Rugby fan’s €9,207 online sting
The fan wanted 20 tickets for Ireland’s Six Nations clashes at Dublin’s Croke Park earlier this year and paid €9,207 to a ticket website based overseas.
The tickets never arrived and the fan has yet to get a refund despite enlisting the help of the European Consumer Centre (ECC) in Dublin.
Now the European Union consumer watchdog is urging shoppers to be cautious when buying online as Ireland gears up to spend €215 million on Christmas gifts on the internet this year.
“Most of our complaints about online shopping are about defective products, or non-delivery of goods,” said spokeswoman Rosaleen Quinlan.
The ECC handles complaints from people who have bought goods from overseas mail-order companies and foreign internet sites.
Yesterday the Upper O’Connell Street centre unveiled a new section on its website so consumers can check the history of websites of online retailers.
The ECC also revealed it has handled 72 complaints from Irish shoppers about overseas internet sites — a slight rise on last year.
The ECC managed to secure a refund for a consumer who bought a laptop computer from an overseas website and found he was sent the wrong model.
“Initially he sent the laptop back and requested a refund but was refused,” said Ms Quinlan.
“We intervened and eventually a full refund was issued, but for a five-month period the consumer had neither the machine he needed nor a refund for its cost.”
www.eccdublin.ie
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