Legal support Check your online store
As a webshop, you need to comply with Dutch and European legislation. To make the process a little easier, we have put together a handy step-by-step plan. This way you can easily check if your store complies.
Admission WebwinkelKeur
The moment you sign up for Webwinkelkeur, you are of course already a member. Now it is important that your store is approved so you can use all functionalities and integrations. WebwinkelKeur works with a code of conduct, which we have based on the Dutch legislation.
Check, check, double check
Before we can review the content of your online store, we check some points:
- Is your webshop live? If your store is not live, no problem! You can send us a test link to info@webwinkelkeur.nl or postpone the inspection date to a time that suits you.
- Do you sell items over €250, electronics, travel, and trend-sensitive products? Then we consider your store to be a 'risk webshop'. We always ask for an excerpt from your chamber of commerce and a copy of your ID card. That way we can be sure it's all right 😉
- Are you making use of the KOR scheme? No problem. Because we check whether you have a VAT number on your website, it is convenient for us to receive an email with the confirmation of registration already before the inspection. We then put this as an internal note in our system. Then we do not have to reject your store and everyone is aware of this.
- Do you sell alcohol with a percentage above 15%? Then don't forget to submit your liquor license to us. You can do this by sending us an email! Don't forget to set up a pop-up to check the age of your visitors.
General terms and conditions
It is important to put the terms and conditions in the footer of your webshop. In the terms and conditions you can find almost everything you can find on the separate information pages. In the terms and conditions we like to see the following points:
- An article about returning (or excluding) the products
- A reference to the dispute mediation of WebwinkelKeur
We offer the terms and conditions for your online store for free. You can download this document and place it on your webshop as plain text.
Privacy statement
A privacy statement includes what information your customers collect or track and what rights your customers have. Below are the rights that should be included in your privacy statement:
- Right of inspection
- Right of rectification
- Right to restriction of processing
- Right of portability
- Right of objection and other rights
Should you collect reviews at WebwinkelKeur, it is important that you communicate this with your customers. We also receive data from your customers.
If you use our free privacy statement generator, this will be tailored to your webshop.
Contact
It is of course important that you can be reached by your customers. That's why we like to see the following contact information on your website in the footer or on a separate contact page:
- A written business address (PO Box is not sufficient)
- A Chamber of Commerce number
- A VAT number
- A written out email address
- A written out phone number. If you prefer not to use your own phone number, you can use our phone service. A written out Whatsapp Only is also fine!
Right of withdrawal
Having a separate return page in the footer of your webshop is a must! This allows your customers to immediately know where to go with questions about returns. The main points that should be in your return policy are:
- The three return terms
- Depreciation
- Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The return periods are as follows:
- The customer has 14 days to register a return
- After notification, the customer has another 14 days to actually return it
- You have 14 days after notification to issue a refund
"You have the right to cancel your order up to 14 days after receipt without giving a reason. You have another 14 days after cancellation to return your product. You will then be credited the full order amount including shipping costs. Only the return costs from your home to the store are for your own account. These costs are approximately 7.25 per package, for the exact rates please consult the website of your carrier. If you exercise your right of withdrawal, the product will be returned to the entrepreneur with all delivered accessories and - if reasonably possible - in its original condition and packaging. To exercise this right, please contact us at UWEMAIL@uwwinkel.nl. We will then refund the order amount due within 14 days of notification of your return provided the product has already been received in good order in return."
Wondering what products you may except? Then click here
Complaint page
Having a complaints page in the footer of your online store is very important. When customers are dissatisfied and also have to figure out how to file a complaint, it usually doesn't help.
- A reference to WebwinkelKeur for dispute resolution
For the complaints page, you can use the following text:
"It can always happen that something doesn't quite go as planned. We recommend that you first make complaints known to us by emailing [E-MAILADRES]. If this does not lead to a solution, it is possible to submit your dispute for mediation through WebwinkelKeur at https://www.webwinkelkeur.nl/kennisbank/consumenten/geschil."
Ordering and payment
Of course there are some other points we check for, namely the ordering and payment process. Below you can read the most important points:
- Make sure the consumer can pay at least 50% of the amount afterwards, by offering a post-payment option
- The customer must give their own consent to receive the newsletter. Therefore, the check mark for receiving the newsletter should not be on by default
- Prices for consumer purchases must be shown inclusive of VAT
- Make sure you comply with the information about payment obligation. For example, the checkout button must contain the word "checkout" or "pay. Simply agreeing to the payment obligation is not enough
- Make sure prices and costs are clearly stated on your website. There should be no hidden extra charges, such as for extra insurance, delivery or a payment method
- Having an SSL certificate on your website is very important. This way you know for sure that your web store is secure and that your customer's data is also protected.
Other information
According to the European Directives, since May 28, 2022, as a merchant you have to be able to guarantee the authenticity of your reviews. We therefore recommend that you read this blog, and place the following text on your website:
We find it important that reviews give the best possible picture of our products and service. Our reviews are therefore managed, impartially, by WebwinkelKeur.
WebwinkelKeur has taken measures to ensure the authenticity of reviews. What measures these are you can read here
Our customers are not rewarded for writing reviews. No discounts or other gifts are given.