London-based computer retailer Micro Anvika Ltd has become the latest company to agree to give punters a fairer deal when buying computer gear.

The pledge follows intervention by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) acting on a complaint from Trading Standards.

Micro Anvika has told OFT that it will stop using unfair terms in its consumer contracts and will also abide by distance selling laws.

Under Distance Selling Regulations, consumers buying goods by telephone, mail order, fax, digital television and the Internet have certain rights including access to clear information, a cooling off period and further protection against fraudulent use of a credit card.

In a Statement John Vickers, OFT Chairman, said: "Terms in contracts must be both clear and fair, and consumers must not be denied the extra rights they have if they buy by mail order or on the Net."

In the past eleven other IT companies - including Mesh Computers and Dabs Direct - have also promised to play fair and the OFT is also investigating a further ten computer companies to assess whether they are breaching unfair contract or distance selling laws.

In December last year the OFT reported that the consumer IT goods and services market was working well in the UK but that consumers still deserved better.

It noted that many consumers who buy IT goods and services using the Web or a catalogue are often faced with complicated contracts. The OFT also found evidence that some companies were not complying with some consumer regulations.

The OFT is to produce specific guidance to the IT sector on unfair contract terms and distance selling laws by September 2003. ®