Unable to monitor accountability
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has just issued a statement warning consumers about the risks when shopping on cross-border e-commerce platforms that are not registered with Vietnamese management agencies.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, cross-border e-commerce platforms that have not completed registration and licensing obligations in Vietnam as prescribed will not be subject to supervision by authorities regarding product quality or after-sales service commitments.
In the event of an unexpected problem with a transaction, consumers are at risk of facing a number of difficulties. For example, when discovering that the product received is not as described, has errors, is damaged, or poses a risk to safety or health, it becomes difficult for consumers to request a refund or warranty for the product.
Even when disputes arise, unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms will not be subject to domestic legal liability. Without a legal representative in Vietnam as prescribed, consumers will have difficulty contacting for feedback, leading to the resolution of complaints becoming a complicated and lengthy issue.
Consumers also face a high risk of purchasing counterfeit, fake or unknown origin goods when ordering on unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms. These items may not meet safety standards, be harmful to consumers or be prohibited in the Vietnamese market.
For health and safety related products such as functional foods, cosmetics, children's toys and electronic devices, using poor quality products can have serious consequences.
In these cases, because the authorities cannot supervise the responsibilities of enterprises in ensuring product quality and ensuring the accuracy of providing product information, consumers will not receive support according to the law from the authorities.
Risks to consumer information and personal data security
The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that when purchasing goods on unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms, consumers often have to provide international payment information such as credit card or e-wallet information.
These data, if not managed and protected in accordance with Vietnamese law, are at risk of being stolen or illegally exploited, leading to major risks to personal information security.
In particular, unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms do not have commitments on consumer information security according to Vietnamese regulations, do not have a process for handling incidents in case of problems, and of course do not have responsibilities or legal obligations according to Vietnamese regulations.
Therefore, the risk of leakage of information and personal data of consumers during transactions on unregistered platforms is very high, potentially causing great losses and long-term effects on consumers.
Consumers also need to be cautious about legal risks when shopping on unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms. Goods purchased from cross-border e-commerce platforms do not foresee tax obligations for imported goods, leading to problems related to tax obligations and legal issues when the products are imported into Vietnam.
This can cause consumers to get into trouble when products are held at the border or incur additional costs due to taxes that were not anticipated or not as originally announced.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade recommends that consumers be cautious when conducting transactions on e-commerce platforms, especially absolutely not conducting transactions with unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms to ensure their legitimate rights and interests.
