DMA Forum: Comment - Consumers won't buy from websites if they cannot trust them

March 21, 2005

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DMA Forum: Comment - Consumers won't buy from websites if they cannot trust them

Customers who respond to national newspaper advertisements by sending their money in advance of receiving goods used to be poorly protected from rogue traders. That changed when the National Newspapers Mail Order Protection Scheme, commonly known as MOPS, started vetting advertisers to ensure that readers did not fall victim to bad practice. And if they do lose their money, MOPS also acts as an insurance fund and makes good all reader losses.

Now the internet has opened up a new universe of opportunities for disreputable companies. The DMA has, however, developed WebTraderUK, an accreditation scheme for websites to build consumer trust in purchasing online.

It called upon the MOPS secretariat to develop a procedure for vetting web traders who applied for the accreditation, and we were pleased to help. WebTraderUK is now being launched and takes over from Which?WebTrader, the scheme introduced by the Consumers Association.

Like Which?WebTrader the DMA's WebTraderUK is itself accredited by TrustUK, the government approved body that has established the e-commerce standards in the UK. All companies that display the WebTraderUK logo have agreed to follow an online code of practice developed by the DMA.

Consumers having difficulties with an accredited web trader can make an official complaint to the Direct Marketing Authority, the independent dispute resolution system for the DM industry, chaired by John Bridgeman, former director general of the Office of Fair Trading. Or, they can make use of the arbitration service specially provided by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

The DMA is on the right track with WebTraderUK. The enormous benefits of buying online should not be hampered by a basic lack of consumer trust.

Ron Davis, chief executive of MOPS.

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