Unfair terms found at 46 certified online shops

A trusted-looking online shop can still put terms in front of buyers that conflict with Swedish consumer law. A new national review found the problem in nearly every certified retailer it checked.

The Consumer Agency found unfair terms at 46 of 50 companies carrying the Trygg E-handel certification. It has opened supervision cases and given the companies until the end of September to explain how they will fix the problems.

Several shops tried to reserve the right to change a price after a binding purchase because of a typing error. The agency says that is allowed only when the buyer realised, or should have realised, that the price was wrong.

Other terms disclaimed responsibility when product information or images were wrong, although Swedish consumer law can treat goods as faulty when they differ from information given at purchase. The review also found broad force-majeure and damages clauses.

The practical point is that a certification mark does not let a seller contract away statutory rights. The agency’s 46 cases are supervision proceedings, not final court rulings against the shops.

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