Consumer Dispute Resolution Due to Incomplete Information in E-Commerce (Study at the Medan City Consumer Dispute Resolution Agency)

Abstract

The internet has brought the world economy into a new chapter that is more popular with the term digital economy or digital economy. Its existence is marked by the increasing prevalence of economic activities that use the internet as a communication medium. Trade, for example, increasingly relies on electronic commerce  (e-commerce) as a transaction medium. However, this progress also raises various problems, one of which is regarding consumer disputes due to incomplete product information. Incomplete information has the potential to harm consumers and violate consumer rights as stipulated in Law Number 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection. This research aims to find out the legal liability of business actors for incomplete information, find out the mechanism for resolving consumer disputes due to incomplete information in e-commerce, and find out the obstacles to dispute resolution at the Medan City Consumer Dispute Resolution Agency. This study uses an empirical legal method with a sociological juridical approach and is descriptive analytical.

Data was obtained through literature studies and field research, including interviews with related parties, then analyzed qualitatively. The results of the study show that business actors are responsible for providing compensation for consumer losses. At the Medan City Consumer Dispute Resolution Agency, mediation is one of the main options used in consumer dispute resolution. However, in its implementation, there are still obstacles, such as the lack of good faith from business actors, low consumer awareness of their rights and limited authority of the Consumer Dispute Resolution Agency in dealing  with cross-regional e-commerce  business actors. Therefore, it is necessary to increase consumer education and strengthen regulations to provide more effective legal protection.