online social-media customer-service
Is it legal to provide customer service only via social media (UK)
<p>I bought an item from an online store in the UK and imported it to EU. The UK shop did not deduct taxes, and I had to pay the import fee + my own country's taxes (calculated on the price containing UK tax) when receiving the item.</p>
<p>I contacted the UK shop to at least get a refund of the UK taxes. To my understanding a customer only pays tax to one country.</p>
<p>To receive a refund from the shop, they are asking me to send my customs documents via social media as they don't accept attachments in e-mails.</p>
<p>Is it legal for a shop in the UK to only provide customer service via social media? (Whatsapp/FB/Twitter) The shop does have physical shops in the UK.</p>

<p>It is not legal in the case of a company. They must also accept communications by post.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/1299" rel="nofollow noreferrer">In the UK</a>, <em>&quot;a company must at all times have a registered office to which all communications and notices may be addressed.&quot;</em> (<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/86" rel="nofollow noreferrer">s 86, Companies Act 2006</a>). It must display the address of its registered office on its website, business letters, and order forms (<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/17/regulation/25" rel="nofollow noreferrer">r 25, Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015</a>). It must also disclose the address to you if you ask for it in writing (<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/17/regulation/27" rel="nofollow noreferrer">r 27</a>). A failure to do either of these is a criminal offence (<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/17/regulation/28" rel="nofollow noreferrer">r 28</a>).</p>
<p>As a practical matter you can also look up the address yourself on the <a href="https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Companies House</a> register if you know the name or registered number of the company. The company must provide you with its registered name on <em>all</em> forms of business correspondence (<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/17/regulation/24" rel="nofollow noreferrer">r 24</a>) (this is a wider definition than that for disclosure of its registered office address).</p>
<p>A company cannot rely on the fact that the registered office address it has given to Companies House is out of date. It must continue to accept communications at any address on the register for 14 days after it notifies Companies House of any change. (<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/87" rel="nofollow noreferrer">s 87, Companies Act 2006</a>).</p>
