New guidance aimed at helping people become more cyber-savvy when buying goods on internet auction sites has been published by independent national charity Citizens Advice.
The problem-solving charity is alerting people to check out their rights when buying online as it backs European Consumer Day. This year’s theme is education and calls for people to be given the skills and knowledge to enable then to exercise their consumer rights.
More and more people are getting hooked on internet auction sites, as the availability of goods at bargain prices is becoming more readily accessible at the click of a button. People are now logging on to the internet to buy and sell goods at great prices, often dealing with other users from across Europe. Some negotiate great purchases; unscrupulous users rip others off so it is important that people know their rights.
The new guidance is available at www.adviceguide.org.uk under the ‘what’s new’ section and at Citizens Advice’s cross-border consumer help centre www.euroconsumer.org.uk. The information covers goods purchased from a seller based in the UK, or in another European Union (EU) country. It sets out in easy to understand language the different rights when people buy from business traders and private individuals. It tells people what their options are for solving problems, what to do when the seller can’t be traced and what to do if fraud is involved.
Some important facts to know about buying from an internet auction site:
- You need to find out what type of sale it is. Not all sales on internet auction sites are auction sales, even if bidding is involved.
- You need to find out if the seller is a business trader or a private individual as it makes a big difference to your rights.
- If you buy goods on an internet auction site from a private individual you have very few rights and can’t complain if the goods are not of satisfactory quality.
- Special payments services are available on most Internet auction sites, although they offer different levels of protection for your money. You should look carefully at the terms and conditions to see what the scheme does and doesn’t do.
