Zara Rabinowicz writes...
Nowadays shopping online has become such second nature to us all that it’s hard to realise that there are people out there who are still wary of this service, or that there are those who still get burnt from dodgy deals. But we know you're out there, so this is dedicated to those serial shoppers who just need to double check on their safety protocols.
As a fairly recent online shopper myself it’s a useful thing to realize that your online rights are exactly the same as if you were to buy in store. Don’t like the colour? Return it. Doesn’t fit? Send it back. Yes, sometimes you may have to fork out a little bit extra for postage, but hey, that’s the cost of a travel card for a hectic Saturday shopping on Oxford Street.
Here are our top tips on how to make sure you're shopping somewhere reputable and your rights as a shopper. Tomorrow we'll look at auction sites and how to complain, should your shopping experience not be the walk in the park you were hoping for.
With so many reputable stores now all having online shops, you often have better selection and more options buying online, and are able to try it on at home, away from those deceptively flattering store lights. You also can generally find online discount codes if you do a sneaky search before the checkout, which get you exciting things like free postage and up to 20% off your purchases.
Hotukdeals and Vouchercodes are good ones to start with.
Now let’s get right to the nitty gritty; what are the rules of online and how do you keep yourself protected from all those fraudsters out there?
NUMBER ONE: Secure internet connection
Unless you’re in a really disreputable country (I’m thinking Thailand) the majority of the time you should be safe from internet hackers. Yes, we do hear horror stories of replicating viruses and keyboard tap trackers, but realistically you and me don’t really have enough cash to be worth some underground crime ring devoting their time to stealing our limited assets now, do we?
However, the first rule is never to buy if you don’t feel safe.. is someone looking over your shoulder? Do you have that niggling feeling that you get just before you’re mugged at a cashpoint? Well then stay well clear and buy another day. Always check for the ‘secure padlock’ symbol in the right hand corner of the screen when making a transaction, or use a reputable payment service such as Paypal which comes with built in liability insurance should you be ripped off. Make sure you regularly debug your computer ( a good free programme is Adaware) and keep your antivirus software up to date.
NUMBER TWO: Your rights as a shopper
Just because you don’t get to stroll around the shop being looked down on by the sales assistants doesn’t mean you’re not a valued customer, or that they don’t have to call you ‘Madam’ in a tone dripping with condescension.
Consumerdirect has a fact sheet about your entitlements and stresses that the following points are what you are entitled to (and if they don’t happen we’ll get on to our next section- complaints).
You should be fully aware of what you are getting before you buy, and then have ‘Written confirmation of this information after you have made your purchase’, e.g. a receipt, and then you are allowed ‘A 'cooling off' period during which an order can be cancelled without any reason and a full refund made.’. That is also known as an average shop 28 day return policy. After this you are entitled to ‘A full refund if the goods or services are not provided by the date you agreed. If you didn't agree a date, then you are entitled to a refund if the goods or services are not provided within 30 days.’
This applies to all forms of home shopping, be it mobile phone contracts, a Tesco shop, or a broadband provider. Home shopping does not make you a second class citizen- so stand up for your rights!
Come back tomorrow for news on how to complain, as well as advice on using auction sites.