Safe shopping

Your Guide to Safe Shopping on the Internet

We've all heard how great Internet Shopping can be; that you can get things far cheaper as the shops don't have to pay expensive overheads. How convenient it is - you can shop when you want to. How there's a much broader range - you can find specialist items on the Internet you'd never find on the high street. How it's easy to compare prices, and how there are no queues and plenty of parking online!

But before you start shopping on the Internet there are a number of questions you have to ask yourself.

• Do you trust the vendor?
• Do they have a 'secure' server?
• What are their delivery times?
• Can you contact them if the order goes wrong?
• Are there any hidden charges?

Most Internet shopping sites use some sort of shopping cart - this is your virtual trolley into which you can place items, then take them to the checkout when you want to pay.

The checkout must be in a secure server in order for your transaction to be secure.

How Do I Know I'm in a Secure Server?

When you go into a secure server the key or lock in the bottom of your browser will appear locked or highlighted. The address of the web site will also change from http://www... to https://www... signifying that the site is secure.

Google Chrome

Internet Explorer 7

Firefox

Opera

On browsers which allow you to change their appearance (commonly known as theming) the address bar or text may also change colour, or the padlock may look different or appear in a different place, but something should always appear to indicate you are on a secure site.

If none of this happens, then this is not a secure server - don't enter your credit card details.

Don't be afraid to email the vendor and ask them a few questions to put your mind at rest!

Note about Actinic Sites

Shopping sites using the Actinic software don't use standard secure servers as mentioned above, but use 128-bit encryption using a Java applet to safely encrypt credit card information. Barclays Bank, HSBC and the Royal Bank of Scotland approve Actinic software for their merchants to use. Again, if you have any doubts email the merchant.

What Else Should I Do?

Just like giving your credit card to a waiter or paying for petrol at the garage, so long as you take some basic precautions shopping online is safe to do. You should:

• Always print out your order confirmation.
• Check the delivery times and prices.
• Pay by credit card - this can give you extra protection.
• Don't leave the computer unsupervised while shopping online.
• Log out properly at the end of a transaction.
• Make sure you can contact them if the order goes wrong, and that they have an after sales policy.
• If you see a shopsafe logo on the web site then you know we've done the hard work for you, checking that the site is safe to shop at.

Any Other Hints?

• Order more than just one item at a time to save on delivery costs.
• Try and get your goods delivered at a time when you will be there, otherwise your package might get left with the neighbours from hell!
• Become members of web sites - this might entitle you to a discount as well as being notified about special offers.
• Don't get carried away and spend too much!

Your Rights

The Distance Selling Regulations. Online retailers must:

• Offer clear information about goods and services up front
• Give written confirmation of purchases
• Offer a 'cooling off' period where you can cancel for any reason within 7 days of receipt of goods and still get a full refund
• Offer a full refund if goods don't arrive by the date agreed (or within 30 days if no date was agreed).

The Sale of Goods Act

Goods you buy must:

• Be safe and of satisfactory quality
• Not be damaged or defective (unless this was pointed out in advance)
• Be fit for the purpose
• Be as described by the seller
• Last for a reasonable length of time

More Help

Some other useful sites:

• Office of Fair Trading
  www.oft.gov.uk
  gives very helpful online shopping advice.
• Trust UK
  www.trustuk.org.uk
  is a non-profit organisation endorsed by the UK Government to enable consumers to buy online with confidence
• Trading Standards
  www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
  for consumer protection information in the UK
• Data Protection Registrar
  www.dpr.gov.uk
  if you do not want your personal details to be used for direct marketing, you have the right to object.
• The Consumer Gateway
  www.consumer.gov.uk
  offers information and advice for consumers.
• HM Customs and Excise
  www.hmce.gov.uk
  good advice on excise duties and VAT if you're buying from outside the UK.
• Review Centre
  www.reviewcentre.com
  has consumer reviews of online shops.

One Last Thing...

"Internet shopping is great - Over the last few years I have purchased more and more of my shopping online, from CDs to Books to Clothes to Holidays and even a New Kitchen!" says Mark Pearson, one of the founders of the SafeBuyer Website. "If you follow the steps listed on this page you should never have any problems buying items from online stores. There choice and range of online shops and stores is huge, you will find items online that you would never find in your local highstreet. Take your time and start at your own pace, you can still feel all the excitement of finding a bargain sitting behind at your computer desk buying online."