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When you are buying goods online, you are not only covered by the distance selling rules, but also entitled to the following information under e-commerce regulations:

  • Full details of the service provider including their geographical address and their email address
  • Full information on special offers such as promotions (discounts, premiums, gifts) and promotional games and any terms and conditions that apply
  • Unsolicited offers not requested by you as the consumer should be prominently displayed on the website and at every point where you are asked to provide information (such as a form)
  • The registration number of the service provider if registered in a trade or public register
  • The VAT registration number if applicable
  • Where the activity is subject to an authorisation scheme, the details of the relevant supervisory authority
  • Where the service provider is a member of a regulated profession: any professional body or similar institution with which the service provider is registered; the professional title of the provider and the EU member state where it has been granted; and a reference to the relevant professional rules in the member state of establishment and the means to access them

Information on screen

For contracts to be concluded electronically, the following information should be provided on screen:

  • The different technical steps that need to be followed to conclude the contract
  • Whether or not the concluded contract will be filed by the service provider and accessible
  • A method of identifying and correcting input errors prior to placing an order
  • The language(s) in which the contract may be concluded.
  • The terms and general conditions of the contact to be made available in a way that allows them to be stored and reproduced

Acknowledgement

You should be provided with an acknowledgement of receipt of the order, without undue delay and by electronic means.

The order and acknowledgement of receipt are considered to be received when the parties to whom they are addressed are able to access them.

The e-commerce regulations apply to all web traders in the EU, even those that may be excluded from some or all of the distance selling regulations.