The National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) is carrying out, during this period, an action to verify shopping sites and applications that operate as an online market, Temu and Shein, informs the institution through a press release.
“The action focuses on the possible unfair commercial practices of traders, in the relationship with consumers, likely to distort, essentially, their economic behavior, respectively potential violations of the horizontal legislation regarding product safety and consumer protection (inauthentic discounts) and aggressive practices – manipulative interfaces (dark patterns), selling under pressure (pressure – selling), rewarding a person’s involvement with a product or service with a prize (gamification), but also other aspects (for example, related to product safety)” the document states quote.
In this context, ANPC advises consumers who buy online from these sites to carefully inform themselves, before purchasing a product, about its characteristics, displayed prices, delivery costs, merchant information or available payment methods. Before concluding the purchase, consumers must check whether the trader’s website contains correct and complete information regarding: his identification data (name, postal and electronic address, telephone number, registration number in the commercial companies register and tax registration number etc.); the essential characteristics of the product; the price with all taxes included; delivery charges, if applicable; payment and delivery methods; the period of validity of the offer or the price; the existence and manner of exercising the right to unilaterally terminate the contract.
“ANPC recommends that, if you encounter a problem when shopping online, you try to resolve it directly with the economic operator, amicably. If this does not work, you can contact the Directorate of Alternative Dispute Resolution within the ANPC https://anpc.ro/ce-este-sal/, in the case of economic operators with registered office in Romania. If the economic operator has its headquarters in another European state, you can contact the European Consumer Center in Romania https://eccromania.ro/, which helps you free of charge when you have consumer protection problems with a product or a service purchased from another European country, informs you free of charge about the rights you have during trips to another European country and offers you free support if you have a complaint against a European company, in order to solve the problem. If the solution is not possible in any other way, you can file a complaint by accessing https://sesizari.anpc.ro/, in the case of economic operators with registered offices on the territory of Romania”, emphasizes the press release from the Consumer Protection.
