[ecommerce] face to face in the high street is better

The figures are significant, if they are to be believed:

A survey by enforcement agencies in 27 European countries found that 55% of some 370 websites showed irregularities. On most of these websites consumers were not informed about their right to return goods within seven days without giving a reason.

Consumers were also misled about whether they could receive cash rather than credit, or about their entitlement to have faulty products replaced. In nearly half of the problem sites online retailers appeared to obscure address and contact details.

I'm not sure about you but I've only once bought anything online because years ago, I went over to debit cards and got rid of the credit. With a service not involving shipping, e.g. an electronic service, I might buy it online but physically sent equipment - no.

That one time involved Real Player, which was flawed in a few ways but how to even prove that to someone in America?

Of course, you could ask how I could guarantee that an item would work, just by seeing it in a store and you'd be right but still - if they were physically in the High Street I could more easily get consumer rights fulfilled than if the vendor were in, say, Sarajevo.

You could press the point and ask, "How? How could I enforce this?"

Well, right, with great difficulty unless it was major chain, if I knew the ropes and there was a good consumer watchdog. I can only say that whenever there's been a problem in the past, it's been resolved face to face better than on a phone or online that one time.