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Internet Shopping:
More and more people are logging on to do their shopping than ever before. Initially only small items like books or CDs would be bought over the net but in the past few years the Internet has become the place to do your shopping. Televisions, Holidays, Cars, you name it; there’s an online shop where you can buy it.
Buying online has brought convenience to people with busy lifestyles and there are loads of great deals to be had. Shopping on the Internet should be no riskier than buying mail order or over the phone but there can be problems so it’s important that you know what to look out for and what your rights are.
To help you out we’ve put together our top tips for online shopping:
- You should only ever purchase online from traders who have a secure site. If you don’t you could risk having your credit or debit card details stolen.
- Try only to use well-known online shops or ones that have been recommended to you by friends or family.
- Remember to check deliver times. Online shops might send your goods from abroad. If you have a deadline for when you need to receive your goods, for example, for someone’s birthday, this is important to remember.
- Although what your buying might seem cheap it’s important to check delivery costs. That ‘great deal,’ could end up costing you more than you’d bargained for.
- If you are buying from an auction site like eBay, ensure you know the sellers’ names, address and telephone number and not just their email address before you buy anything. This could be important if there are any problems with receiving your goods.
- Check the company's returns policy particularly if you don't like the goods or have changed your mind. Again, if imported you may be faced with a hefty postage bill to return goods.
- Most importantly, print out the order and any terms and conditions that appear on the web site, just in case of any subsequent disputes or problems.
Whenever you buy something from the internet (or from a catalogue) this is known as Distance Selling and your rights are protected by the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000.
Under these rules you can:
- Get full details of the product or service you're buying before you make a purchase.
- Confirmation of what you have ordered, along with details of your right to cancel the order.
- A 'cooling off period,' where you have seven days from the day you received the goods to decide if you still want them.
- A full refund, if you don't get your goods or services within 30 days or by another agreed date.
So with this in mind, get shopping!