I just read an excellant review by buddingwriter on this topic which inspired me to write one of my own since I buy online frequently.
First of all I would like to point out some don’t do’s. When buying online many times they will ask for your phone number and it will not go through without one being filled in on the form.I refuse to give out my phone number so I put one in that is close to mine but change a couple of digits.
I understand they ask for it in case there is a problem with your order but when buying online I write down the item, price, company phone number and so on so if it does not show up in a timely matter I have the option to call them.
I also keep my confimation e-mail in a folder on my computer. Many times if you give out your phone number they will bombard you with calls and you may get calls from other companies where they have passed your phone number on. I don’t know about you but I do not want to be bothered with that.
Do not give out your social security number. Some will ask for it and it is not necessary when they have your credit card number to do so. If I see one that insists on my ss number I do not order from them.
Do not order blind. By that I mean check the company out if it is one you have never heard of before. Most of the companies will have their number listed on the site. I also usually will check with the Better Business company to see if they have any negative reports on them.
If it sounds too good to be true be extra careful. I got a catalog in the mail with some really nice things in it and everything in the catalog was 14.99 so I placed a small order first by phone and when I seen it is actually quality merchandise and ordered over and over.
If you can it is better to order by phone. If you don’t want them to have your number though then use your number blocking from your phone company so your number does not read up to the company. When you have dealt with the company and are sure they are okay then you can give out your number.
Ask if they store your credit card number? Some do and some don’t. I deal with the ones that don’t. You don’t want someone having access to your number all the time.
Again I state be sure who you are dealing with. This is from personal experience. Matter of fact I wrote a review on bidz.com. The company itself is great and the merchandise is wonderful but what I didn’t know is that other sellers sell on this site too and I paid for 2 big orders over 3 months ago and never got them. I have written the people with no response and when I contacted Bidz itself they said they did not deal with that I had to.
So I have lost my money.
When ordering online beef up your security. This will help protect you. Just because it says it is a secure site does not mean someone else can’t get to your info. I was on a site and someone pinged into my computer as my security settings had not been raised.
Also I get many of these e-mails offering free things to product test and so on and you pay 1.00 for 30 days if you do not cancel then they bill your credit card for a years membership. They do not wait the 30 days so best not to do them. There is no way of getting your money back and my bank will not cancel a transaction.
So when buying anything remember the saying *Buyer Beware!