SolveYourProblem Article Series: Online Shopping
Teach Me To Shop Smarter Online
5
Fail-Safe Methods For A Scam-Free Online Shopping Experience
Being scammed is no fun for anyone, whether
it is online or offline. However, there are ways to help guarantee
that your online shopping experience is successful, rewarding
and most of all, scam-free. Let’s look at five fail-safe methods
to have a scam-free online shopping experience.
First
of all, make sure you are shopping with a website that
uses a secure browser and secure server. Guarantee before you
enter any type of personal information that the shopping website
complies with industry security standards. As well ensure that
the browser you use is as new as ever. Older or outdated ones
tend to be much less secure as browsers are updated on a regular
basis. Most computer systems do come with a secure browser
but if you do not have that, search the web for websites that
offer secure browsers that can be downloaded for free.
The
second fail-safe method is to protect yourself by only
placing orders with companies that you are as familiar
with
as possible. If the company has shops in the offline world
and has been around for many years and has a solid reputation
then they are probably okay to order from online. However if
you are interested in shopping at a website that is brand new
to you, do your research by checking their credentials with
the National Association and the Better Business Bureau. It
is also good practice to request a paper catalogue be sent
to you so you can carefully look it over to further contemplate
the legitimacy of the business. Find out if the company you
are thinking about ordering from is a registered member of
the Better Business Bureau Online. If they are then that is
a very good sign. Scamming is much less likely to occur in
this case.
Thirdly,
keep your password as private as can be and always use
a secure password. Do not allow anyone else to know what
it is. Be as creative as possible when you choose a password.
The general rules for creating for yourself passwords that
others are not likely to be able to figure out include, combining
letters and numbers as well as lower-case letters and upper-case
letters; choosing a password that is more than seven or eight
character long; do not choose a word that is singular in nature
and is to be easily found in the dictionary and phrases are
preferable. Scamming is a great deal more difficult when you
keep your personal information and passwords private.
The fourth fail-safe method for online shopping is once you
feel safe about the business in question; use your
credit card to do your shopping instead of your debit card or sending a
check or money order (if the website allows for that). Credit
card purchases are protected by the Fair Credit Billing Action,
while debit purchases and other forms of payment are not. Going
along with this is to always keep excellent records of your
purchases. Print out everything from transaction records to
confirmation and purchases orders to receipts. You can never
be too careful. When in doubt, always, always, print it out!
A hard copy of everything is a must when you are shopping online.
The fifth fail-safe method in regards to online shopping is
to trust your instincts and use your common sense at all times.
The old adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably
is” is always good advice to follow. Don’t allow yourself to
willingly walk into a scam, instead trust what your brain is
telling you.
Steer
clear of companies over the Internet that provide little
if any contact information for potential customers such as
their full company name, their mailing address (or street address),
their telephone number and their e-mail address. The more information
a company provides on its website the better. You might want
to try calling the phone number and e-mailing them before you
decide to order to help further decide if the company is legitimate.
Some companies also have an “About Us” section as well as a
“Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” section. Learn everything
you can about a company before you make the decision to shop
with them. Look to see if the company has a toll-free number
for customer inquiries, suggestions or complaints. If they
do, call the number to see if you can actually speak with a
real live person or if there is only an answering machine message
at the other end.
# # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2008
> Home > Online Shopping: Main Page
|
