A European Union investigation into online retailers that sell electronic goods has found that over half of the 369 websites checked were breaking European laws and regulations that exist to protect consumers. The sites sell mobile phones, DVD players and games consoles in 28 European countries (all EU member states except Slovakia - and also included Norway and Iceland).
“We know from the level of complaints coming into European Consumer Centres that this is a real problem area for consumers,” said EU consumer commissioner Meglena Kuneva. “We discovered that more than half of the retailers selling online electronic goods are letting consumers down.”
200 of the sites were chosen because of their size (largest 200), and the extras were chosen because they were subjects of past complaints. 203 of the 369 are now facing further investigation. Two-thirds (66 percent) failed to explain that consumers had the right to return a product within 7 days of receiving it without having to provide a reason, or that a faulty product must be repaired or replaced for at least two years after purchase - regardless of manufacturer warranty.
Other problems included difficulties in calculating total shipping before ordering a product, which was a problem in 45 percent of cases, and about 33 percent of the stores didn’t fully outline the trader’s name, address or e-mail details so that the can be contacted easily by a customer. The retailers will be contacted by authorities and asked to explain their position, and to correct the problems identified.
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Result for: enforcement actions
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has praised anti-piracy raids targeted counterfeit games in Mexico. Mexico’s law enforcement carried out raids that led to the seizure of about 20 tons of pirate video games. About 40 officers from he region’s Procuraduría General de la República and Agencia Federal de Investigación organisations raided booths and uncovered 91,200 fake games products.
Mexican law enforcement officials operated in conjunction with local ESA representatives to conduct this raid. “Piracy in markets such as San Juan de Dios hurts businesses engaging in the legitimate distribution and retailing of computer and video games,” said Michael D Gallagher, CEO of the ESA.
He continued: “We commend Mexican law enforcement officials for their actions in this raid and are committed to fully supporting authorities around the world who conduct these kinds of enforcement actions.”
