Ahead of the Christmas rush, Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Trading Standards Service has published some important advice for internet shoppers to ensure they are aware of their rights and what they can do to protect themselves.
Here are their top 10 tips to avoid being stung (and remember ‘if something sounds too good to be true then it probably is’)…
1. If possible, buy from internet traders you know and trust.
2. For unknown traders, search for reviews online or check out their customer ratings.
3. Make sure the trader has a genuine address and landline number you can contact them on if things go wrong, not just an email address.
4. You have a 14 day cooling off period to change your mind and return/cancel most goods or services purchased online from a UK or EU trader.
5. You can return faulty or mis-described goods free of charge to a trader, but you may have to pay to return goods if you simply change your mind. Check refund and return policies.
6. Always use a secure form of payment to pay for goods or services, for example PayPal. Never simply transfer money.
7. Don’t enter your card details in to a website unless it is secure. Look out for the padlock sign and ‘https’ in the web address.
8. For purchases over £100, if you have a credit card consider using it for the purchase to give you extra consumer protection.
9. All orders must be confirmed in writing. Print out your order and receipt, and keep any terms and conditions that appear on the web site, just in case of any disputes or problems later on.
10. Watch out for bogus websites selling counterfeit branded goods and charging genuine prices and be cautious of very low price offers.
For links to genuine retailers visit: brand-i.org Brand-i is a shopping directory supported by the Trading Standards Institute, so you know it’s a reliable source of information.
For further information and advice visit: citizensadvice.org.uk or telephone the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06. With extracts from dgwgo.com.