Knowing our online shopping rights

Buying goods online is becoming increasingly easy. With a simple mouse click, we can purchase anything we need from anywhere we like.

Shopping online is less stressful and time-consuming than having to drive from one shop to the next in traffic and not finding where to park. However, online shopping also has its fair share of risks and disadvantages.

We do not really know the seller, and unless we take a number of precautions, we might end up scammed. We also risk spending money on goods that do not give us good value for money.

Our first responsibility is to know what legal rights we are entitled to when buying goods online.

The Distance Selling Regulations protect us when we make such purchases. These regulations impose obligations on distance sellers, which include providing consumers with specific information on the sale, such as:

• the seller’s name and address;

• a description of the goods or services for sale;

• the price, including taxes and delivery costs;

• the terms of payment and delivery arrangements;

• information about the right to cancel the purchase;

• the duration of the offer or price.

In addition, consumers must be given confirmation of their order in a ‘durable form’, such as via letter, e-mail or fax, and also details of any guarantees or after-sales services.

The most important protection we have when we buy goods online is the right of cancellation, known as the cooling-off period. When we buy from a European-based seller, we have at least seven working days during which we can change our mind and cancel the sale.

This cancellation period starts from the date we receive our purchase. During this period of time, it is important for us to decide whether we want to keep the goods or cancel the order and return the goods in exchange of a refund.

We are not obliged to give a reason why, but if we decide to return the goods bought, and these are not faulty, we may have to pay for the cost of returning the item.

The cooling-off period may be extended by up to three months if the seller fails to provide us with the information required under the Distance Selling Regulations.

With regard to faulty goods, our consumer rights are the same as when we buy goods directly from a shop. We are therefore entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced for free; if these two remedies are not possible, we may ask for a money refund. If we need to return the faulty item back to the seller, any costs involved should be paid by the seller.

If we are about to purchase goods from a seller for the first time, we should do some research about the seller’s reputation and look out for any negative feedback. Ideally, we should buy from sellers we know and can trust, such as websites that have been recommended to us by family or friends.

If we decide to buy from an unfamiliar website, we should read the terms and conditions and, before making any payments, check out the security features. Secure websites usually show a padlock at the bottom of the screen.

Click on the icon and ensure that the security certification is displayed. Ensuring that the web address starts with ‘https’, where ‘s’ stands for secure, is another indication that the site is secure.

It is also important that we look out for information on the delivery date. This is especially so if we need to receive the goods ordered by a specific time. If no delivery date is specified, then the seller has 30 days to deliver the goods ordered. Failure to do so entitles us to cancel the sale and receive a refund of the amount paid within 30 days.

Should we encounter any problems related to purchases made online, we can seek the help of the Office for Consumer Affairs if the virtual seller is locally based, or the European Consumer Centre Malta if the purchase is made from a European-based trader.

odette.vella@mccaa.org.mt

Ms Vella is senior information officer, Office for Consumer Affairs, Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority.