Many violations of consumer rights
According to data from the Department of Competition and Consumer Protection (Ministry of Industry and Trade), the number of complaints related to e-commerce has increased sharply in recent years. Common problems include counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, incorrect delivery commitments, difficulties in returns and online fraud.
On e-commerce platforms, it is not difficult to find products with prices significantly different from market prices, accompanied by unclear information about their origin.
Dr Nguyen Manh Hung, former Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Consumer Protection, commented: “Many sellers deliberately take advantage of loopholes in the inspection process to bring poor quality products to the market. This not only causes damage to consumers but also destroys trust in e-commerce.”
In addition to counterfeit goods, fraud through virtual promotions and false advertising is also at an alarming level. Currently, many scammers are taking advantage of social networking platforms to sell fake and counterfeit goods in the form of livestreams or advertisements. Without strict control, consumers can easily fall into traps.
Although e-commerce platforms have implemented a return policy, many customers still have difficulty in the complaint process.
According to Dr Can Van Luc, an economic expert, “The consumer protection system on e-commerce platforms still has some limitations. In many cases, consumers have to collect evidence and confront the seller without adequate support from the platform.”
Disclosing personal information is also one of the biggest risks when shopping online. Consumer data is becoming the target of many bad actors. Without strong privacy policies, consumer privacy will continue to be severely compromised.
Completing the legal framework, defining the responsibilities of e-commerce platforms
To address the above shortcomings, a representative of the Market Management Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) said there needs to be close coordination between management agencies, businesses and consumers.
It is necessary to amend and supplement legal regulations on e-commerce, especially strict sanctions for fraudulent behaviour. Authorities must strengthen inspections and publicise the list of organisations and individuals violating the law so that consumers can be vigilant.
Tighter control over restaurants, requiring documents proving the origin of products; improving consumer protection policies, improving the quality of complaint support services; applying AI technology and big data to detect and prevent fraudulent behaviour.
At the same time, consumers also need to improve their awareness and skills, choosing to buy from reputable stores with high ratings from previous customers; checking product information carefully before buying, avoiding being attracted by unusually low prices; limiting providing personal information to websites of unknown origin; immediately report to authorities if fraudulent behaviour is detected.
In particular, in the context of cross-border e-commerce development, Vietnam needs to strengthen cooperation with countries in the region to build common standards for consumer protection.
Protecting consumer rights in e-commerce is not only the responsibility of management agencies or businesses but also requires consumer initiative. When each party fulfils its responsibilities, e-commerce will develop in a transparent, sustainable direction and truly benefit society.
