If you are going to
shop online (who doesn’t these days?) then you want to do so in a safe and
smart manner. Online shopping can be a wonderful
experience for anyone as long as it is done in a responsible manner.
Shopping online is convenient and there is
no driving back and forth to the shopping mall; no worries about finding a good
parking spot or having to deal with long line-ups or difficult store clerks.
Another big advantage is that the Internet never closes, unlike the malls;
therefore you can shop any time of the day or night. For people who have
unusual work schedules and those who work backshift, this can be a huge
incentive to shopping online.
It is important however to always be safe
when going about your online shopping experience. Let’s take a look at six top safety
measures for making sure you do not run into any serious problems when it comes
to shopping by way of the Internet.
One: Safe online shopping
means ensuring that you are making use of a secure browser from which to view
the websites that you wish to purchases items from. The majority of computer
systems do include a secure browser but if yours doesn’t, there are places on the
Internet where you can download a secure browser and it won’t cost you a cent.
Two: It is always good practice to only shop online with merchants and
companies that you are familiar with and ones you can guarantee are legitimate.
For example, if an established company has a successful business offline and
you are familiar with their products and have shopped there before then you are
pretty much guaranteed that it is a secure and safe company to deal with
through the Internet. If you do come across a company that you have never heard
of before but it looks legitimate, before you plunge in request to be sent a
brochure or a print catalogue to help ascertain if this is a company you wish
to purchase from.
Three: Always keep your account passwords protected and private. Do not allow
anyone else access to your passwords or you could be in for trouble. When
creating a password be as strange or as creative as possible. Do not use things
such as last names, family members’ names, birthdates, addresses or pets’ names
that other people might be able to figure out. Also for an extra precautionary
measure, combine letters, numbers and symbols together when creating passwords.
Four: When shopping online it is always best to pay for your purchases by way
of a credit card, as opposed to PayPal, a debit card, a check or money order or
some other form of payment. Online shopping purchases with a credit card are protected
by the Fair Credit Billing Act. This act allows an individual to question any
charges on the credit card as well as to temporarily refuse to pay a disputed
charge until an investigation into it can be conducted. There are some credit
card companies that will go so far as to offer their customers an online
computer shopping guarantee. This guarantee means that the person will not be
held liable for any unauthorized charges that are made on their credit card.
Five: Keep accurate and up-to-date records of every online purchase you make.
Be diligent in printing out copies of all transactions and orders as well as
confirmation numbers. As well remember to print out all credit card receipts.
Always keep your records in a safe, secure place, away from the prying eyes of
others. In the event that a problem arises, or if you need to return or
exchange an item you will be able to do so much easier if you have printed
copies of everything on hand.
Six: Only shop with companies that provide ample contact information at
their website. Nothing is more suspicious than an online company that gives no
indication of its street or mailing address in the offline world or a company
that does not provide a toll-free or local telephone number for customer
inquiries or even an e-mail address. Steer clear of companies that provide less
information as opposed to more. Refer back to the second safety measure above
which cautions you as an online consumer to only shop with well-known companies
who can prove their legitimacy.
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