Caveat Emptor – Buyer Beware of Internet Fraud
Shopping online has become ever-popular, and is wonderful for the consumer – it’s never been easier to shop. And to add to that, the increase in competition unified with the cost-effectiveness with selling online has low selling prices for items.
Even so, as the e-commerce landscape has broadened, so too has the need to be conscious of your consumer rights, and what to do if you are in receipt of items that you paid for but didn’t actually get or faulty items. Information is available on the internet, like the consumer protection act 1987.
Another consideration is which payment provider to use to pay for your items, as each payment gateway has its own terms. To take an example, Paypal act as an independent arbitrator only for physical goods, not digital downloads. Doing your homework can stop you getting cheated by internet scams.
Our pearl of wisdom is to do your homework regarding the seller : do they show their phone number and postal address? What is the seller’s terms? Their returns policy? Their privacy policy? All these enquiries need to be answered before you consider making a purchase from the seller.
Another important point to think about: how is payment taken? These days, it’s not enough to merely look for “the padlock” (SSL certificate) – this doesn’t tell you how they keep your data, only how it’s transferred when you make the order. If in any doubt, only purchase from vendors who use third party payment providers such as PayPal, Google Checkout, WorldPay, SagePay and NoChex.You can also verify the reputation the vendor has with his payment gateway, e.g. check his PayPal account and how many orders have occurred on this individual account.
