The majority of UK-based online businesses do not comply
with the Distance Selling and Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract
Regulations and risk facing legal action, lawyers have
warned.
The Office of Fair Trading last week published its guidance on "IT
contracts made at a distance". The document should act as a wake-up
call for all online traders, said law firm Eversheds.
"Very few businesses will be fully compliant with all the
regulations," said Paula Barrett, IT and e-commerce lawyer at
Eversheds.
Most of them will be quite shocked when they read the full list.
They need to address this because what might be seen as minor could
make everything else [on the website] invalid."
The Distance Selling Regulations 2000 apply to businesses that sell
goods and services via the internet, interactive TV, telephone,
mail order and fax.
Know your data laws >>