The retail experience was once a largely tangible and immediate. You entered a physical store, paid cash and received your goods in real time, leaving the consumer in little doubt about the quality, look and amount of product received. The advent of e-commerce has changed that experience.
A customer now typically pays money to an online retailer whom they must trust is acting in good faith and will ensure the purchased products are provided in the advertised condition and a timely fashion. But, as we report today, more than half of problematic transactions are now associated with ecommerce, with no-show purchases a particular pain point. The NSW Office of Fair Trading has been receiving a growing number of complaints about delayed or missing retail orders for the past few years.
The timely delivery of online goods is a pain point for many consumers. Credit: Getty Consumer rights when online shopping are becoming an increasing area of concern to advocates and regulators with the mushrooming of complaints highlighting the weaknesses in our existing system of consumer guarantees. These guarantees, enshrined in Australian Consumer Law, dictate that businesses must meet a set of basic consumer rights when they sell products or services.
These include the product matching the description, being of acceptable quality as well as ensuring the delivery of goods within either a specified or reasonable timeframe. Loading Currently, if businesses fail to meet a consumer guarantee they are.
