IN ASSOCIATION WITH

 Click here for info on our Data Centre 

Goods no-show is top e-shopper gripe
19-06-2006
by Deirdre McArdle

The number one complaint among online shoppers in Europe is the non-delivery of goods, according to the European Consumer Centre Network's annual report.

The report recorded a 74 percent increase -- 1,834 -- of complaints relating to online shopping, the bulk of which (38 percent) were made up of people claiming their goods never arrived. Problems relating to the condition of the product on arrival was the second most common complaint (25 percent), while issues regarding price and payment, contract terms and redress accounted for 8 percent, 8 percent and 5 percent of complaints respectively.

Online shoppers in Ireland were quite vocal during 2005, with the number of complaints almost quadrupling during the year to 191. The report attributes this rise in complaints to the increase of online shopping in Ireland, as well as the growing awareness of online shopping entitlements.

Recent statistics show that the number of Irish consumers shopping online has grown from 76,000 in 2003 to 318,000 in 2005, according to Tina Leonard, manager of ECC Dublin. He said that while this is proof that the online marketplace is growing, if some web traders continue to provide poor customer service and fraudsters are not monitored closely, shopping online will loose its appeal.

The majority of complaints received from Irish e-shoppers were against web traders based in the UK, France and Germany -- accounting for 44 percent, 14 percent and 13 percent respectively. The last 12 months saw a jump in the number of complaints relating to fraud, with a large number coming from consumer-to-consumer transactions that were concluded between private individuals who had met in an online auction scenario and went offline to finish the transaction.

In the UK, the total number of complaints rose by 74 percent year-on-year, matching the Irish figure of 191. Fifty-four percent of complaints related to the non-delivery of products, while a further 28 percent concerned the condition of the product itself.

Online fraud remains a common problem among European online consumers. The type of fraudulent activities range from phishing scams to problems with internet auctions and fake web traders.