The ACCC talks compliance for small business online for advertising, reviews, consumer guarantees and terms and conditions on its new webpage – Your rights & responsibilities as a business online.
The messages the ACCC wants to give to small businesses are:
- The same legal obligations apply under the Australian Consumer Law to doing business online as apply to doing business from bricks-and-mortar premises.
- Information posted online about products, services or business must be truthful and accurate. The information can consist of prices, images and descriptions, shipping options and delivery times.
- Online reviews and testimonials should be independent, reflect a genuinely held opinion and only be written by those who have actually experienced the product or service. Reviews must disclose any personal connection or commercial relationship, and incentives to write reviews.
- Responsibilities to your customers continue after they make a purchase. The responsibilities are found in the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law.
- The ACCC is acting upon complaints from businesses and is requesting suppliers to remove unfair contract terms and/or taking them to Court to have the terms declared void.
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