Internet Deliveries

The internet is great, you can buy anything from anywhere and within a few days it will turn up on your doorstep. Some people are not so lucky though. For those with remote postcodes or who live away from the mainland, buying goods from the internet can be a difficult and frustrating business as they watch the postage charges leap up as soon as they enter their address on the delivery page.

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills are doing their best to help consumers by producing a statement of principles for parcel deliveries by businesses.

BIS have set out six guiding principles that businesses should bear in mind when calculating delivery charges. Essentially, the guidance confirms that delivery charges ought to be reasonable and proportionate and that businesses should look to find the cheapest and most convenient (for their customers!) options for delivery.

The principles are not laws themselves and therefore there are no automatic sanctions for breaching them, however compliance with the principles will be useful for demonstration compliance with E-Commerce law if necessary.

These principles form another key part of the government’s strategy to protect consumers and promote e-commerce. They are designed to work well with the Consumer Contracts Regulations which came into force earlier this summer and which all online businesses need to be aware of.

If you run an internet business, contact our commercial law team on 01484 519999 or by e-mail at rachelmain@chadlaw.co.uk to discuss having your terms of business checked for compliance with the latest legislation.