Not everyone likes to venture out and face the crowds to do their holiday shopping and buying gifts on-line is an alternative. Geoff Greenwood of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office says choose your on-line shopping sites as carefully as you would regular stores.
He says there should be websites you are comfortable buying on-line from, and he says you need to know about the websites where you are shopping. Greenwood says know the websites rules on refunds and returns, do they charge shipping fees, and do you need a record of the purchase for returns. He says you should keep a paper trail of your transactions.
Greenwood says be sure to print out a copy of your receipt and save it as your proof you bought the product. He says make sure the website has a phone number so you can contact them if there is a problem. One important thing is the way you pay.
Greenwood says use do not use a debit card as it is just like giving them access to your cash. He says use a credit card and you get extra protections, such as not paying a disputed charge, that you don’t get with a debit card. Greenwood says take some time to read the website policies before you make your on-line purchase to save yourself some hassles later on.