The revised Specified Commercial Transactions Law came into effect on June 1st, as the number of troubles in which subscription contracts are made by displaying "first time free" on online shopping is increasing.

All mail-order sites are obliged to display the contents of the contract in an easy-to-understand manner on the screen immediately before ordering, and companies are becoming more interested in what kind of response is required.

Under the revised Specified Commercial Transactions Law that came into effect this month, all mail orders can be displayed on the screen immediately before ordering so that the quantity of products, the number and total amount of payments, the conditions for cancellation, etc. can be easily understood and finally confirmed. Mandated by the site, consumers can now cancel their contract if they violate it.



According to the Consumer Affairs Agency, it may be necessary to make corrections even on mail-order sites that do not make regular purchases.

Corporate interest is high, and more than 100 people attended an online seminar on law revisions held by a law firm in Marunouchi, Tokyo on the 9th of this month.



The lawyer in charge pointed out that this revision of the law has greatly improved consumer protection and greatly strengthened penalties.



Marunouchi Soleil Law Office Haya * Tomohiro Se said, "We have received many inquiries from companies about what to do to ensure a correct response. Companies are more active in their business activities in accordance with the law than ever before. I will need it. "



* The right side of "se" is "shellfish" under "sword".

1880 yen product for "subscription" "40,000 yen for cancellation"

In March, a woman in her 50s living in the Kanto region found an advertisement for cosmetics on her smartphone and applied for a purchase because she thought it was reasonably priced at 1880 yen.



However, after that, when she searched for reviews of this product, she found out that there were several people who had a subscription contract without her knowledge, so she contacted the sales company.



The company stated that it was a subscription on its homepage, but she said, "You can't cancel without paying about 40,000 yen for four times."



When the woman checked the cosmetics homepage, she couldn't confirm that the content had changed and she was listed as a subscription when she ordered.



The woman, with the advice of a lawyer, she did not receive the goods and did not pay, but on the 5th of this month she received an email from the company saying "If you do not pay, you will take legal proceedings." I'm feeling anxious.



The woman said, "I was cautious about fraud, so I didn't think this would happen. Many people on the internet seem to have suffered similar damage from cosmetics and health foods. The country is moving. It's a step forward, but I hope there are no new victims going through the law. "



This company says, "I can't answer" to NHK's interview.

Double consultation “Final confirmation screen Screenshot and save”

Even after the revision of the law, troubles related to subscriptions continue.



According to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, the number of consultations regarding "subscription" on the mail-order site was


▽ about 15,000 in FY2016, but


▽ last year it was more than 51,000, more than


tripled, this month. Is also continuing.



More than half of the consultations were related to cosmetics,

and while emphasizing ▽ "


90% off for the first time" and ▽ "actually 0 yen for the first time"

, the price for the second and subsequent times is high on condition of regular purchase. The example of setting to is conspicuous.

For this reason, the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan is calling on the final confirmation screen before ordering to

carefully check whether ▽ subscription

is not a condition and

▽ the purchase price for the first and second purchases is the same.

..








Reiko Kato, Chief of Counseling Section 2 of the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, said, "I would like you to take a screenshot of the final confirmation screen before ordering and save it to leave evidence that the company misleads the consumer. I was talking.