The Centre has on July 23 notified new rules for e-commerce companies under the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020. It will apply for all e-retailers registered in India or those abroad providing services to Indian customers. Non-compliance will attract penal action under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The rules make it mandatory for sellers to display on its platform or website the country of origin, total price of goods and services along with breakup of other charges, expiry date, details about return, refund and exchange, warranty and guarantee, delivery and shipment, and “any other information that may be required by consumers to make informed decisions at the pre-purchase stage,” the notification said.
Entities are not allowed to impose "cancellation charges" for orders cancelled after confirmation unless sellers pay similar charges on their side as well; or “manipulate price” of offerings to gain unreasonable profit and discriminate between consumers of the same class or make any arbitrary classification of consumers affecting their rights under the Act, it states.
