Based on all the reviews I have read about online shopping and how the customers have felt that they have been cheated with the wrong, defective or duplicate products, I am posting this article for all those who want to learn a thing or two bout successfully shopping online. Do read the complete article before you shop online for the first time or want to learn more about the intricacies of online shopping. Here are a few tips on how to do safe shopping online:
First of all, browse for the same product available online in different websites
Once you find the website with the lowest price, check for the delivery options, if they are going to deliver the products to your location.
If you do not trust the website or the online seller in websites like ebay or Amazon, check for cash on delivery option for that product to your location. I will tell you the advantages of this option later on especially if you are new to online shopping or do not trust the quality of service of the website or online seller.
Call up the customer care or helpline number provided in the website. This is to confirm that the product is available as it is mentioned on the website, including delivery to your location and cash on delivery option for that product.
During this call, ensure to know the courier agency details delivering the product at your doorstep. Also question them about you being given a shipment tracking number for the product to be tracked directly by you with the concerned courier agency. If the website or courier agency does NOT have a tracking number option, then don’t bother about purchasing the product, unless you are confident about the goodwill of the website or the seller for the quality of service and timely delivery.
Most of the customer service or helpline teams for the websites are outsourced to third party call centers or BPO service centers. Even if the customer care or helpline departments are in house and managed by the website itself, there are lots of limitations as the helpline is trained with very less information or details and not given the power to serve their customer to the customer’s full satisfaction. Think of them as computers that are programmed to give limited response. So for queries not part of their program, the answer you will get is NO or we don’t know.
So stop wasting your time shouting at them when all they are available for is to handle your questions, initiate an order or cancel one and not process your order. Their job is to sit at one place and not move a muscle till their job is done.
Most of the websites make it mandatory to create an account with them. This is basically for them to boast about the number of customers that they proclaim to be catering to irrespective of you buying the product or not. But the advantage for you as a customer is that you can track the status of your order in the website and also it serves as proof of purchase in case of any legal issues. Hence it is advisable to create an account on websites where there is an option to checkout without logging in.
Once you are logged in and have placed the order, ensure all the address details and products being ordered for in terms of quantity and pricing is correct. Some websites advertise a different image or video for a product that turns out to be different after purchasing as compared to the image description. Hence it is better that you check the product image description and contents in the package at the brand website. Sometimes the product image and description may be right on the website that you are purchasing but you may end up getting a different product. That is how lousy the back-end teams working for such websites are.
So even if you end up getting a different colour as against the order placed by you then return the product immediately. I shall elaborate this further when it comes to delivery. Most importantly read the terms and conditions of the website’s purchase, payment and return policies before you place an order. Because websites will not accept return of the product if you changed your mind about not buying or using the product any more after the shipment tracking number is created.
Moving on. Once you are satisfied with everything then place the order. If you dont trust the website or the seller then ensure that you choose cash on delivery option. It has it’s advantages. But some websites end up charging more for cash on delivery options and give discount for instant online payments. So do what you are comfortable with.
Constantly keep tracking the status of your order and also use the shipment tracking number once it is generated to track your product transit status. It is the company’s and the courier agency’s duty to ensure that the product is delivered safely to you. Which means that the package cannot be tampered with.
Usually the products are shipped with the stated time frame. Another important factor to be understood from your end the concept of business days. Business days usually mean weekdays only and not weekends. However certain websites operate on weekends as well, but they are organization specific and you got to confirm that with the customer care or helpline team. So if you order a product from a company that promises to deliver by 5 business days and their business days are Monday to Friday, then your ordering on Saturday or Sunday doesn’t start your business day count till Monday.
This is the most important part of the order i.e. receiving it. Here is where the free cash on delivery option is an advantage. First ensure that you do not sign the delivery sheet till you open the package and ensure that all the contents are there as ordered. Also ensure that the product is not physically damaged in anyway.
This product should be in proper working condition and not defective. Once you check all that, then pay the courier person as per the bill. Ensure that a proper bill is provided with the product. If the product is not as per your expectations. then return the product to the courier guy and you dont need to pay a penny if you have opted for cash on delivery. If you have already made a payment, then you gotta immediately contact the helpdesk or customer care team to file a complaint and that you haven’t accepted the product for specific reasons. They will try to get a replacement product immediately which will take more time or you can request them to cancel the order and refund the money to you if already paid.
Do not accept any shopping coupons for refund and ensure that actual transaction value is refunded to your bank account or debit card or the transaction is completed reversed on your credit card. If the website policy talks about refund in the form of coupons and you are not comfortable with the idea, then do not bother making a purchase on such websites unless you are sure of the quality of service based on your past experience.
So these are the most important tips for all of you who love shopping online. Hope you have read this article completely before you have made your first purchase online. Others who have more points to add are welcome to share their opinion along with my post.
Regards,
Ganesh