Media News - Wednesday, October 08, 2008

EU plans uniform protections for Internet shoppers

Efforts to spur more Europeans to shop online and across national boundaries will be stepped up Wednesday with plans for a new law to guarantee consumer rights across the 27-nation bloc. The proposed legislation would oblige retailers to make product information available before sale, guarantee delivery within a maximum of 30 days and allow a statutory 14-day 'cooling-off' period in which purchasers could change their minds. Consumers would also be entitled to full refunds within seven days if goods fail to arrive, and companies would be banned from using some 'get-out' clauses allowing them to supply products different from those advertised. While an estimated 150 million Europeans use the Internet to shop, just one in five of those attempts to make purchases outside the home country, according to the European Commission. Though language problems and tax issues deter many from experimenting with cross-border shopping, other consumers worry about when or whether the products will be delivered - and how to seek redress if purchases fail to arrive intact. At present, four separate EU directives cover consumer rights, some dating from two decades ago and therefore predating the era of Internet shopping. The proposals, to be put forward Wednesday by the European consumer affairs commissioner, Meglena Kuneva, will try to rationalize the legal framework to offer more reassurance to online customers. (International Herald Tribune)

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