Many complaints

Online orders: When appearances are deceptive

There have recently been an increasing number of problems with returns of online orders (symbolic photo).(Bild: stock.adobe.com/africa-studio.com (Olga Yastremska and Leonid Yastremskiy))

The Burgenland Chamber of Labor is receiving an increasing number of complaints about supposedly "German stores" that mislead customers. Legal changes are therefore being called for.

The consumer protectors at the Burgenland Chamber of Labor currently have their hands full again. Time and again, inquiries are coming in about problems with online orders from supposedly "German stores". A typical problem: after making a purchase, customers want to return the goods, but the store does not provide a return address and only offers a small discount of 5 percent.

Country code can be misleading
"For many, this is unsatisfactory, especially if the product is not needed," explains AK consumer protection expert Judith Palme-Leeb. In other cases, it may also turn out that the goods have to be sent back to China - which is often more expensive than the value of the product. Many consumers assume that a store with the country code ".de" is based in Germany. But this is a fallacy, as Palme-Leeb explains. The country code of a web address is not tied to the location of the company, but can be chosen arbitrarily. These are often so-called "dropshippers" who provide an address in the EU but send goods directly from China. These stores are particularly frequently advertised via social media, such as Facebook.

We are therefore calling for a clear legal regulation that protects against misleading information and ensures greater transparency.

AK-Konsumentenschutzexpertin Judith Palme-Leeb

AK Burgenland is therefore calling for a clear legal regulation that stipulates that the country code of a web address must also reflect the actual location of the company. This would protect consumers from misleading information and ensure greater transparency in online commerce.

At the same time, customers are advised to do research before making a purchase if they are not familiar with the store - for example, to look for testimonials. Likewise, no payments should be made in advance. The AK is also offering a webinar on the topic of "Safe online shopping" on October 12 from 6.30 pm. Registration: bgld.arbeiterkammer.at