	Safer Use of Services on the Internet www.besafeonline.org

Shopping online

Imagine this! Your teenager wants to go and see the latest pop sensation and your children have been nagging you to buy them “this year’s toy”, and you have the necessary email address. There doesn’t seem to be any problem ordering these things via the Internet and it certainly saves time, although you may have spent more money than you wanted! After this first experience you want to explore further and buy more on the world’s biggest high street. Everything you can possibly think of is available to buy on the Internet. But where do you start? And what are the pitfalls? Do you really want to let your child loose on the Web with your credit card? Stop and think before you spend!

General Tips for Online Shopping

1. Narrow your choice
Surfing the Internet looking through sites can be rather a mind-boggling task as there is so much choice out there. Think about what you want to buy, as the more specific you make your search, the quicker it will be.

A good place to start is a high street store with its own online service.
Try your own Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) homepage – this is the company that provides you with access to the Internet. These often have their own shopping area with links to other sites.
Look at shopping directory sites, such as www.british-shopping.com or www.topoftheshops.co.uk
Buy yourself a guide.

2. Safety and security
We are regularly bombarded with stories of even the most secure websites being infiltrated by computer hackers. In fact, fraudsters are less likely to get hold of your credit card details over the Internet than they are over the phone, through the post or in a restaurant. However, you still need to take care and be aware of the following advice in all situations.

Make sure you are on a “secure” site before you give your name, address or credit card details. Look out for a padlock or a key. These are usually in the bottom corner of your screen and indicate the site is secure. This means that your details will be scrambled into code, (encrypted) before being sent over the Internet.
All your information will be stored on a secure database with restricted access. If the company want to pass on your details, (email address, etc) it must also give you the right to say no. Look out for a tick box on the screen – make sure you tick it if you don’t want your details given to anyone else.
DO NOT send your credit card details on an email.
If you have more than one credit card, keep one solely for online shopping. If you (or your offspring) are likely to overspend, ask for a low credit limit and check your statements for suspicious entries. If you spot anything shady, cancel your card immediately.
Paying by credit card will give you cover in case the supplier doesn’t deliver your goods, provides unsatisfactory goods or goes bust. If it’s a UK site, you have the same consumer rights as you do in the high street.
Keep records of all your transactions by printing any details from the web page, such as order numbers and billing addresses, as well as copies of any emails.

3. Beat the fraudsters
The most important thing is to use your common sense. Listen to other's advice and recommendations about good sites to use and about their experiences. Most people feel comfortable using a well-known high street retailer, as they can complain in person if necessary.

There are many good e-tailers with no high street stores, but remember to check that there is a proper postal address, (not just a box number) and ring the phone number if in doubt.
Just because a web address ends in “uk”, does not mean that it is a British-based company. If there are no details of its location in the UK, find another site.
DO NOT buy as the result of a junk email offer.
If an offer sounds too good to be true, well it probably is!
Only buy designer goods from known stores or the manufacturers' own websites.
Remember the hidden extras, which can push up the price of your online purchase. Watch out for p&p costs, (especially from overseas). Savings from CDs and other things bought from US e-tailers can be wiped out by postal costs, VAT and customs charges. Many sites in the UK offer free delivery on orders over a certain price.

Useful websites

The Consumer’s Association checks out sites and gives them a seal of approval called the Which? Web trader seal. Links to these traders can be found at www.which.net
The Office of Fair Trading gives you advice on safe shopping on www.oft.gov.uk
Shopsafe has 500 outlets that are secure online shops which cater to UK customers. Their address is: www.shopsafe.co.uk

SPTC can be contacted at: 53 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2HT. Telephone: 0131 226 1917
Email: sptc@sptc.info Website: www.sptc.info

Return to previous page

Safer Use of Services on the Internet

Shopping online

General Tips for Online Shopping

Useful websites