Experts offer tips for online shopping safety
Updated: 5/22/2012 3:18 pm | Published: 5/22/2012 3:11 pm
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The Better Business Bureau offered tips for shopping on daily deal websites.
- Trust your instincts – Don’t hesitate to pass up a deal that’s too good to be true --- it could cost you dearly in the end.
- Use trustworthy websites – Check out businesses at www.bbb.org. Check both the daily deal site and the merchant honoring the deal. If there’s a BBB Accredited Business seal on the seller’s website, click on it to verify.
- Pay with a credit card – Under federal law you can dispute the charges if you don’t receive the item, or there are unauthorized charges on your credit card.
- Keep documentation of your order – Print the final confirmation page or email confirmation, and keep for future reference and as a record of the purchase.
- Check your credit card statements often – Don’t wait for paper statements; either call credit card companies or check online regularly.
- Know your rights – Federal law requires that orders made by mail, phone or online be shipped by the date promised or, if no delivery time was stated, within 30 days. If the goods aren’t shipped on time, the shopper can cancel and demand a refund. There is no general three-day cancellation right, but consumers do have the right to reject merchandise if it’s defective or was misrepresented. Otherwise, it’s the company’s policies that determine if the shopper can cancel the purchase and receive a refund or credit.
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