Twelve of the hundred largest online stores in the Netherlands do not offer customers the ability to contact customer service directly via the website, although this is required by law. This emerges from the NOS inventory. The consumer association also regularly receives complaints about smaller webshops.
This can lead to major inconveniences: Something goes wrong with an order and customer service becomes unavailable. Since May 28 last year, webshops have to provide a working phone number and email address on the website. Companies that do not comply run the risk of being fined.
Contact information such as phone number and e-mail address should be given in a clear and understandable way. Therefore, Internet stores do not follow the rules if the consumer cannot easily find this information. For example, phone numbers are hidden in terms and conditions or are only provided after a chat conversation.
NOS spoke to several consumers who were bothered by the lack of a phone number on the site. Just like Laura Appelo, who ordered clothes for 850 Euros from the Asos online store and wanted to return some products and had a question about the return label, it turned out that she could not be reached by phone.
“It took me 30 days to get a response to my email. If I had called someone, I could have arranged it right away.” He could not get his money back as the return period expired. Asos gave him a coupon for the amount of clothes returned.
A spokesperson says the consumer association regularly receives complaints about unavailable webshops. “This is partly due to technological advances. Some companies replace their employees with chatbots, but these are often not good enough. People also want personal contact.”
The consumer association itself also found it difficult to maintain personal contact in a tight labor market. “Sometimes we also struggle to meet the strict response times we used to use. This is not always possible now. But if you have a webshop, certain obligations come with it. Good accessibility is definitely part of that.”
“One step back”
Industry body Thuiswinkel.org is not happy with the new regulations. “The requirement to always provide a phone number and email address feels like a step back,” explains director Marlene ten Ham.
“Of course, web stores have to be easily accessible, but nowadays this is also possible through other means, such as chat, Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. Another condition is that the web shop provides fast communication, but how does the web shop do this? it would be important to us. Worries should be left to the entrepreneur.”
Amazon, Greetz and VidaXL online stores have the Thuiswinkel quality mark, but their website does not have a phone number. Thuiswinkel.nl does not comment on individual cases, but says companies will be given time to comply with the new regulations before the quality mark is withdrawn.
Supervision of web shops is the responsibility of the Dutch Consumers and Markets Authority (ACM). A spokesperson says no sanctions have yet been imposed. The ACM can issue a warning, threaten punishment or impose a fine. A consumer can also go to court if a company does not provide information.
Source: NOS
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
