Consumer Protection in Poland Accuses Amazon Europe of Misleading Customers

JAKARTA - Polish competition watchdog has accused e-commerce firm Amazon's European unit of misleading sales and delivery practices. This accusation emerged from the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), Wednesday, 1 February.

UOKiK said consumers on the Amazon Poland site were misled on terms of sales contracts, product availability, delivery times and consumer rights, which if proven could result in a penalty to Amazon EU of up to 10% of its turnover. Representatives for Amazon.pl did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

According to a statement published by UOKiK, Amazon EU treats orders received through the Amazon.pl website as non-binding until such time as the company has confirmed actual delivery, and left the option to cancel them.

According to UOKiK, the use of phrases such as "buy now" and "proceed to checkout" can indicate that the consumer made a purchase and the transaction was executed immediately after payment was made.

"If consumers know that placing an order is not a purchase, and product availability and delivery times are just estimates, they may not use the services of this company," said UOKiK head Tomasz Chrostny.

The office notes that these terms are spelled out on the Amazon.pl website, but their readability and placement make them difficult for consumers to read.

According to the office, delivery guarantee terms with an option to receive a refund in the event of a delay are not easily available to consumers.