Almost all Belgian web shops break the rules, according to research by government service

The FPS Economy checked 252 Belgian online stores with do-it-yourself articles, toys or baby items on offer between 1 February 2024 and 6 of this year of this year. The government service checked, among other things, whether the shops were registered in the intersection bank of companies, whether the mandatory company information was on the website and social media and whether the prohibition on additional costs was complied with without explicit permission.

At 242 web stores, 96 percent of all controlled shops, the FPS established at least one violation. In total there were 1,467, which amounts to an average of 6 per webshop.

Most web stores, more than 91 percent, gave no, incomplete or incorrect information about the right of withdrawal or the legal guarantee. In addition, in 54.4 percent of the shops there were at least one misleading commercial practice, 42.5 percent of the stores did not give the essential company data correct or incomplete weather, and at 67.4 percent of web shops the price per unit could not always be found.

Lack of knowledge

According to the FPS, 96.7 percent of traders did adjust the situation after a warning, and in the end only 8 official reports were involved for stores that did not rectify the infringements. The government service concludes that many infringements are the result of a lack of knowledge of legislation.

Minister of Economy Clarinval is satisfied with the response of the sector, he says. « That shows that they are included in the story and are willing to adjust their practices. » At the same time, it is essential for the MR-Vice prime minister that we continue to focus on checking and raising awareness.  »

According to Vooruit minister bones, the figures show that the protection of online consumers is « still too often inadequate ». « We must ensure that every Belgian can buy safely and correctly online, without deception or hidden costs. »