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- Enjoy online shopping instead of worrying about it!
- Welcome to Verde Valley Online, “The Future.”
Enjoy online shopping instead of worrying about it!
04/03/2008 - By Verde Valley Onlines Director of Operations
Online Shopping
For most of us shopping online can be a very scary experience. We’re concerned that our personal information may fall into the wrong hands, credit card numbers stolen and misused, or simply worried we may never receive the product.
Yet most of us are attracted to the convenience that online shopping provides: 24-hour availability, variety, no waiting on lines, in most cases no sales tax, and no salespeople. And of course there’s the appealing aspect of having what we want delivered to us at our front door. Perhaps it’s the small excitement we get from having something to look forward to as we wait for our purchase to arrive.
In response to our fears, there have been a number of innovations that attempt to address the issue of security of online transactions. One such innovation is what has come to be known as SET (secure electronic transaction) protocol. The SET protocol was originally developed by Visa and MasterCard, along with several technology companies. It purports to provide more secure protection of credit card numbers and other confidential information that is sent across the Internet. In addition, it uses digital certificates and encryption technology that enables consumers and retailers to verify the authenticity of the parties involved in online credit card transactions.
Briefly, digital certificates serve to ensure that the parties to an online transaction can trust each other. This is done by encrypting the messages that are being sent by the parties, and then decrypting the messages when they are received. Encrypting means essentially to code a message in such a way as to make it undecipherable to those who are unable to decode the message. In essence these new developments almost make online transactions no more risky than any other kind credit card transaction you make.
Nevertheless; if you’re still concerned about shopping online there are some practical measures you can take to make your online shopping more enjoyable instead of worrisome.
The best advice I can give is to open a Debit Account. Debit Accounts these days work the same as any credit card except your not paying any interest on your purchase! Use this Debit Account by keeping only enough money to make the purchases you want. That way in case something does happen, your loss isn’t enough to drastically affect your life.
With most Debit Cards today they act the same way as Credit Cards in that you have the legal right to dispute charges for goods or services that were never ordered, never received, or misrepresented. I have had a couple online shopping deals go bad and my bank, Bank of America, gladly put the money back into my account without much trouble at all.
Today Some credit cards now provide "substitute" or "single-use" numbers, linked to your account, that you can use for one purchase only (sometimes they can also be used for regular payments to the same company). Since you never put your real account number online, your financial information is safe from abuse by "hackers" or dishonest company employees.
Some additional tips are:
1: Look the site over carefully. Look for clues about security. When you provide payment information, the "http" at the beginning of the address bar should change to "https" or "shttp." Your browser may use a symbol to show whether the information is being encrypted, or scrambled, as it is being sent. See what Web sites say about how they safeguard your information in transmission and storage.
2: There is no automatic cancellation right, so get all the details before you buy: a complete description of the items; the total price, including shipping; the delivery time; warranty information; the return policy; and what to do if you have problems.
3: Keep proof handy. Get the physical address and phone number in case you must contact the seller offline. Print and file the information in case you need proof later. Look for sellers that belong to programs that encourage good business practices and help resolve complaints.
4: Last but not least one of the most common reasons why some people don’t get what they pay for right away is due to miss information. They simply don’t fill out the correct address, and so on. Remember computers operate on absolutes. If one number or letter is incorrect it throws the system of delivering your product to you off. It delays the transaction until the mistake is corrected, which is often time consuming and frustrating. So take the time to fill everything out correctly, double checking everything at least twice, and you will save yourself allot of time and stress.
Shopping online with its seemingly endless array of products can be a very fun and exciting experience when we take the necessary steps to make sure we get what we pay for. The bottom line is to use common sense with the content of what we purchase with how we purchase. In the end we realize, “it’s only when we have our pant down that were caught with them down.” “So wear a belt!”
(*All online advertisements listed on the Verde Valley Business Directory, Verde Valley Forum, and Verde Valley Online Mall have been screened for you already in regards to security and legitimacy. You can shop securely at these sites.)
WWW.VerdeValleyOnline.org
WWW.VerdeValleyBusinessDirectory.com
WWW.VerdeValleyForum.com
WWW.VerdeValleyOnlineMall.com
WWW.VerdeValleyExtra.com
