Do you want to buy a product or service from an Internet shop or service provider? Please set aside at least an hour! These days if you need to purchase a product or service from an online provider to be safe and to know your rights.
Well, "Be prepared.
" Not all transactions go through smoothly now do they? And when things go wrong that's when the trouble starts! Terms and Conditions, usually drafted in protective legalise.
Protective that is to the seller not you the buyer The Ts and Cs are marvels of obscurity.
Designed as they are to confuse, only to be translated by the representative of the firm you are buying from and then only to the advantage of the seller.
Now that was very clear wasn't it? Clear but not helpful! What about this EULA thingy? EULA is End user licensing agreement.
By ticking that simple box you have given over your rights to do anything helpful to you that is and granted to the licensor the right and all his staff to live in your house in perpetuity or some such nonsense.
This EULA document is another marvel of obfuscation is usually the clincher used to ensure your complete and total dissatisfaction But now after a few a very few cases where the consumer has beaten the system, there is a new show in town the FAQs these are usually dressed up as policy or guidelines not legally binding but "you should have checked all of these before you decided to trust us with your money.
Now the point of this particular rant is this: why should we as consumers be put to all this trouble and time consuming nonsense? Well basically to ensure that you won't get your money back or the goods you ordered.
"Oh what is that? "You didn't get the goods at all "Ah well sir that's force majeure, we have a postal strike in the UK scheduled for 22nd Oct 2009.
" Fred Parker
Well, "Be prepared.
" Not all transactions go through smoothly now do they? And when things go wrong that's when the trouble starts! Terms and Conditions, usually drafted in protective legalise.
Protective that is to the seller not you the buyer The Ts and Cs are marvels of obscurity.
Designed as they are to confuse, only to be translated by the representative of the firm you are buying from and then only to the advantage of the seller.
Now that was very clear wasn't it? Clear but not helpful! What about this EULA thingy? EULA is End user licensing agreement.
By ticking that simple box you have given over your rights to do anything helpful to you that is and granted to the licensor the right and all his staff to live in your house in perpetuity or some such nonsense.
This EULA document is another marvel of obfuscation is usually the clincher used to ensure your complete and total dissatisfaction But now after a few a very few cases where the consumer has beaten the system, there is a new show in town the FAQs these are usually dressed up as policy or guidelines not legally binding but "you should have checked all of these before you decided to trust us with your money.
Now the point of this particular rant is this: why should we as consumers be put to all this trouble and time consuming nonsense? Well basically to ensure that you won't get your money back or the goods you ordered.
"Oh what is that? "You didn't get the goods at all "Ah well sir that's force majeure, we have a postal strike in the UK scheduled for 22nd Oct 2009.
" Fred Parker