Email a collegue.| Headline: | Staying in line on-line |
| Description: | The number of rules and regulations with which companies creating web sites need to compliant grows and grows.
10 issues that companies should take into account when putting together their web sites are as follows: 1. WHAT - the law of misrepresentation applies to goods on line; to comply with this law, you must give a true and honest description of the goods and/or services you sell. 2. WHERE - the Distance Selling Regulations (DSR) require anyone selling goods remotely to provide customers with details of their physical address and contact details. Include them on a 'Contact us' page on your web site or the home page. 3. WHEN AND HOW - under DSR, you must state when and how the goods will be delivered. If you are selling goods other than perishables you must give customers seven working days to change their minds, and you must tell them your returns policy. 4. TERMS - any on-line transaction should be done according to your standard e-commerce terms. Under English law, if a person does not agree to your terms before they enter into the contract, then they will not be bound by them. 5. LAW - the content of your web site must comply with all the laws of the country you are based in and, ideally, the laws of the country you sell to. You should be aware of this when preparing your terms and conditions as you may want to exclude supply of certain goods to particular countries. 6. DATA - if you collect customer data via your web site you must comply with the Data Protection Act and have a policy about how you will use that data on your web site. You must give customers the option to opt out of having the data collected and used by you. 7. ACCESSIBILITY - since October 1, 2004 the Disability Discrimination Act provides that all services available to the public must be accessible to disabled people. This means that you must make reasonable adjustments to your web site so that it can be used by disabled people. 8. DISCALIMER - it is always advisable to have a disclaimer on a web site which states what you will not be liable for. 9. COPYRIGHT - if you own the copyright in your web site, declare this and state that others may not copy it. 10. E-MAIL - if you intend to send marketing information to your customers by e-mail you must comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Act. This provides that you cannot send unsolicited e-mail to people unless they have agreed to be marketed to in this way or they bought the same or similar goods from you previously. |
| Date: | 20.12.2004 |
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