Nov 16, 2006 02:22 PM
1788 Views
(Updated Feb 10, 2007 11:27 AM)
I have been shopping online for about 9 years. That’s how long we have been on the internet. I haven’t had a problem yet(touch wood). Here are 10 ways to avoid being duped by the ’Gremlins’.
1.Keep your computer security up to date.Have a firewall and an anti virus program running and set your firewall to only allow the programs you want, to access the internet. That will save a lot of spyware from working for instance by accessing the net silently.Run a spyware eliminator once a week.
2.Use a safe browser.I have 3 on my computer, Opera which allows most websites to be accessed correctly, Mozilla Firefox, which will allow access to any that Opera has difficulties with and Internet explorer which I block from accessing the web unless I can’t access the page with any other browser. I do this because IE is full of security risks and I just don’t trust it.
3.If you have a Linux computer or a Mac, use that In preference to Windows to access the shopping sites. Linux and Mac OS are both based on Unix and the security features are awsome and trustworthy.
4. Only buy from secure sites.A secure site has https at the beginning of its address or/and a padlock icon which should appear in the browser . If a warning box appears in windows stating that the web site encryption is out of date, do not buy from that site, the encryption is what keeps your card number secret and can be infiltrated if it isn’t current.
5.Always access the shopping site by typing in the address(from a magazine or newspaper listing) or through a price comparison site or from your bookmarked pages. Never access a shopping site by clicking on an email link(same goes for bank and other financial sites).
6.Read reviews on the shopping sites or the retailer you wish to purchase from, this includesebay sellers feedbackand Amazon market place sellers. Write and enquire about an item if all is not clear.
7.Compare prices first.It’s maddening to find a cheaper, better article after you have ordered and paid.
8.Capture the order pagesby pressing print screen and save them in a folder as a picture so that you have proof of your order and payment. Save any emails sent to you by the company. Print them out if you want to.Save Paypal invoices on completion, you can print them as proof of purchase.
9.Never keep your passwords on the computer.If you have a facility to save the password on a shopping site using your browser, to make it easy for you to access it the next time, say no. Write it somewhere and keep it in a safe(unlikely) place.
10.Never write your credit card details and leave them by the computerto save yourself time. A theif could just copy them down and you wouldn’t know about it until your bank was empty. A child could become tempted to buy online using your details.
*Advantages of buying online. Yes there are some!
One does not need to travel miles to compare appliances any longer. Find a comparison site and choose.
Most items are delivered by the postman or a courier so it will save you travelling to collect them.
Hard to find things can be found.
Disadvantages
It can be an isolating experience to shop entirely online.
People need to meet and talk with others sometimes.
One cannot guarantee the quality of good on an auction site like ebay. What looks and sounds marvellous, may be smaller than it looked, cheaply made or even broken.
It is easier for a retailer to think of his customers as people, if he sees them face to face.
