{"id":5352,"date":"2024-10-28T10:13:46","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T09:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/?p=5352"},"modified":"2024-10-28T10:13:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T09:13:46","slug":"wat-betekent-bestellen-op-de-bestelknop-van-webwinkels-nu-echt-volgens-de-hoge-raad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wat-betekent-bestellen-op-de-bestelknop-van-webwinkels-nu-echt-volgens-de-hoge-raad\/","title":{"rendered":"What does 'order' on the order button of online shops really mean according to the Supreme Court?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Online shopping seems simple: one click on the \"order\" button, and the purchase is finished. But what if this button doesn\u2019t meet legal requirements? A recent Supreme Court ruling clarifies this: clicking an \"order\" button is not enough to bind a consumer to a payment obligation. This article explores what this means for both online retailers and consumers.<\/p>\n

The case in a nutshell<\/strong><\/p>\n

On 4 October 2024, the ruling.<\/a> ruled that the word \"order\" on an order button is insufficient to impose a payment obligation on consumers. This ruling followed a case involving a consumer who placed an order on bol.com without paying for it, leading the retailer to seek payment enforcement through the subdistrict court.<\/p>\n

The subdistrict court presented preliminary questions to the Supreme Court about the validity of such an order button. The central question: does an order button labeled solely with \"order\" clearly indicate a payment obligation?<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court\u2019s Ruling<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the Supreme Court, the language on an order button must explicitly inform the consumer that clicking it initiates a payment obligation. European consumer law requires that such obligations be communicated clearly to prevent consumers from unintentionally committing to purchases with financial consequences. Terms like \"order\" or \"place order\" do not satisfy this requirement, the Court ruled.<\/p>\n

The importance of clear language<\/strong><\/p>\n

In its ruling, the Supreme Court emphasized that consumers must be fully and unambiguously informed of their obligations when making online purchases. The term \"order,\" the Court noted, may be perceived as nonbinding and without obligation. It should not imply merely placing an order without making it clear that there is also an associated payment obligation.<\/p>\n

Online retailers are therefore advised to rephrase their order buttons to clarify that a payment obligation is involved. An example is \"order with payment obligation.\" This avoids ambiguity and minimizes potential legal disputes.<\/p>\n

Annulment of the agreement and other consequences<\/strong><\/p>\n

This ruling has significant implications for online shops. If an order button does not meet the legal requirements - such as using terms like \"order,\" \"place order,\" or \"complete order\" - the purchase contract may be annulled either fully or partially.<\/p>\n

In cases of full annulment, all obligations of both parties are voided, meaning the consumer must return the product or stop using the service, while the retailer must refund any payments received. In case of partial annulment, the court may grant a reduction in the amount to be paid.<\/p>\n

Lessons for online retailers<\/strong><\/p>\n

For online retailers, it is crucial to ensure the order button complies with legal standards. A straightforward adjustment, such as using \"order with payment obligation,\" can prevent significant issues.<\/p>\n

If you would like to verify whether your order button\u2019s wording meets these legal requirements, please feel free to contact SPEE advocaten & mediation. We\u2019d be happy to review it with you.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bij het afrekenen in een webwinkel lijkt het zo simpel: \u00e9\u00e9n klik op de knop \u2018bestellen\u2019 en klaar is de koop. Maar wat als die knop niet voldoet aan de wettelijke eisen? Een recente uitspraak van de Hoge Raad zet de toon: klikken op een bestelknop waar alleen \u2018bestellen\u2019 op staat, is niet genoeg om […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5108,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualiteiten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5352"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5353,"href":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5352\/revisions\/5353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spee-advocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}