________ Bar Association offers tips to avoid shopping scams
As we approach the nation's busiest shopping season, the _________________
Bar Association hopes you will take precautions when shopping whether online,
in person or over the phone.
The following tips will help make your shopping experience safe
and enjoyable.
- When online or phone shopping, it is best
to avoid doing substantial business with a firm that has only
a Web site or post office box. You could find the firm gone and
untraceable after your purchase.
- Before contacting a discount vendor, make sure you have done
your homework. If the vendor suggests an item similar to the
model you selected, saying it's a better deal, don't buy immediately.
Instead check out the recommended item. It may actually be better
than the one you originally selected, but remember to investigate
first.
- Never pay in cash, checks or wire transfers when buying items
over the phone or the Internet. Using a credit card gives you
some protection against a vendor that ships something other than
what you ordered, or who fails to ship merchandise after charging
your card.
- Beware of "gray market goods." These goods are items
that were not intended for sale in the United States. While many
gray market goods are made by reputable manufacturers, these
items often are sold without a U.S. warranty or without instructions
in English.
- Watch out for the "U.S. warranty" scam. Some vendors
of gray market merchandise anticipate that buyers will ask for
U.S. warranties. They will contract with a third-party repair
service in the United States so that they can truthfully say
the item comes with a U.S. warranty. Since these warranties generally
do not match the depth of coverage available from the original
manufacturer, it is best to ask if the product comes with the
original manufacturer's U.S. warranty.
- Beware of shipping charge scams. Some discount vendors online
or over the phone will quote a very favorable price for merchandise.
The vendor then recovers some of the profit by adding an excessive
cost for shipping and handling. Typically this cost is double
or triple the actual charges. While catalog and internet shoppers
typically pay postage and handling, it is important to see how
much those charges are in relation to the actual postage.
- Watch for service contracts that cost too much. Some vendors
talk about extended service contracts as a supplement to the
manufacturer's warranty and disguise the fact that these are
separate third-party contracts often for 10 - 30 percent of the
value of the product. The vendor will present these contracts
as an opportunity for the purchaser when they can be an opportunity
for the vendor to add income.
- If you receive something you have not ordered, you can consider
it a gift - after making sure you or a family member didn't actually
order the item and forget about it. Sending a bill for unordered
merchandise is fraud and should be reported to the U.S. Postal
Service, the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau
and the consumer protection bureau in your state.
Following these tips will help you take charge of your shopping experience.
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© 2007 American Bar Association
