ACCC advises business to be diligent website 'Gardeners'

Advertisers on the Internet must carefully and systematically 'weed' outdated material from websites, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairman, Professor Allan Fels, has warned.

"The Internet is an increasingly popular forum for advertising, and more and more consumers are using the net to track down basic purchasing information including the products available, features, performance characteristics and, of course, price.

"Some Internet advertisers may be tempted to keep outdated material on their websites. However, unless a website clearly identifies material as outdated or historic, consumers may be misled into thinking the material is current. Such material can lead to severe consequences under the Trade Practices Act 1974.

"The ACCC advises firms operating websites to regularly review the material on their sites and clearly label outdated or historic items as such, or delete it. For example, a media release announcing a special offer should either be deleted from the website as soon as the offer expires or a warning should be inserted that clearly notifies readers that the special offer has ended.

"Businesses may launch a web page because of its relative ease and low cost but often fail to regularly update the material. This may occur because a web design agreement only allows for six monthly updates, or the company lacks the resources to do it themselves.

"A little effort towards prevention, in terms of website 'gardening', can save enormous grief to consumers and avoid legal consequences for businesses wanting to use this technology", Professor Fels said.