The European Consumer Centre (ECC-net) has released a report saying that European online shoppers are regularly discriminated against. For example, online shops refuse shoppers on the basis of their nationality or raise prices based on place of residence.
Doubling number of complaints
ECC-Net received more than 500 complaints from people who could not freely buy anything online between 2013 and last year. The exact number stands at 532 complaints, more than doubling the measured years between 2010 between 2012. However, it should be added that in those years there was less frequent buying from a foreign online shop.
Online discrimination
More than 80 per cent of complaints were about discrimination by place of residence. Of these, almost 70 per cent were about price or service differences in online shops for electronic equipment, means of transport, clothes, books, music or downloading data, Twinkle writes on its website. For example, online shoppers were rejected on the site, were redirected to another website, were not sent their final order home, could not checkout normally or were given additional or different sales conditions.
In a press release, the ECC writes that Dutch webshops refused, among others, Britons who wanted to buy a tent on a Dutch webshop. It also brought out an example of a Dutch online shopper who was not allowed to buy an e-book on a British site because the online shop only sells products to consumers from its own country.
Newbill adopted
The European Council of Ministers last month agreed on a bill to combat this so-called 'geoblocking'. This law brings the European Union another step closer to a policy where every consumer can shop in any country and discrimination is a thing of the past.
Ecommerce Europe said last year that online shops in the EU should not be required to deliver to all countries within the EU. This would reduce online shops' freedom of choice. Some webshops do not want to deliver to certain countries for economic reasons.
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