A coalition of seven of the most prominent companies in the online world are proposing a set of guidelines designed to make Internet shoppers feel more secure.
The E-commerce Group, comprised of America Online, AT&T, Dell, IBM, Microsoft, Network Solutions and Time Warner, proposed the guidelines at the start yesterday of a two-day Federal Trade Commission workshop in Washington, D.C.
The proposal calls any company who wants to be part of it to abide by a set of guidelines that include full disclosure of the terms of sale, an opportunity to review the transaction and discussion of all costs involved in the transaction and shipping.
Other provisions call for standards for cancellation, return and refund policies, packaging that will protect products shipped, and security for customers’ personal records. There should also be disclosure of customer service and support, warranty and privacy policies.
A central provision, which the companies hammered out over nine months of negotiations in consultation with consumer groups, suggests a system for dispute resolution when a deal fails. This provision would give consumers a third party to handle complaints by e-mail. But neither companies nor consumers would be bound by the third-party decisions and could still take the case to court.
An area that was not resolved by the group is what country’s laws should be applied if resolution fails.
