Most Online Shoppers Don't Read the Fine Print, Says FindLaw.com Survey
E-Commerce Websites Can Require Shoppers to Waive Their Legal Rights
EAGAN, Minn., Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's online shoppers aren't bothering to read the fine print when they shop, and could be giving many of their legal rights if something goes wrong. That's the finding of a new survey from FindLaw.com, the most popular legal information website.
The majority of online shoppers – 54 percent – say they either quickly skim or ignore any user agreements, terms of service, or other legal language that are agreeing to.
| Read every word and understand it thoroughly |
22% |
| Read most agreements and try to understand most of it |
24% |
| Quickly read or skim it |
34% |
| Ignore it and don't read it at all |
20% |
Many e-commerce websites have terms & conditions that limit a customer's ability to sue in the event of a dispute. Customers are instead required to use arbitration. Some attempts to sue websites – either through individual or class-action lawsuits – have been dismissed by the courts because the customer agreed to the website's conditions.
"Most people don't realize that they are often giving away some,of their legal rights when they click 'Agree,'" said Stephanie Rahlfs, attorney-editor at FindLaw.com. "Many websites require that customers scroll through and review legal language and click a button stating that they agree with the terms before completing their purchase. But that's largely meaningless if the person doesn't actually read the agreement. Courts have tended to uphold such agreements whether the person actually read them or not, leaving little or no resource for filing a suit in the event of a dispute."
The numbers are similar to results from the last time FindLaw.com conducted this survey in 2011, even though online shopping has exploded during the same time frame from $200 billion to $300 billion. But despite buying and spending more, online shoppers have not learned to pay more attention to what they're agreeing to when they buy.
Free information on consumer protection while online shopping can be found at http://consumer.findlaw.com/consumer-transactions/problems-with-online-shopping.html
The FindLaw.com survey was conducted using a demographically balanced survey of 1000 American adults and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percent.
Note to editors: Full survey results and analysis are available upon request.
CONTACT
Alex Cook
FindLaw
651-687-6319
[email protected]
SOURCE FindLaw.com
Related Links
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article