Protections under Electronic Transaction Act

CAC communications specialist Dorothy Campbell pointed out the ETA has some protection in mandating that an accurate summary of the goods and services being offered online be made available to potential customers. This must also include all terms and conditions associated with the purchase.

Other areas include security of online payments, wherein the supplier is responsible for the security of payments and payment information and full disclosure of price.

The ETA also gives consumers the right to demand the total breakdown of taxes, packaging and transportation/shipping costs.

“Some local pop-up online stores often do not respond to pricing queries, yet consumers readily make payments for items and, consequently, are alarmed at the amount charged to their credit cards for a purchase,” she said, again urging caution with online purchases.

In the area of delivery of goods, she said the ETA states that if no delivery time is stated, the consumer has the right to receive the goods within 30 days of purchase. The ETA also states that the consumer should be informed immediately of the unavailability of goods and a refund should be made within 30 days of the date of the transaction.

A consumer can, without notice, cancel a transaction within seven days of receiving the goods or signing a credit agreement for the supply of the services. However, the ETA indicates that there are exceptions for certain goods such as personalised items or those bought through an auction, gaming or lottery services, perishables and certain financial transactions, including insurance and banking services.

“For a refund policy: a consumer should be able to access online the supplier’s return, exchange and refund policy. The Consumer Affairs Commission is advising consumers to always be vigilant and take care that if there is no refund, replacement or exchange policy or you are not able to identify a brick and mortar location or a valid contact number for securing redress, that you are not to do business with the entity online,” Campbell said.