By Chris Holbrook, 21 June 2001 09:40
NEWS The Trading Standards Institute (TSI) has said it requires an internet enforcer if it's to offer the same protection to online consumers as it does to those trawling the high-street shops.
The TSI admits it has fallen behind the times when it comes to regulating ecommerce, and has failed to fully rise to the challenge of policing the internet. But it's now calling for the resources to look closely at the issues effecting the web.
Richard Webb, a Trading Standards spokesman for ecommerce, said a post should be created for one person to co-ordinate the TSI's online strategy.
Webb said: "We're coming under increasing pressure from online businesses, conscious to prove ecommerce is safe. And consumers are demanding a visible, effective online presence from the TSI."
Webb put forward his recommendations for the role at a conference in Cardiff on Wednesday, hoping to get resources allocated so the group can adequately help train staff, follow up online consumer problems and test e-tailers' goods and services.
The TSI's proposals have already attracted the attention of the Consumers' Association. A spokesman said: "Consumers expect protection regardless of the authority, as they need to know they are as safe online as they are offline."
In a related report released on Tuesday, Which? Online and the Consumers' Association found a third of the UK population has no intention of ever shopping online.
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