Warwickshire News Mine

Trading Standards Officers will be on-hand at shopping venues across the county during the week to offer information and advice on all aspects of shopping on-line, including providing a range of fact sheets.

Visitors to the stands can also take part in an Internet shopping quiz and win prizes!

Warwickshire County Councillor Richard Hobbs, Portfolio Holder for Community Protection said: “In the past ten years, online shopping has taken off in the UK. Last year UK shoppers spent an incredible £38 billion online and this figure is set to grow to £50 billion by next year."

With so many people now using the Internet to shop for goods and services,
there has never been a more important time to ensure that consumers know their online shopping rights and are able to avoid the scams and dodgy dealers who operate in cyber-space.

That’s why in National Consumer Week Warwickshire Standards Service will be raising awareness of consumer’s online rights and warning them of online scams and rip-offs.”

In National Consumer Week, come and visit us at:

Asda Leamington Spa Monday 20th September
Rope Walk Nuneaton Wednesday 22nd September
COOP Atherstone Thursday 23rd September

Did you know?

Some facts and information on online-shopping and scams

When you buy goods or services on the Internet you have additional rights. For most goods and services bought in the EU you have 7 working days in which to change you mind and cancel your order/return your goods.

Don’t open emails from people you don’t know or trust, or click on the links in them. They could be ‘Phishing’ emails sent by criminals to steal you personal or financial information.

Beware of dodgy websites selling fake goods or goods that never arrive. Rogue traders from abroad use .co.uk websites and fake names and addresses to pretend they are genuine UK based companies. Buyers end up with unsafe and counterfeit products, or no products at all!

Avoid being duped and have an enjoyable web experience by:

Shopping around for goods and services (use comparison websites to help you)

Searching for any user reviews of the trader you want to buy from or the product you are interested in

Use a credit card on-line. For goods or services costing over £100 you have protection if they don’t arrive or the business goes bust

Before you pay, make sure the website is secure. The web address should change from http to https and the padlock symbol should be present in the browser.

Click on the padlock symbol in the corner to reveal details about the company that registered the site. This can show if there are problems with the trader.

See if the trader has a genuine UK business address and contact telephone number. Look for the address in other publicly listed information.

For more information, visit our website: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/NCW2010.

Link to WCC