Last year, due to the mobility restrictions generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the country’s e-commerce sector experienced an accelerated expansion, both in demand and through the incorporation of new businesses. The quick development also implied a growth in lawsuits regarding non-compliance of the consumer protection.
According to inspections made between 2018 and 2021 by the Consumer Protection Agency, 78% of e-commerce related businesses and companies do not comply with all needed legal requirements to provide secure trade platforms for consumers. The information was revealed by Ricardo Salazar, President of the Consumer Protection Agency.
According to Salazar, the strong expansion of e-commerce platforms are a challenge for public institutions and legislations, as they need to keep pace with the changes in consumer behavior in an effort to strengthen consumer protection policies and promote related matters such as universal internet access and new personal data protection regulations.
Salazar called consumers to ensure that they buy in authorized and legally established platforms, as they will be unprotected for consumer protection claims against informal businesses.
“The main recommendation we give to them is to make purchases on secure websites. At the time of making the purchase it is important to have all the information of the product: price, if there are associated charges, delivery times and methods of pay, among others,” Salazar stated, according to El Mundo.
