Online Traders – Get Savvy Now

Posted by / September 25th, 2016 / No responses

Here’s my internet shopping list from last month alone:

  • Wine
  • Kids clothes & School uniform
  • Tat from Amazon for kids’ birthday parties
  • Random stuff I buy on a Friday night, glass of wine in hand (that much-needed sleep candle was an essential buy)
  • The entire Home Collection from John Lewis
  • More wine

Please don’t psycho-analyse my shopping habits… just be assured that we are ALL shopping online. It’s the norm. In fact, my parents are the only people in the entire United Kingdom who aren’t yet shopping online – and that’s because they can’t find their reading glasses.

The internet is brilliant. It’s the most effective shop window in the world, and it’s continuing to grow year on year.

However, this shop window isn’t a complete free-for-all. There are rules and regulations which govern how traders sell online. If you’re selling over the internet, you need a basic understanding of the rules and how they apply to you.

Sounds obvious, but so many traders still don’t know whether or not their website and trading practices comply with the law. That’s why we’re here to help….  so you can you rest easy knowing that you’re up to date and compliant.

Successful online traders are savvy – they don’t live in blissful ignorance or a constant state of fear.

So GET SAVVY NOW.

The legal bit

Let’s get this out of the way. UK and EU laws provide protections and rights to customers.  Without going into the (dull) detail, you need to know that some new laws were introduced fairly recently. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 set down new rules around how you trade with your customers. We’re not going to cite statute to you, but we’re going to look at how they apply to the majority of online traders.

The first thing to note is that these rules only apply if you are selling to ‘consumers’.  These are customers who buy your products as individuals and not on behalf of a business or profession. If in doubt, come and speak to us.

Secondly, this note focussed on selling products online. If you’re selling services, then please look out for further Blogs and Guidance from Serenwood aimed specifically at service providers.

So that’s the legal stuff out of the way, let’s see how these rules affect you and your business.

Here’s the heads-up

If you don’t comply with consumer laws, then you may find yourself dishing out customer refunds, dealing with complaints or fire-fighting damage to your reputation. That’s no way to run a successful business.

On the flip side – professional, compliant websites always give the right impression to shoppers. They are more likely to choose you and your products if they feel safe and reassured that you are a company who knows what you’re doing with online shopping. For example, they may never read your Terms and Conditions, but they expect to see them on your website.

It goes without saying that, by equipping yourself with a bit of legal knowledge and making sure that your online activities are fully compliant, it’s win-win to online trading.

Here’s how.

Here’s a simple checklist. Go through this list and be honest.

Statement Yes/No
My online terms and conditions are easy to find on my website and there’s a link to them on the order section of my website (so they can read the terms before they place an order).  
My online terms and conditions use plain language and are easy-to-understand. I understand them and my customers should be able to understand them too.   
My website sets out all the really important stuff such as my full trading name and address, delivery charges, my complaints policy and the total price for the goods.   
When customers are ready to place their order and pay for the goods, there is a clear “PAY” or “PAY NOW” button for them to click.   
At that stage, the total price payable for the goods is clear and prominent. There are no hidden charges.   
I know what a ‘cooling-off’ period is and whether it applies to my goods. If it does, then I allow customers at least 14 days to change their mind and return the goods (from the date they receive the goods).  
If customers wish to return goods, I make it clear whether they have to pay for the cost of return in my terms and conditions.  
I have a repair and refund policy which allows customers to return faulty goods for at least 30 days and seek a full refund or repair and replacement.  
Of course,  the 30-day period doesn’t apply to perishable goods – if I supply perishable goods, then I allow customers a reasonable time to reject these, based on how long it’s reasonable to expect these to last.  
If I’ve tried to repair or replace a product and there’s still a fault, then I’ll allow customers to request a refund or offer a reduction in price. If they ask for another repair or replace, at that stage, then that’s fine too.  
Where a refund is payable, I pay this within 14 days.  
Unless I inform customers and they are OK with a longer delivery time, then I will deliver goods within 30 days.  
I don’t use premium rate helplines as part of my customer services.  

If you comply with everything listed above, then CONGRATULATIONS we think you’re probably good to go!

However, if there’s anything you’re not sure about or you don’t think you are currently complying with, then you need to review and revise your terms and conditions and your trading activities straight away. You need to be compliant against each of the points in the checklist above – so don’t ignore them – the law isn’t going to go away.

If you are starting to panic a little, please don’t. You are not alone. Which is why we are launching the Serenwood Business Club to guide and support businesses such as yours, so that you can GET SAVVY and trade with confidence. We even offer our members access to templates, such as online terms and conditions, so you can spring-clean your documents as well as your website!

All of the details for the Serenwood Business Club can be found here.

Or to find out more about Serenwood and how we can support you – please  visit us at www.serenwood.co.uk and tell us what you think. We’d love to hear from you.