Under the law, a company must ship your order within the time stated in its ad. If no time frame is stated, the merchant must ship the product in 30 days or give you an "Option Notice." This gives you an opportunity to cancel the order and receive a prompt refund, or agree to the delay.
14-Learn the Merchant's Cancellation, Return and Complaint-Handling PoliciesEven under the best of circumstances, shoppers sometimes need to return merchandise. Check the Web site for cancellation and return policies.
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>>Who pays for shipping?
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>>Is there a time limit or other restrictions to the return or cancellation?
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>>Is there a restocking charge if you need to cancel or return the order?
Look at the site with a critical eye. And heed the old adage, "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."
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>>Are there extraordinary claims that you question?
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>>Do the company's prices seem unusually low?
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>>Does it look like the merchant is an amateur?
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>>Are there a lot of spelling or grammar errors?
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>>Does the company's phone go unanswered.
16-Be Wary of Identity Theft
As e-commerce becomes more common, there will be more cases of identity theft committed over the Internet. Imposters are likely to obtain their victims' identifying information using low-tech means like dumpster diving, mail theft, or workplace access to SSNs. But they are increasingly using the Web to apply for new credit cards and to purchase goods and services in their victims' names.
The same advice for avoiding low-tech identity theft applies to shopping on the Internet. Many are mentioned in the above tips. Most important: Be aware of who you are buying from. And use true credit cards for purchases, not debit cards.
