
The screening of websites selling electronic goods now completed is only the first phase of a coordinated enforcement process After having identified problematic websites, the national authorities will now contact the companies concerned and ask them to bring their websites into line with the law. Where traders do not comply upon that request formal enforcement proceedings will be initiated and they will have to face fines or even the closure of their websites.
This innovative approach of joint enforcement activities targeted at particular sectors (we call them ’sweeps’) has already been used out in 2007 for websites selling airline tickets and in 2008 for websites selling ringtones. Based on the experience with the past sweeps I am very optimistic that the enforcement phase we are now entering will lead to massive improvements for consumers. The results of that second phase will be made public in the summer of 2010.
Our press release can provide you with more information.
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September 18th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Thank you all very much , this is very important .
Europa should train its students , as well as adult consumers, into how to buy safely, what information to give out and how, what to expect and how to compare and shop, and shouldn’t this be a class in itself ? how to surf and shop wisely and safely ? as well as how to set up an Internet shop-store front and offer their own products and services ? shouldn’t every school in the EU spend some smart time training the students how to do it ? we need EU experts in selling as well as shopping, this is the key since mobile devices and laptops are going to expand the markets and the jobs, shouldn’t the EU make sure every students knows how to sell, buy and service? if we give the EU students the tools to participate in this vital sector, we will be able to establish trade and commerce for our biggest future markets : Asia, Latin America and Africa, where in just 5-7 years there will be another 500 million middle class consumers ready to shop on line, every student needs a chance to sell, to propose, to introduce and to service, that’s where the jobs will be….so thanks to you all for this very important study and let’s hope you all get the resources to make sure every students in the EU gets the whole training and solutions and is able to get solid results.
Your ideas above can generate millions of new jobs as well as knowledge and solutions .
That’s also why is so important to keep open choices and open-source applications like MySQL and Java out of monopolies, the review by the EU about these open-source products is vital, and in my opinion, Sun and Oracle must be forced to sell MySQL , it would be a disaster for consumers to lose one choice in key databases, THIS MONOPOLY CANNOT STAND , the EU is right to stop the sell, and going forward I hope permanently , the markets that we are talking about demand open choices and options, the students cannot lose one key choice like MySQL and Java, now more than ever going mobile.
Also to consider is the fact that MySQL can be secured , but under the exclusive control of Oracle, this option is over and many military , intelligence , central banking , commerce, government and security applications would be “problematic ” , a massive DISCREET hack from remote , the security of the EU cannot be compromised.
Thank you very much for this vital study.
September 24th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Your ideas above can generate millions of new jobs as well as knowledge and solutions .
October 7th, 2009 at 8:16 am
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Madame
Je me permet de vous adressé cette lettre, pour vous informe sur les action et les habitudes commerciale pratiqué par les fournisseurs d’accès internet en Belgique .
Le cours de mois septembre ( le 7 sept; 09) j’ai fait un abonnement a Mobistar.be , et au mémé moment j’ai annonce Tele 2 mon fournisseur initiale, de mon intention des les quitté (lettre recommande)
la raison de mon geste est: la découverte dans ma facture a de sommes supplémentaire pour des choses inexistante.( pratique courante)
A partir de ce moment mes problèmes ont commence :
Le fournisseur historique , BELGACOM, refusé a Mobistar le branchement de mon ADSL , et a envoyé son représentant commercial pour me faire abonné chez eux. ( que je déteste )
Quand j’ai compris quelle est la situation j’ai adressée un autre demande a un autre FAI nome Scarlet.be,( le 15 september2009)cette société , ne répond plus a mes question et ils disent qu’ils attende l’acceptation de BELGACOM ( qui ne vienne plus )
la filossofie selon la quelle la concurrence est l’âme du commerce ne s’applique plus en Belgique !
Quelle est donc la solution pour nous les consommateurs ?
Merci pour votre réponse ( si possible ) a : scondor4@gmail.com
October 15th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Dear Commissioner:
Consumers need choices and options , and one more time we see them in big trouble: in the mobile computer and mobile phone world , we have now only 2 big choices for chips CPU left : Intel (and Microsoft , etc. ) and ARM ( and Linux , Google,etc. ) , and these 2 chip makers are the 2 only options left ( the third choice AMD is under heavy pressure right now due to the attacks and unfair competition by some in Intel ) ,and the article below is very clear : if we don’t do something , Intel could buy ARM and we would be stuck with a TOTAL MONOPOLY , a disaster for consumers , competition ,lower costs and growth.
ARM success could trigger takeover bid, says analyst
http://eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=NGDTKEOIYNV5RQE1GHOSKHWATMY32JVN?articleID=220600263
Will the EU and the USA work together to avoid this disaster for consumers? will they work to keep this vital technology in EU/USA hands while competing ? with the people who paid so many taxes, grants, support, tax exemptions , special state and local contracts to keep them going ?, will they give back to the Community what they got from them?
These 2 chip makers, Intel and ARM, are were they are today thanks to multiple state and local contracts, support and grants, commercial and military grants and contracts, etc., so will they respect their base and the communities who made them possible ? Intel and ARM are vital to the taxpayers of the EU and USA, and these 2 chip makers in fair and open competition are the base for growth, jobs and success , we need smart solutions, in my opinion, and as the article says , local companies like Apple, Google, STMicro,IBM, Infineon, Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola,Philips,TI, etc.,etc., must have a say, we need competition , choices and local jobs.
October 16th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
http://forums.ec.europa.eu/debateeurope/viewtopic.php?t=15148
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:15 am
I was suprised to read this, I have been buying several goods, small electronics to wasmachines in all sorts worldwide for years now and never had any problem. I think the people who were involved had no clue how to search on the internet, if one shop does not ship it you go to another there are plenty out there.
You need a VISA/Mastercard Paypall acount or a simple bancaccount and you can pay everywhere on the i-net.
Sometimes you do have to contact the company to check if you can pay with a banc transfer if it is not listed. Some USA sellers do not ship outside the country, check amazon.com and you see in the overview the shipping options the seller gives you.
My opinion if you want a better deal you have to work for it and it is out there, a simple search with google and you will find it all, I know because I do it together with lots of other people without a problem!
October 31st, 2009 at 11:39 am
Dear Mrs Kuneva,
This study is a very good initiative.
As an retailer in design and decoration goods, I have 6 webshops in 6 languages focussing on the European market. I can recognize a lot of the cross-border commerce inhibitors identified, however I identified also other inhibitors and would like to share my experiences with you.
I am based in Brussels so I can come to see you or one of your staff members covering the subject. I am sure that an exchange will help us mutually to improve consumer experiences and retailers offerings.
Thanks beforehand for your response,
Mrs. Dominique D’Heedene
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Уважаема, г-жо Кунева,
Сблъсках се с огромен за мен проблем в търговията по интернет. Това лято планирахме със съпруга ми да направим пътуване из Европа. За целта направихме резервация за хотели в Рим и Милано за август, като резервацията направихме през сайта: http://www.bookinhotels.com още през март 2009. Резервацията бе чрез предварително плащане, при което от кредитните ни карти бе изтеглена сумата от 550 евро. За съжаление съпругът ми се разболя тежко, което ни принуди да отменим пътуването и резервацията. От http://www.bookinhotels.com ни увериха, че ще си получим парите обратно, но близо 5 месеца вече парите ни не са върнати. Всичките ми опити да вляза във връзка с хората, които стоят зад сайта, пропадат, макар че до скоро имаше обратна връзка. Телефоните им, които до скоро работеха, вече са закрити, а на електронните ми писма не отговарят. Как мога да защитя правата си? И как можем да се опазим от некоректни търговци по интернет?
Предварително ви благодаря за отговора!
С уважение:
Виктория Лазова