How we check websites

From submission to report

1. Anyone can submit a website and say what kind of website it is. Websites that sell are analysed first.
2. Our analyser visits the website's public pages (home page, legal notice, terms, privacy policy, contact page) and looks for the information listed below.
3. The report is published automatically, with its date, when the analysis is complete. An analysis usually takes 24 to 48 hours.
4. A person steps in only when the website's operator asks for a new review, or when a technical problem prevents a reliable analysis.
5. Published websites are checked again every 90 days, or sooner if their operator asks.

The compliance rate

The percentage on a report is the share of the requirements we assess that are met. Some requirements count more than others: those about who runs the website count most. Every requirement we assess must have a result: if a source such as the EU VIES database cannot be consulted, the report is not published and the analysis is run again later. Exception: if a requirement cannot be verified because of the website itself (pages built in JavaScript, several companies with none indicated for the country targeted), it is marked “Could not be checked” and the report shows a partial result, for example 8/12: 8 requirements met out of the 12 that apply, with no percentage or emblem. Requirements that don't apply to that kind of website are left out. A report always shows how many requirements were checked.

The rate is a summary, not a grade. Read the findings: they say what is missing and why it matters.

What each finding means

Met

The information was found.

Not found

We looked for the information on the pages listed above and didn't find it.

Not met

The information is there but doesn't meet the requirement, or a prohibited practice was observed.

The requirements

Each requirement is based on European Union law. Where we know them, we also cite the national laws that apply it.

Who runs the website

• Trader name

  The legal name of the business operating the shop must be clearly displayed.

  Applies to: all websites · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Directive 2000/31/EC (e-commerce) — Art. 5(1)(a)
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. XII.6
  • Directive 2011/83/EU (consumer rights) — Art. 6(1)(b)
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. VI.45

• Geographic address

  A full geographic address where the business is established must be displayed (not only an e-mail or a P.O. box).

  Applies to: all websites · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Directive 2000/31/EC (e-commerce) — Art. 5(1)(b)
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. XII.6
  • Directive 2011/83/EU (consumer rights) — Art. 6(1)(c)
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. VI.45

• E-mail address

  An e-mail address allowing rapid and direct contact must be displayed.

  Applies to: all websites · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Directive 2000/31/EC (e-commerce) — Art. 5(1)(c)
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. XII.6
  • Directive 2011/83/EU (consumer rights) — Art. 6(1)(c)

• Telephone number

  A telephone number must be provided to consumers before they are bound by a distance contract.

  Applies to: shops selling products, websites selling services · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Directive 2011/83/EU (consumer rights), as amended by Directive (EU) 2019/2161 — Art. 6(1)(c)
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. VI.45

• Company registration

  Where the business is entered in a trade or similar public register, the register and the registration number must be displayed. Where the register is open (Belgium, France), the number is looked up and must belong to an active company matching the one operating the site; elsewhere it is only checked for presence.

  Applies to: all websites · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Directive 2000/31/EC (e-commerce) — Art. 5(1)(d)
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. III.74 and XII.6

• VAT number

  Where the activity is subject to VAT, the VAT identification number must be displayed. The number is checked against the EU VIES database.

  Applies to: all websites · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Directive 2000/31/EC (e-commerce) — Art. 5(1)(g)
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. XII.6

Information before you buy

• Prices and delivery costs

  Prices must be shown inclusive of taxes, and delivery costs (or, where they cannot be calculated in advance, the fact that they may be payable) must be indicated before the order.

  Applies to: shops selling products, websites selling services · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Directive 2011/83/EU (consumer rights) — Art. 6(1)(e)
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. VI.45
  • Directive 2000/31/EC (e-commerce) — Art. 5(2)
  • Directive 98/6/EC (price indication) — Art. 2(a) and 3

• Means of payment

  The accepted means of payment must be indicated clearly, at the latest at the beginning of the ordering process.

  Applies to: shops selling products, websites selling services · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Directive 2011/83/EU (consumer rights) — Art. 6(1)(g)
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. VI.45
  • Directive 2011/83/EU (consumer rights) — Art. 8(3)

• Terms and conditions

  Contract terms and general conditions must be made available in a way that allows consumers to store and reproduce them.

  Applies to: shops selling products, websites selling services · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Directive 2000/31/EC (e-commerce) — Art. 10(3)
  • Directive 2011/83/EU (consumer rights) — Art. 6(1)

• Right of withdrawal

  Consumers must be informed of their 14-day right of withdrawal, its conditions and the model withdrawal form.

  Applies to: shops selling products, websites selling services · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Directive 2011/83/EU (consumer rights) — Art. 6(1)(h), Art. 9 and Annex I(B)
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. VI.45 and VI.47

• Legal guarantee

  Consumers must be reminded of the existence of the legal guarantee of conformity for goods.

  Applies to: shops selling products · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Directive 2011/83/EU (consumer rights) — Art. 6(1)(l)
  • Directive (EU) 2019/771 (sale of goods) — Art. 10

• Order button

  The button that places the order must state clearly that the order implies an obligation to pay (e.g. "order with obligation to pay").

  Applies to: shops selling products, websites selling services · not assessed yet: listed on reports without a result, not counted in the rate

  • Directive 2011/83/EU (consumer rights) — Art. 8(2)

Unfair commercial practices

• False urgency

  Falsely stating that a product will only be available for a very limited time, to push an immediate decision, is prohibited in all circumstances.

  Applies to: shops selling products, websites selling services · not assessed yet: listed on reports without a result, not counted in the rate

  • Directive 2005/29/EC (unfair commercial practices) — Annex I, point 7
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. VI.100

• Price reductions

  Any announced price reduction must show the prior price, i.e. the lowest price applied during at least the 30 days before the reduction.

  Applies to: shops selling products · not assessed yet: listed on reports without a result, not counted in the rate

  • Directive 98/6/EC (price indication), as amended by Directive (EU) 2019/2161 — Art. 6a
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. VI.18

• Consumer reviews

  Where consumer reviews are shown, the shop must explain whether and how it checks that they come from actual buyers.

  Applies to: shops selling products, websites selling services · not assessed yet: listed on reports without a result, not counted in the rate

  • Directive 2005/29/EC (unfair commercial practices), as amended by Directive (EU) 2019/2161 — Art. 7(6) and Annex I, points 23b-23c

• Material information

  Omitting or hiding material information that consumers need to take an informed decision is a misleading practice.

  Applies to: shops selling products, websites selling services · not assessed yet: listed on reports without a result, not counted in the rate

  • Directive 2005/29/EC (unfair commercial practices) — Art. 7
    National law in Belgium: Code de droit économique, Art. VI.99

Product safety

• Product safety information

  Online offers must show the manufacturer (and, where applicable, the responsible person in the EU), product identification and safety warnings.

  Applies to: shops selling products · not assessed yet: listed on reports without a result, not counted in the rate

  • Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (General Product Safety Regulation) — Art. 19

Personal data and cookies

• Privacy policy

  A privacy notice must identify the data controller, the purposes of processing and the rights of the persons concerned.

  Applies to: all websites · assessed: counted in the rate

  • Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) — Art. 13

• EU representative

  A business established outside the EU that processes data of people in the EU must designate a representative in the EU.

  Applies to: all websites · not assessed yet: listed on reports without a result, not counted in the rate

  • Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) — Art. 27

• Cookie consent

  Non-essential cookies and trackers may only be set after the visitor has given consent.

  Applies to: all websites · not assessed yet: listed on reports without a result, not counted in the rate

  • Directive 2002/58/EC (ePrivacy) — Art. 5(3)

Limits

• We only look at public pages. Information shown only during checkout may be missed; operators can tell us through the right of reply.
• A report describes the website on its date. Websites change.
• Our reports are not legal advice and don't decide whether a website is lawful.