Shoe Paradise offers suggestions and warnings intended to help online shoppers experience safe online shopping experiences. See Problems with Online Shopping and Steps You Should Take in Preventing Identity Theft for related tips and suggestions.
Safe Online Shopping: Stick with Trusted Companies :
If you have shopped in-person at a particular department store for most of your life and trust the company, it is probably safe to assume that you will not run into any serious problems when shopping through its website. And while the Internet has allowed small vendors in all corners of the globe to thrive, thus providing you with more shopping selections and competitive pricing, be cautious of small retailers you either haven't heard of or which are located in a foreign country.
Before clicking on the dotted line, you can check out reviews of businesses at the Better Business Bureau, filtering your results by either "city and state" or "postal code." Additionally, the BBBOnline Reliability Seal Program allows consumers to click the BBB icon on the company's Web site to learn more about the business. Also, many online retailers allow customers to post reviews; but keep in mind that some businesses may either delete negative reviews or post fake positive comments.
And when you check out, make sure you have a secure connection when paying by credit card (see Paying Online for Goods for details). If you don't see the little padlock symbol in your browser, you may not be engaging in safe online shopping.
Paying Online for Goods
Shopping through an Internet browser and paying online is quick and simple for most savvy consumers. But is it really safe to share your debit or credit card number online? And how is a sale official if you didn't actually sign anything? so make sure of legal and practical issues surrounding online payments when purchasing goods or services, including the different ways you can pay online and laws governing e-commerce transactions
Make Sure You Understand the Retailer's Warranty and Return Policies
This is true for both online and brick-and-mortar establishments. Most purchases come with an implied warranty, meaning it is guaranteed to perform as advertised, but return policies may include a restocking fee or other such conditions. Some vendors do not offer refunds, only exchanges for other items. It is important to understand how express warranties interact with implied warranties so that you can know which products you can return and which you cannot. Additionally, sellers can invalidate any product warranties by selling them “as is.”
No comments:
Post a Comment