The BBC News website reports today, Saturday 1st August, that there are some sharp practices going on in cyberspace.

It appears that as many as 6% of ".co.uk" suffix websites may be operated from outside the UK. This is something which may not come as a surprise to some seasoned internet shoppers, but here at Amordivino we fervently hope that not too many customers have, nor will be, taken in by such deviousness.

Amordivino is a limited company registered in the UK, fully owned and operated from within UK borders. Basically, it's Annalisa and I, a husband-and-wife business established in 2005.

In the course of my research, I have found several wine retailers using a ".co.uk" internet domain name to run businesses from mainland Europe. They are strikingly evasive within their Terms & Conditions on the payment of duty as the wines are shipped to the UK. Any customers ordering from abroad and not making provision for the payment of duty would lose their wines to HM Customs officers.

This is not scaremongering, but rather a reminder to check where and to whom you are sending your money. It always surprises me just how many websites have such vague information on their "About Us" page. If you feel the same, be sure to keep your card in your pocket.

Read the full article on the BBC website by following the link below:

BBC website: "Fake UK sites trick consumers"  

back