Monday,
November 27, 2000
Online Toy Stores Fail
to Provide Consumer Protection
Clicksure, an independent global e-confidence
business, announced the results of its
best practice review of selected popular
US online toy stores. Clicksure reviewed
the Websites during the last week in October
in anticipation for the holiday season
and produced worrying findings in the area
of online privacy.
"Despite recent publicity
about the lack of protection for consumers
at online toy stores, our snapshot review
of some of the largest sites show that
few online toy retailers have stepped up
to meet best practice," said Steve Delcarson,
Chief Operating Officer for Clicksure North
America. "Consumers should be made aware
of the potential personal and privacy protection
gaps of shopping online this holiday season.
Our online review found similar gaps in
quality to those recently highlighted by
the FTC. The FTC has found that some holiday
web sites make promises for quick delivery
that cannot be met. As businesses work
to back up these claims, Clicksure provides
a means for highlighting and correcting
gaps in quality online."
While the review found most
companies posted a privacy policy, nearly
50 percent did so in an area that was not
easily accessible during the purchase.
Of the most popular toy companies reviewed,
70 percent did not identify the personal
information that was being collected by
the web site. As protecting consumers'
personal surfing information becomes part
of the national debate, Clicksure found
that 30 percent did not provide users with
a clear statement about the company's use
of cookies. In fact, a fifth of the web
sites reviewed did not state the specific
purpose for which the collected personal
information would be used.
Clicksure's review also found
that the online toy stores fail to give
consumers a voice in responding to the
company, where 80 percent did not provide
an opportunity for consumers to file complaints
about the products or web site.
"Our Discovery Snapshots
are rigorous assessments of e-businesses
with the goal of making the consumer feel
safe while making their online transaction," Delcarson
said. "At Clicksure, we provide the tools
and resources for e-businesses to create
confidence in their online business," continued
Delcarson. "Consumers who see the Clicksure
Mark on a web site can feel confident that
the e-business has a quality program in
place to make their experience superior."
