1. Potential risks to product quality and consumer protection
Cross-border e-commerce platforms that have not completed the registration and licensing obligations in Vietnam as prescribed will not be subject to supervision by competent authorities regarding the quality of goods or commitments on after-sales services. Therefore, in the event of unexpected problems arising from transactions, consumers are at risk of facing a number of difficulties. For example, when discovering that the received product does not match the description, has errors, is damaged or has the risk of affecting safety or health, it will be difficult for consumers to request a refund or warranty of the product. Even when disputes arise, unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms will not be subject to domestic legal responsibility. Due to the lack of a legal representative in Vietnam as prescribed, consumers will have many difficulties in contacting and reporting, leading to the settlement of complaints becoming a complicated and prolonged problem.
In addition, consumers also face high risks when purchasing counterfeit, fake or unknown origin goods when ordering on unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms. These items may not meet safety standards, be harmful to consumers or be prohibited goods in the Vietnamese market. In particular, for products related to health and safety such as functional foods, cosmetics, children's toys and electronic devices, the use of poor quality products can have serious consequences. In these cases, because the authorities cannot monitor the responsibilities of businesses in ensuring product quality and the responsibility to ensure the accuracy of providing product information, consumers will not receive support according to the law from the authorities.
2. Potential risks regarding information security and personal data of consumers
When making purchases on unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms, consumers often have to provide international payment information such as credit card or e-wallet information. If this data is not managed and protected in accordance with Vietnamese law, it is at risk of being stolen or illegally exploited, leading to major risks regarding personal information security. In particular, unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms do not have commitments on consumer information security according to Vietnamese regulations, do not have a process for handling incidents in case of problems, and of course, do not have responsibilities or legal obligations according to Vietnamese regulations. Therefore, the risk of leakage of information and personal data of consumers during transactions on unregistered platforms is very high, potentially causing major losses and long-term effects on consumers.
3. Potential risks of tax-related legal liabilities for goods imported via e-commerce
In particular, consumers also need to be careful about legal risks when shopping on unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms. Goods purchased from cross-border e-commerce platforms do not foresee tax obligations for imported goods, leading to problems related to tax obligations and legal issues when the products are imported into Vietnam. This can cause consumers trouble when the products are detained at the border or have to bear additional costs due to taxes that are not expected or not as initially announced.
Based on the recognition and assessment of the above risks, the Ministry of Industry and Trade recommends that consumers be cautious when conducting transactions on e-commerce platforms, especially absolutely not conducting transactions with unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms to ensure their legitimate rights and interests.
Consumers can look up the list of registered e-commerce platforms on the e-commerce management portal at online.gov.vn or contact the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Consumer Consulting and Support Hotline at 1800.6838 for more information.
Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/bao-chi-voi-nguoi-dan/bo-cong-thuong-canh-bao-nguoi-tieu-dung-ve-rui-ro-khi-mua-sam-tren-cac-nen-tang-tmdt-xuyen-bien-gioi-chua-dang-ky.html
Comment (0)