As a group, our teams regularly deal with business owners like yourselves who are facing constant changes to consumer and business rules, and regulations. It’s a minefield out there; but we have to view it as a positive. The rules, laws, and legislations are there to protect us, our customers and your customers/consumers – after all we’re all consumers really.
The first week of March is Consumer Protection week in the United States. In the US the words consumer protection focus more on the digital than the legacy meanings of consumer protection we have in the UK.
We have a ‘consumer protection’ act from 1987 – years before the internet and ‘data’ as we now know it. “The Consumer Protection Act 1987 gives you the right to claim compensation against the producer of a defective product if it has caused damage, death or personal injury.” This is very different to what the Federal Trade Commisssion are trying to promote the other side of the pond.
Developed by the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Protection Week is a week dedicated to educating people about their rights as consumers as well as ways that they can protect themselves and their money, such as understanding how to protect your privacy, how to avoid phishing scams, and how to prevent identity theft.
We’re a business in Digital, so we are piggybacking a little on the Americans here, but rightly so in our opinion. Putting poor quality products and services aside there are so many ways that the new digital world exposes us as consumers and also impacts business owners.
Telecoms – Scammers can buy and use location specific phone numbers, or even extreme high rate numbers that charge those being scammed a fortune. Always use a trusted supplier and never be afraid to hang up and call a company back on their main advertised number if you smell a rat.
IT – The internet provides scammers a massive opportunity to exploit business owners, consumer data and more. Your online security as an individual and as a business really should be under constant review. Our IT team offer security and system audits, advice and solutions.
Digital Marketing & Web – Well there are almost as many things to discuss with a digital presence here as there are in IT. Two important factors in keeping consumer confidence online are SSL Certificates for your website to prove your site is secure and safe for the user, alongside strong privacy and cookie policies to help adhere to national and global GDPR regulations.
If you're looking for expert digital marketing solutions to ensure your business is given the best fight chance; give us a call on 01903 866143 or shoot us an email at hello@orcaonline.co.uk and we'll be your partner to solve any business issue you may have.
