Shopsafe.co.uk, the Online Shopping Directory of Secure UK Shops, reports that only 1 out of every 100 transactions goes wrong. This is down from 3 in every 100 in 2003. This 99% satisfaction rating is a sign that online shopping is maturing and that online retailers will do well during the run-up to Christmas.
Shopsafe.co.uk has a Make a Complaint service, which enables online shoppers to use them as an arbiter for any problems. Simon Crisp at Shopsafe.co.uk said, "We resolve most problems to the satisfaction of the shopper and the retailer. Often we can broker a solution just by getting to the bottom of the facts. In extreme cases we remove retailers from our safe shopping scheme if it has been proved they can't cope with customer complaints"
Shopsafe.co.uk believes that this fall in complaints is due to a number of factors including:
- Retailers are getting better at e-commerce
- More high street names are moving online and bringing their high standards with them
- A customer has more rights when shopping online than when they shop on the high street. Because the bar is higher it forces retailers to be more responsive
- Customers are becoming more discerning about where they shop with the help of online shopping guides and safe shopping schemes such as shopsafe.co.uk
Shopsafe.co.uk has broken down the complaints that they help resolve into a number of categories:
- Goods not delivered 22%
- Payment taken but delivery not made 15%
- Customer can't get hold of the retailer to make complaint 32%
- Faulty goods that can't be returned 5%
- Other 26%