Monday, 31 October 2011

Tips for safe and secure online shopping

I know, this blog is rather about saving money than spending and FANdoo ideas – but for the most part smart shopping is the most effective way to save! You can save a penny each day by not buying something and then lose three thousands in one minute once you are get scammed! As with anything in life, online shopping has its advantages and disadvantages. You can shop from the comfort of your own home, search multiple stores all at once, compare prices and find discount vouchers for various products at the click of a button. The main disadvantage is that if you’re not aware of the dangers, then you’re at risk of falling for a scam. There are plenty of hackers out there, Tips for safe and secure online shopping

Trust your instincts. If you don’t feel comfortable buying or bidding on an item over the web, or if you feel pressured to place your order immediately, maybe you shouldn't.

Be knowledgeable about web-based auctions. Take special care to familiarize yourself not only with the rules and policies of the auction site itself but with the legal Terms (warranties, refund policy, etc.) of the seller’s items that you wish to bid on.

Check for company information.all reputable companies will be proud to show what they’re all about, where they come from and how they can be contacted. At the bottom of the home page you should see links to pages like ‘About Us’ and ‘Privacy Policy’ for example FANdoodeals.com. They should also have a toll free customer service phone line, which shows they’re a grounded company, and not afraid to be contacted.

Double check pricing. Whether the product is being sold as new or used, be suspicious of prices that are too good to be true. Also consider carefully whether you may be paying too much for an item, particularly if you’re bidding through an auction site. You may want to comparison shop, online or offline, before you buy.

Find and read the privacy policy. Read the privacy policy carefully to find out what information the seller is gathering from you, how the information will be used, and how you can stop the process. If a site does not have a privacy policy posted, you may not want to do business with that site. If it does have a privacy policy, there will probably be a link to it from the seller’s home page, or it could be included with the Legal Terms.

Review the return, refund, and 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. See Legal Terms.

Check that the Internet connections are secure. Before you give your payment information, there are various icons and software programs that indicate that security software is in place. See Security.Use the safest way to pay on the Internet. Pay for your order using a credit card. 

Print the terms. You should print out and date a copy of terms, conditions, warranties, item description, company information, even confirming e-mails, and save them with your records of your purchase. See Record keeping.

Insure the safe delivery of your item. If you’re concerned about the safety of your package if there’s no one home to receive it, ask whether you can specify that the shipper must receive a signature before leaving the package. Or, it may be safer to have the package delivered to your office.

Inspect your purchase. Look at your purchase carefully as soon as you receive it. Contact the seller as soon as possible if you discover a problem with it. Tell the seller in writing about any problem that you are concerned with, ask for a repair or refund, and keep a copy of your correspondence.

Last but not least, Google it.if you still can’t work out if a website or a coupon is ‘for real’ then just Google the name. Type keywords like ‘scam’ or ‘review’ after it to see if anything incriminating comes up. A reputable site should have honest reviews, indicating no problems with privacy.

If you’ve got any Fundoo ways to ensure your safety when you’re shopping online then please let us know. Drop a comment in the box below!

2 comments:

  1. “The post is really informative. I like the detailed information on online deals. Thank you for sharing.”

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  2. Really a very good information that will be so helpful.

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