Safe Shopping

Internet shopping has opened up new horizons for us. We can compare prices of our shopping, compare offers and vendors and look around for the best combination of price, service and quality. One issue that people fear is how do I shop safely online?

There are certain things to look for when shopping online:

1 – Is the shopping cart a secure shopping cart? If not then it opens you up to the risk of having your information intercepted by hackers?

Specifically, when you reach the page where you enter personal data and your credit card information can you see it is a secure page:

(make a graphic of how to see this)

2 – Does the company look professional – consider the website design and the organization of the site. Do you get the feeling you would trust the people that own the website.

3 – What is the companies privacy policy? Does it guarantee not to sell your information or send you spam emails without your permission?

4 – Can you contact the company easily? Do they have a premium (or more expensive) telephone line? This is especially concerning if you may need to make a long service call regarding your product. Are their contact details buried on the page or are they easily accessible within one click of the home page?

5 – What delivery times do they offer? Do they look like they have the items available in stock and ready for delivery? Many smaller companies do not carry as much stock. If in doubt call the company and ask?

6 – Are there hidden charges on the website? Do you get the impression that they were trying to hide these from you?

7 - Does the company appear on discount shopping websites such as www.clickdiscounts.co.uk? If so there is a good chance they have a good reputation, as otherwise we would be unlikely to promote them. (though do not use this as a guide or a guarantee, please rely on your own independent research!)