england-and-wales consumer-protection any-jurisdiction customer-service
Is there any need to offer communication by standard/interoperable/asynchronous means?
<p>Many companies only offer customer support through “web chat” or similar which forces a customer to keep a browser window open whilst waiting for the representative’s responses to each of their messages which may take multiple minutes.</p>
<p>Furthermore it prevents customers from being able to see all of their correspondence with different companies’ representatives in one place.</p>
<p>Suppose Bob would like to communicate with ACME about issues he is having with their product by either post or email. Is there anything in the laws meaning that they must have a more standardised means of communication available such as an address for service of legal communications?</p>
<p>I’m thinking along the lines that there are indeed laws that stipulate consumers rights, providing that customer service avenues have been exhausted to resolve the issues, etc.</p>
<p>Is there any way in which any of these types of provisions accordingly insinuate that companies must have some more standardised means of contact available to be reachable for resolving quality related complaints etc?  Such as phone or email?</p>

<h2>Not for normal correspondence</h2>
<p>There are laws that require a specified channel of communication for specific purposes such as a physical address for the service of legal notices, but there is no general requirement.</p>
<p>How, or if, a company communicates with its customers about complaints will either be specified in the contract or up to the company to determine and advertise. For example, <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/terms-of-service#provisions">this</a> site specifies “ will be deemed to have been duly given when received, if personally delivered or sent by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested; when receipt is electronically confirmed, if transmitted by facsimile or e-mail; or the day after it is sent, if sent for next day delivery by recognized overnight delivery service” - any other method of delivery (Whatsapp, Facebook, even their own chatrooms etc.) is not a valid method of service, if you use those methods, then legally, you have not communicated.</p>
<p>So, if the company requires complaints to deal with by online chat, they can safely ignore any letter or email you might send them.</p>

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<blockquote>
<p>Is there anything in the laws meaning that they must have a more standardised means of communication available such as an address for service of legal communications?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yes, service of legal documents can be by way of delivery to a corporation's registered office in the corporate register.</p>
<p>See <a href="https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/168_2009_01" rel="nofollow noreferrer">B.C. Supreme Court Civil Rules 4-3(2)(b)(iv)</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Unless the court otherwise orders, personal service of a document is to be effected as follows: ... on a corporation, ... in the manner provided by the <a href="https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/02057_01#section9" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Business Corporations Act</em></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The <a href="https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/02057_01#section9" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Business Corporations Act</em>, s. 9(a)</a> says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>... a record may be served on a company ... by delivering the record to the delivery address, or by mailing it by registered mail to the mailing address, shown for the registered office of the company in the corporate register</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The &quot;corporate register&quot; is &quot;the information filed with or recorded by the registrar under [the <em>Business Corporations Act</em>] or a former Companies Act, and includes any corrections made to that information by the registrar under [the <em>Business Corporations Act</em>] or a former Companies Act.&quot;</p>
