The EU says it should be just as easy to cancel an online order or subscription as it is to start one.
Cancelling online orders and subscriptions is set to become easier later this month, when e-commerce sites will be compelled to comply with EU rules, according to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV).
Under EU law, it must be as easy to cancel an online order or subscription as it is to start one. The law applies to online sales of goods and services. The new obligations stem from amendments to Finland’s Consumer Protection Act.
Online retailers have until Friday 19 June to begin complying with the regulation.
The purpose of the change is to ensure that it is straightforward for consumers to exercise their statutory right of withdrawal.
Generally, online purchases have a 14-day right of withdrawal, according to the KKV.
“When ordering goods or services online, the same service must easily provide a cancellation function, i.e., in practice, for example, a button through which cancellation can be done effortlessly, ” the Consumer Ombudsman Katri Väänänen said in a press release.
Dark patterns
According to the authority, online stores must clearly display the cancellation function on their site, and retailers are also compelled to send customers their cancellation confirmations.
The mandated cancellation feature will be a complementary method to previous models of turning off services or orders.
“The cancellation function is a welcome change from the consumers’ perspective, as it prevents the design of manipulative user interfaces where cancellation is hidden or made into a difficult multi-step process,” Väänänen said.
She was referring to what many call ‘dark patterns’, a manipulative practice that some websites and apps use to make users do things they did not intend to, like buying something or starting a subscription. Some sites are also known for obscuring ways for customers to cancel orders.
