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We love shopping on the internet. We've purchased everything from milk to movies on the web. Is it as easy as shopping in a store? The answer is sometimes yes, and sometimes no. Shopping on the internet can be extremely convenient. You don't have to leave the house. You can get your purchases delivered to your home. You can do it at any time of the day or night. Shopping on the internet takes practice and patience. Some shops are very well organised, accessible, easy to use, have good safeguards for payment, and have help available whenever you need it. Other e-stores are the equivalent of an untrustworthy person selling you something on the street. The web, particularly commercial sites, is notoriously inaccessible. Many e-stores use graphics intensive software that can take a long time to see if you are not using a newer computer. Ask your friends for recommendations: recommendations from friends who use the internet are good ways of finding a reliable business. They have already reviewed it and can tell you what they liked and didn't like. They can also give you valuable information about which websites will be the most accessible for you. The best e-businesses have instant support available. Because they are web-based, most will provide an instant online `chat' with a customer service representative. We don't know about your experience, but we're so tired of waiting for help on telephone-based customer service lines, that we love instant online customer service. In addition, web-based communications are more accessible for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Give yourself time to learn your way around the website: if you are new to the internet, plan to spend some time to get used to finding products and working your way through the check-out process. Large internet companies, for example Amazon.com, were specifically designed for the web. They are a good way to get used to internet shopping. 'Accounts' - or plan on being asked a lot of information: it was surprising to us how much information the e-stores expect us to give them. You should only be required to disclose information that is necessary to complete your transaction. As a minimum, stores need to know where to ship your merchandise, how to contact you both online and offline, and what your payment method will be. If a store requires more information than is necessary to complete the transaction, check its privacy and security policy carefully to see how that extra information will be used. Be careful with your financial information: a good e-business realises that it is their responsibility to protect your financial information. Just like you need to have a computer that is secure from computer viruses, they need to keep their financial information secure. On the internet you are usually forced to pay with credit cards. You can protect yourself by making sure that the e-business specifically states that they will protect your financial information. Look for the padlock symbol at the bottom of your internet browser to verify that you are entering information on a secured site only. |
