Shopping Online this Holiday Season? SHOP SAFELY! Investigate the Seller. Make sure the Website gives the business name, physical mailing address and telephone number. Check reviews or do a Google search to see if anyone has posted negative or positive comments about dealing with the seller. Protect your password. Some online stores require you to register a user name and password before buying an item. Use a different password from your computer logon password and use an unpredictable combination of numbers, letters and symbols. Do not use a public computer to shop online and only use a secure connection when placing an order. Pay for your order using a credit card. The Federal Fair Credit Billing Act gives you the right to dispute credit card charges for goods that you never received, never ordered or that were misrepresented to you. Also, if you have an unauthorized charge on your credit card, under federal law your liability is limited to $50. Check the Site’s Security. When youre using your credit card online, make sure you look for the yellow padlock at the bottom of your Web browser or for the https in the URL. Those are two signs that a site is secure and that your credit card information will transmit safely. Review (and understand) the return, refund, shipping and handling policies as well as the other legal terms. If you can’t find them, ask the seller through an e-mail or telephone call to indicate where they are on the site or to provide them to you in writing. Sales policies will tell you how much shipping will cost, whether the seller will ship to your area, what delivery and payment methods are available, etc. Return policies will tell you how the seller will deal with you if you need to return an item. Pay special attention to the guarantee. Some sellers charge a restocking fee. Read the Site’s Privacy Policy. Know what information the merchant is collecting about you, how it will be used, and if they share it with or sell it to others. Keep a Record. Print and file a copy of your order and confirmation number along with a written record of the product description, price, shipping and handling costs. By law, online businesses must deliver merchandise within 30 days of purchase or notify you if there will be a delay. Be sure to check your credit card statements as soon as you get them for any unauthorized charges.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 02:06:49 +0000