How to Shop Safely Online

Pros and Cons

The dotcom boom-and-bust is over. Now the web is in a period of seriously embedding itself as a useful and efficient tool in the lives of millions and when it comes to saving time and money, the web is in its element.

It is good for groceries, brilliant for travel bargains, and superb for consumer shoppers. It saves times, delivers competitive pricing, and even cuts the boredom of buying office supplies.

Clothing is now the fastest growing sector of online shopping, reaching £100 million in March 2004 according to IMRG, the industry body representing online retailers. And that is just 9 per cent of the total Iinternet shopping sales in the UK.

Online purchasing is managing to reverse the trend of traditional stores, catering to both budget and high-end sales. Our Women’s and Men’s Fashion categories provide links to both traditional high street stores and top end fashion providers (www.uknetguide.co.uk/Shopping/Online_Shops/Womens_Fashion.html and www.uknetguide.co.uk/Shopping/Online_Shops/Mens_Fashion.html).

The proof of the web’s success is the fact that so many traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ stores have also opened up an online division. For some, the websites deliver just as much revenue as an entire department story on a busy high street. Leading stores are now forcefully pushing online sales. For links to these stores and more; browse our Shopping Channel (www.uknetguide.co.uk/Shopping/).

Another advantage of online shopping is that if you buy online you can get discount prices and free delivery – which you wouldn’t get if you had taken the trouble to go into the shop itself.

However, there can be a few ‘hidden’ costs like packaging, postage and even customs duty if you are buying from abroad.

Internet shopping is done with a debit or credit cards, or, on auction sites like Ebay, through proprietary financial accounts like PayPal for which you have to register and give your bank details.

Security

Despite the apocryphal stories, there are extremely few reported instances of credit card fraud in which data has been taken while making an online transaction with a reputable website. But please note the word ‘reputable’; once you start moving away from established brand names or companies with a proven track record, you may be putting yourself at additional risk.

But that would apply just as much if you went into a back street store and let them take your card into another room before running it through the payment machine.

Look for a padlock or unbroken key at the bottom of the browser window when you’re typing in your credit card number. These symbols mean the information you are sending is encrypted and can’t be read by other iInternet users.

You should also check that the site’s address in the payment section begins with’ https,’ meaning the site is safe, offering both encryption of information as it traverses the network and authentication of the server.

Never send your credit card details in an e-mail, and only pay by debit card when dealing with stores you can trust. Credit card companies often – but not always! – offer insurance cover for customers who fall prey to fraudulent websites. Read your credit card statement every month and contact the card company immediately if anything looks wrong.

Keep a printed copy of all records relating to any transaction you make. It will help you remember what you ordered and when, the goods’ delivery date and reference number and so on. Some sites, like Amazon, allow you to keep track of your orders and offer history of your purchases.

Returning items

Sending unwanted items back to the retailer is sometimes more costly than when buying from a high street shop because it involves repacking the goods and paying postage (and tax and duties if mailing to outside the EU).

However, your consumer rights entitle you to a 'cooling off' period during which an order can be cancelled without any reason and a full refund made. You are also liable to a full refund if the goods or services are not provided by the date you agreed. If you didn't agree on a date, then you are entitled to a refund if the goods or services are not provided within 30 days. But these rights only apply when buying from a company based in the UK.

Your rights

The rights of an online shopper are very similar to your rights as a high street consumer. They entitle you to:

clear information about the goods or services offered before you buy
written confirmation of this information after you have made your purchase
a 'cooling off' period during which an order can be cancelled without any reason and a full refund made
a full refund if the goods or services are not provided by the date you agreed. If you didn't agree on a date, then you are entitled to a refund if the goods or services are not provided within 30 days.

But be careful if buying on an online auction site because they can refuse to accept responsibility for the quality of the goods they auction. For auction sites, make sure you read the Terms and Conditions very carefully. You can download printed guides to ‘Shoppers’ Rights’ from the Office of Fair Trading website:

England and Wales www.oft.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/DECB976C-DC9C-4214-82EE-4ED114EBB4E3/0/oft002c.pdf
Scotland www.oft.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1711D053-40A2-4145-8FF4-1A95C316C7B4/0/oft002d.pdf
Northern Ireland www.oft.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1A3784AD-5EE8-41C4-882E-AA7FD42437AE/0/oft002e.pdf

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