Does .co.uk web site need to stick to UK consumer rights

worslesr

I purchased some glasses from a .co.uk (goggles4u.co.uk) web site about 3 months ago and was very happy with service and price till they broke. I tried to get them replaced or fixed but they said that their policy was returns within 14 days only. When I said they were not of merchantable quality and thus needed fixing under the sale of good act they said they were a USA based company and so did not need to adhere to this law.


This company has a .co.uk domain and UK phone number but are based in the USA. Do I have any consumer rights when dealing with this entity.


After much discussion and threats to spread my displeasure across forums and web sites they did agree to replace the glasses, but was interested on where I would stand legally with such an entity.

wealdroam

worslesr wrote: »

This company has a .co.uk domain and UK phone number but are based in the USA. Do I have any consumer rights when dealing with this entity.

Your consumer rights are those applicable where the sale is made.

As you purchased in USA, the laws of the particular state are those that apply.

I see that you already have a resolution, but you might like to visit The Better Business Bureau.

bod1467

They are a UK individual. Perhaps they drop-ship from the USA, but they are not a USA company.

http://www.nominet.org.uk/whois/lookup?query=goggles4u.co.uk

Two considerations here ...

1) Complaint to Nominet ... to report a trading website that is not registered as such

2) Complaint to the relevant body that a business is trading online without disclosing their company number, VAT number (if applicable), contact address etc. (Contact address could be gleaned from the WHOIS details).

Browntoa

.co.uk domain does not mean its a UK company or that it needs to comply with UK trading laws

its clear here

Customer Service
Write to Us:
Goggles4u Eyeglasses
12611 Hiddencreek Way Ste F/G
Cerritos, CA 90703

wealdroam

bod1467 wrote: »

They are a UK individual. Perhaps they drop-ship from the USA, but they are not a USA company.

Does the website registrant always have to be the company?

I ask because as Browntoa has pointed out, they appear to be an American company.

bod1467

wealdroam wrote: »

Does the website registrant always have to be the company?

I ask because as Browntoa has pointed out, they appear to be an American company.

Fair point. But if it's operating as a business then it's a breach of Nominet rules for it to be listed against a UK Individual.

Please note also the timestamps of posts #2 through #4.

InsideInsurance

wealdroam wrote: »

Does the website registrant always have to be the company?

No, many big companies have marketing companies buy their domains for them, particularly if its part of a new brand/product etc and they want to keep it under wraps.

Additionally to that, the person that owns the domain is not necessarily the same person who operates the site under it. As an example, I own "DIY.com", B&Q want the domain but I am not willing to sell it so instead I can either lease it to them for a monthly fee or I effectively become an affiliate marketeer and instead of a set monthly fee I get 5% of all sales generated from visitors.