With a surge of online shopping due to the Level 4 lockdown, it is important to remind yourself of the obligations of selling online.
Remember, under Alert Level 4, only uncooked food products, beverages and bakery products can be sold online (not takeaways). All orders must be contactless, including payment and delivery. It is important, however, for businesses to also be ready for when we move down Alert levels.
Key things retailers need to remember:
• You must not offer to sell goods that you do not reasonably believe you will be able to supply on the terms offered
• Clear and accurate information should be provided to consumers about the availability of goods and when they can expect to receive them
• If you don’t specify timeframes for delivery then the law requires delivery within a reasonable timeframe
• Goods should arrive within the time frame stated, if that doesn’t happen consumers may be entitled to reject the goods and ask for a full refund
• If there are known delays with courier deliveries, you should reflect that in your stated delivery timeframes so that consumers can make fully informed purchasing decisions
• You can sell products with a future delivery date as long as you are clear about when they will be dispatched and at the time the order is made you reasonably believe that you can fulfil the order on the future delivery date you have promised.
Retailers can find more information about their obligations when selling online on the NZ Commerce Commission’s website.
