eCommerce platforms, sellers should be liable for damaged, lost goods bought online, says solon
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 26) — A lawmaker says both eCommerce platforms and online sellers must be held accountable for damaged or lost goods purchased over the Internet.
At the moment, customers who purchase from online platforms are limited to courier services they have selected, said Valenzuela 1st District Rep. Wes Gatchalian on Friday. "In order for the consumers to be able to purchase the items they want, they have no other option but to use the courier services utilized by these online platforms. And sometimes they literally have no choice because only one courier service is offered by the platform," he explained.
Complaints of products incurring damage or getting lost is also not good for both buyers and sellers, added Gatchalian, who also chairs the House Committee on Trade and Industry.
Gatchalian made the statement in light of a viral video of workers of courier service J&T Express mishandling parcels earlier this week. J&T Express has since taken responsibility for the incident, adding it has already identified personnel involved in the clip for sanctioning.
The lawmaker had also filed earlier this year House Bill No. 6122 or the Internet Transactions Act, which seeks to identify obligations and liabilities for eCommerce platforms and online merchants. These include the delivery of goods to customers as stated in the sales contract.
Any agreement between the buyer and the seller is "valid only if, at the time of the conclusion of the contract, the consumer has knowledge of the specific condition of the goods and the consumer has expressly accepted this specific condition when concluding the contract," read the proposed legislation.
Furthermore, the bill seeks the creation of an eCommerce Bureau under the Department of Trade and Industry which shall handle consumer complaints related to online transactions and facilitate the quick resolution of the said concerns by the concerned government agency.
