Publisher: Chicago Sun-Times
Title: Safe Shopping
Author: The Fixer
Dear Readers: For those of you opening your wallets in stores or online for the holidays, here are some tips from Steve Bernas of the Better Business Bureau and consumer advocate/author Jennifer Litwin that might keep you from winding up in need of The Fixer’s help:
- Pay with plastic. If you end up having a problem with the product or service, you can dispute the charge with your credit-card company.
- Check out return policies. Many retailers are tightening up and allowing only in-store credit, but no refund. If you’re buying presents soon, some stores’ return periods will expire before the holidays even get here. And, most important, remember that returns are a privilege and not a right, and not all stores offer them.
- Don’t open the box unless you’re sure you won’t have to return it — especially with electronics.
- Beware of costly “restocking” fees on some returned items.
- Ask cashiers to double-check gift cards you buy to make sure the value is correct.
- When shopping online, check out the Better Business Bureau’s searchable database of reliability reports. Web sites with a BBBOnLine “trustmark” have met certain standards for business practices.
- Protect your computer: Is it equipped with updated spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spam software, and a secure firewall?
- Don’t do business with online retailers who can’t provide a physical address and phone number.
- Make sure you understand online shipping and handling charges (some can be hugely inflated), the delivery time-frame, the warranty information, the site’s privacy policy and its rules about cancellations and returns. And make sure you print your order confirmation page.
And one more thing.
You might have been rational enough NOT to stand in line for three days to buy a new Sony PlayStation 3. The Fixer certainly hopes so.
But deals on the Internet have a way of sucking us all in. Every year, people get snookered by online scams involving the season’s “hot” toys.
So, if you bid on a PlayStation on eBay and lose, and then you get contacted by someone willing to sell to the “runner-up,” don’t fall for it. And whatever you buy on eBay, never, ever send a cash payment directly to the seller.
Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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