A Guide to Navigate the Online Shopping Dangers
Online shopping is one of the 21st century’s great revolutions. It’s kinda like the holo-suites that we see in the StarTrekTM shows, where virtual reality is taken that one step beyond. Through online shopping, one can buy English scones directly from England, shop for antiques on Bourbon Street, or peruse the wares of the Caribbean through a computer interface.
However, there are online shopping dangers too, and all of us must cope with them. Some people think the solution is to avoid online shopping altogether, but this is simply no longer possible. Even if you make your purchase in a local store, your information will certainly end up on a computer database somewhere.
The familiar old adage says, “if you can’t beat them – join them,” and where online shopping is concerned, this is certainly true. You CANNOT beat them; one must accept this as a reality. Today, if you have no online presence at all – you do not exist – it is that simple. Call anybody for information about you, and that operator will need “a second to look that up” and then turn to a computer for the information.
Online shopping dangers are very real. This article will address some of these concerns and offer tips to help shoppers to cope with them. Now, let’s get cracking…
Identity Theft
As online shopping dangers go, concerns about identity theft top the list as the greatest concern for those who shop online. Identity theft is a very real concern because unscrupulous people who get sensitive information can damage an individual’s financial status and credit score. Many people recoil at this notion, and refuse to shop online at all. The irony here is that an online store is almost certain to be a safer place for a consumer’s digital information than a local store. Why?
Online stores expect a certain amount of digital shenanigans, and they invest a great deal of money to ensure that their client’s information is secure. They know that data miners will try to hack their systems. They know that customers will want assurance that this will not happen, and they know that these customers will seek signs of data security at every point along the purchasing process.
Local stores, however, have traditionally found no need for such an investment, because customers have never demanded such. Customers just toss the money on the counter, even apply for a digital card that the store computers can read to give them a discount – and never once think about the integrity of that data – until the store’s computers are compromised. What with so many large popular shopping centers now being hacked, this attitude is changing, but for now, online sites built for operation on the internet might still be a safer bet to guard against identity theft.
Therefore, the first piece of advice for anybody who wants true data security (ironically) is to shop online! Now, we cannot get out of life alive – and risks are everywhere, but if you are dealing with a reputable store – then chances are good that your data is safe.
If your identity is compromised, it is usually possible to manage the effects of identity theft, and you have some knowledgeable and powerful partners in the fight. We refer to the bankers, who have put strict guidelines into place to monitor banking habits and to flag any anomalous behavior. If such dangers are spotted, the bank will communicate directly with the account owner before permitting the transaction to proceed. Credit card companies have similar petitioning process, as does PayPal, which offers a procedure to refund a purchase that works like a dream. Most merchants will return merchandise without a word of challenge when merchandise is petitioned, because they know that the bank will usually side with the buyer than the seller. The battle simply is not worth it.
While we are on the subject of online shopping dangers, here is one that you might not have thought of. You might also check to see if your store is on a secure server. This is something else you can check for online that you cannot verify in store.
To make this check you can examine the web address for any website in which you are to submit sensitive information. Websites that start with “https://” as opposed to “http://” indicate the information is passing through a secure server.
This advice does NOT apply to the shopping catalogs. Most of these will NOT be secure, nor do they need to be. You are simply reading data feeds, and nothing more. You should NEVER submit your private information to a catalog for any reason.
When it comes time to pay for your purchase, however, most any reputable online retailer will send you to a secure website to make your transaction. If the server is not secure, then the shopper should perhaps call customer service to place the order rather than submit the information through the unsecured website.
Returns
Difficulty with product returns also ranks high with consumers as one of the more persistent of the online shopping dangers. This danger too, is very real. Nothing is more frustrating than getting the wrong product, and then having to battle with a hard-nosed support person who is barking at you in broken English out of Thailand.
So, what is the solution? Take the matter out to their hands. If you are dealing with an unknown merchant, always put a payment agent between you and the seller. PayPal is one of the most famous of these. If your purchase draws your disapproval, PayPal makes it dead bang simple to request a refund from the seller. You don’t have to argue with anybody. Just let PayPal do it for you.
Amazon is another great agent to put between you and the seller. If you work directly with a store, you (as the buyer) might be responsible for paying to return the item to the warehouse – and these shipping costs can be significant. Buy through amazon, and if the item arrives broken, or is the wrong size, or it just is not the product you felt you were buying – just complete a simple form online – and voila – your merchandise is refunded and a pickup is scheduled to return the failed merchandise to the seller – EZ, PZ.
Misleading Product Descriptions
One final concern among the online shopping involves misleading product descriptions. Sometimes, this is the fault of the description author, and sometimes the buyer just misread (or missed) the crucial element. Either way, you don’t want to be stuck with merchandise that you do not want.
If you are shopping online then you will be receiving an unwanted or damaged product at some point. Before deciding that the product is bad, your first step is to review the product with earlier customers. A good place to do this is on the amazon site. If they loved it, then you probably got a bad unit.
Next stop is the customer service. If there are issues, they will have heard of them, and have likely put in place a method of working with customers complaining of the issue.
You best bet, however, is to buy through an agent as suggested earlier, so that the issue is not just between you and the seller – unless you understand the return policies of your seller very well. Especially if you used a credit card, making a product return can be a monumental headache. A disreputable merchant will rather test your mettle than grant an immediate refund. They will fight, and while you may win in the end – you will have plenty of bruising to remind you of what a real fight can be like.
Final Words
We have covered some of the more popular online shopping dangers that you might encounter in the marketplace. We have looked at some of the dangers of local shopping too. Dangers are everywhere. It really is a jungle out there. Watch your back, and always shop from behind a protective shield, so that if you need assistance, you won’t be directly at the mercy of the support of the seller.
Amazon, E-Bay, PayPal, and a host of other agents can really make a difference when problems arise with your order. Instead of feeling victimized, suddenly, you discover that you have “powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.” Use them wisely.
Have fun!
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