The Perils of Internet Shopping

Tesco is facing court action after an online shopper had an accident on the company's website.

Elizabeth Felch claimed she clicked on a broken link on Tesco.com, resulting in virtually serious injuries.

Ms Felch – a teacher from Leeds – claimed to have suffered cyber injuries whilst shopping for her weekly groceries.

In a letter from her solicitor to Tesco, Ms Felch claimed that her virtual injuries virtually prevented her from working for 2 weeks. Ms Felch said: "I was virtually shopping for carrots when I clicked on the link. Next thing I knew I was completely disorientated. No virtual staff helped me and I had to find my own way back to the homepage."

Ms Felch said she was amazed that there was no accident book in which she could record her cyber accident. She also slammed the company for not cleaning up the broken link when it occurred and for not placing a warning cone to alert customers.

She levelled further criticism at the general staffing levels at the store, explaining how she had to empty her own basket and check out her own shopping.

If successful, the case could open the floodgates for thousands of other claims against online retailers from shoppers who've had accidents on websites owing to factors such as broken links and rogue pop-ups.

In a statement, Tesco said: "We take all complaints seriously and we're launching a virtual investigation into how this e-incident happened. Internet shopping poses new challenges for shoppers and retailers alike. It's difficult but we're working on it."