ecommerce regulations - email addresses

[Alex C.]

I've noticed that several companies seem to quite happily breach the regulations that require an email address (not just a 'contact us' form) as summarised on out-law.

I am having a dispute with equifax at the moment as they are impossible to get hold of on the phone, don't allow you to cancel your trial (for their credit monitoring service) online, and want you to wait in a queue whilst paying them for the privilege.

I've searched their website high and low and cannot find an email address to contact the company.

Am I right in thinking that by law, they must have an email address shown? Is it worth trying to get them to change it, or is there no point?

edit: I'm referring to the consumer web site - they do have an email address for business enquiries, would that satisfy the requirements of the act?

 

[Kernowman]

I had exactly the same trouble with Equifax and I couldn't find a contact email address anywhere either. Like you I tried to ring on their chargeable number and after 6 minutes of waiting I hung up. I did find their address and wrote a letter telling then to cancel their subscription forthwith and to refund immediately the last payment they took out of the bank account, which they did. It's not as though you have a direct debit your can cancel online either because they use your credit/debit card number ad infinitum.

The way they do business is all too shady and murky for my liking so will never deal with them again.

 

[The Resolver]

Refer them (by letter fax) to Regulation 6 (1)(c) of the Electrnic Commerce (E C Directive) Regulations 2000 which requires anyone who provides a commercial service on the web to provide:-

" (c) the details of the service provider, including his electronic mail address, which make it possible to contact him rapidly and communicate with him in a direct and effective manner;"

 

[LawHound]

Very strange as we simply cancelled via email and phone and got an email back confirming the cancellation. All information was sent to us by email and we just sent the cancellation back to that one.