The 7 December this year was declared by Retail Decisions (ReD) , a world leader in card fraud prevention, the busiest on line trading day of 2009. It reported that over £370m was spent on that day, with £33m being spent in the lunch hour. This is an increase in 17% over the busiest day last year.
With the top ten sales on "Cyber Monday" being electronic gifts it may be worth reminding ourselves some of the obligations imposed on on-line traders. An on-line store should, amongst other things, provide contact information for the trader, clear information about the total price for the goods, a clear product description and clear information about the consumer's rights, particularly in relation to the right to return goods for no reason within 7 days of purchase.
Earlier this year the EU carried out an investigation into misleading and unfair practices on websites selling consumer electronic goods. The EU investigated 369 sites and found that 55% of them showed irregularities. The most common one being providing misleading information about consumer rights. 66% of the problem websites generally did not inform buyers of their right to return goods or their right to receive a refund as opposed to a credit voucher.
It may therefore be worth checking your rights in the event of needing to return goods or requesting a refund and possibly not trusting what you are told!
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