The Ministry of Industry and Trade recommends that consumers be cautious when conducting transactions on unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms to ensure their legitimate rights and interests.
A representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that many Vietnamese consumers are currently attracted to products on cross-border e-commerce platforms thanks to low prices and variety of designs. However, shopping on unregistered platforms that are not managed by state agencies can lead to many risks.
Risk of consumer protection
According to the representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 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 case of unexpected problems arising in transactions, consumers are at risk of facing some difficulties.
For example, when consumers discover that the product they receive is not as described, has errors, is damaged, or poses a risk to safety or health, it becomes difficult for them to request a return or warranty for the product.
Even when disputes arise, unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms will not be subject to domestic legal liability. Without a legal representative in Vietnam as prescribed, consumers will have difficulty contacting for feedback, leading to the resolution of complaints becoming a complicated and lengthy issue.
In addition, consumers also face high risks of 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.
Especially 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 supervise the responsibilities of enterprises in ensuring product quality and ensuring the accuracy of providing product information, consumers will not receive support according to the law from the authorities,” said a representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Risk of loss personal data
According to the representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, when purchasing goods on unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms, consumers often have to provide international payment information such as credit cards or e-wallet information. If this data is not managed and protected according to Vietnamese law, it is at risk of being stolen or illegally exploited, leading to major risks in 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 consumer information and personal data during transactions on unregistered platforms is very high, potentially causing great losses and long-term impacts on consumers.
In particular, consumers also need to be cautious 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 to get into trouble when the products are detained at the border gate or have to bear additional costs due to taxes that were 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,” said a representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Previously, at a regular press conference on October 23 organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan said that according to the provisions of Decree 85/2021/ND-CP amending Decree 52/2013/ND-CP on e-commerce, e-commerce platforms operating in Vietnam are required to register with the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
“The Ministry of Industry and Trade is implementing a project to combat counterfeit and fake goods and protect consumers in e-commerce. The Ministry also assigned the General Department of Market Management to closely monitor this issue,” Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan informed./.
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