Gamers unknowingly sell their souls

A computer game retailer says it legally owns the souls of thousands of online shoppers, thanks to a clause in the terms and conditions agreed to by them, reports FoxNews.

The retailer, British firm GameStation, added the 'immortal soul clause' to the contract signed before making any online purchases earlier this month. It states that customers grant the company the right to claim their soul.

"By placing an order via this Web site on the first day of the fourth month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant us a non-transferable option to claim, for now and for ever more, your immortal soul. Should we wish to exercise this option, you agree to surrender your immortal soul, and any claim you may have on it, within five working days of receiving written notification from gamesation.co.uk or one of its duly authorised minions."

A new breed of coupon, printed from the Internet or sent to mobile phones, is packed with information about the customer who uses it, states CNET News.

While the coupons look standard, their bar codes can be loaded with a startling amount of data, including identification about the customer, Internet address, Facebook page information and even the search terms the customer used to find the coupon in the first place.

Coupons from the Internet are the fastest-growing part of the coupon world - their redemption increased 263% to about 50 million coupons in 2009, according to the coupon-processing company Inmar.

Online retailers must not charge consumers delivery costs for items they return within seven days. They must only charge the cost of returning the goods and no other cost, according to the Court of Justice of the European Union's (CJEU) new directive, says Computing.co.uk.

The UK's Distance Selling Regulations govern this right and consumer regulator the Office of Fair Trading has previously ruled that refunds must include the cost of postage or delivery of goods.

However, the CJEU ruled contrary to that in a case involving a EUR4.95 delivery charge by German retailer Heinrich Heine. Heinrich Heine argued that German law does not grant the consumer the right to a refund of the delivery charges, but the German Federal Court said if German law does refuse this right, it may be in conflict with EU law and would have to be changed.