subject: Information On Online Shopping And Consumer Rights [print this page] Today, online shopping has come of age and consumers are attracted to online shopping because of its high level of convenience and the broader selection, competitive pricing, and greater access to information. The online market is borderless, making shopping interstate or overseas as easy as clicking a mouse. Net-savvy customers are going online like never before to buy goods or service, directly from a seller over the Internet without an intermediary service. Earlier, when you shopped for goods online, you might have been disappointed as the products were not as described online. Going by the popularity of 3D display technology, online shopping is on the verge of radical transformation. With interactive 3D images, you feel like holding the product in your hands and can check the minute details before buying. The catch is you need to upgrade your computer to a fast net connection offered by many services like Verizon FiOS Internet, as the 3D tech apps require a heavy bandwidth.
Internet shopping has brought huge benefits to millions of consumers in ways of saving time, effort and sometimes even money. However, have you ever bothered to do a check on seller? Do you feel protected when buying online? Are you aware of your online rights? When making a purchase from an online seller, you have a number of basic rights. Federal agencies in U.S., consumer groups and national advocacy bodies, in conjunction with state, county, and local government agencies, have together created an online portal, NCPW.gov, a centralized source of information on consumer rights, privacy, online security and identity theft. Some of the valuable information featured on online shopping is
Before you buy anything online, get to know the seller. You need to know their contact details in case you have questions or problems later. Read the seller's description of the product. A reputable business should make this information easy to find and should also have good customer feedback.
Before buying, check out the terms and conditions as they may be located on a separate web page of the advertisement and understand exactly what is involved in the purchase. Check if you can return the item for a refund if it is not as per you ordered. Print and save records of your online transactions, including all emails to and from the seller.
Buy gifts cards from a trusted source. Online auctions are fun and a great way to grab a bargain, but you need to be particularly careful when buying gifts cards from any online auction site, as it could be a sham and there are normally no returns or refunds if something goes wrong.
Shop around and check the item's manufacturer and model number and compare with among other merchants. Give personal information as little as possible and make sure to have a look on privacy policy of the website.
Only go ahead with the purchase if you are comfortable with the payment method. If paying electronically, make sure that the seller uses a secure payment method that encrypts your financial details. Under federal law, you have the right to dispute charges under certain circumstances and withhold payment temporarily while the creditor is investigating.
Monitor your statements regularly and make sure you have a copy of any forms, emails, documents or web pages you have filled in, read or received as they are a record of the sale and will come handy if something goes wrong. Ultimately, if you ever happen to become a victim of online shopping scam and fraud, you can contact log on to FTCs website or call toll free number for more information on filing complaint and consumer issues. Let the buyer beware," as quoted in ancient Rome and know about your buyer before buying.
