The internet has transformed the Christmas shopping experience – no crowds, no rain, and no traffic jams. So it’s little wonder that British shoppers spent £4.6bn online in the run-up to Christmas last year. But a third of internet users are still too worried about scams to shop online. You needn’t be – as long as you follow these three simple rules.
Use secure websites
Before you start buying, make sure you are shopping on a genuine, safe website. There are two easy ways to do this. First you can use Shopsafe, which has vetted over 4,000 shops and star rated them according to security, delivery, range of goods and price. Also, look out for the Internet Shopping is Safe (ISIS) logo from IMRG. Around two thirds of all UK retail websites are ISIS-accredited as safe, says Kara Gammell in The Daily Telegraph.
Get Safe Online also recommends that you make sure you are using the latest version of your web browser. That way you’ll have the latest built-in filters designed to spot and weed out many fake websites.
And remember that while the internet will help you find a bargain, if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. So, when shopping around different sites for an item, check a reputable website to get a rough idea of what the price should be. “Amazon is a good resource when it comes to assessing a realistic price,” says Gammell.
Pay safely
Once you’ve found the best price on a secure website, it’s time to pay for your goods. When you get to the page asking for your payment details, check for a picture of a padlock in your browser bar and make sure the web address starts with ‘https://’ – if they’re not there, the site is not secure, so don’t give your details.
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Then pay with a credit, rather than debit, card. That way, should anything go wrong with your order, you are protected under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. This states that credit-card providers are “jointly and severally” liable with retailers, says Jennifer Hill in The Sunday Times. So you have the right to reclaim money on goods worth between £100 and £30,000 if they are not delivered, or arrive faulty. In practice, this means that if the retailer refuses to refund you, or goes bust before the goods are delivered, you can claim money back from your credit card company.
Shoppers worried about giving away credit or debit card details online could use a prepaid payment card instead. These work like a credit or debit card, but you can only spend the money that you have already loaded onto them. So should someone else get hold of the card’s details they can only steal a limited amount. Plus, these cards don’t have any connection to your bank account, or hold any of your personal details. For more information and advice, see this article: How to save money when paying abroad. But, do bear in mind that if you are using a reputable website, with secure payment pages, these cards aren’t really necessary.
Keep a record
Distance-selling regulations apply to online shopping. So you can return goods, for whatever reason, within seven days of receiving them. The retailer then has 30 days to refund the purchase price.
So, if you buy your Grandad a Christmas jumper online, and the one that arrives is a different colour (or even shade) to the one you wanted, you are allowed to return it.
Finally, make sure you keep a record of any online orders. Print out and keep your order confirmations, and hold onto receipts and bank statements. That way, if there are any problems you have evidence of your order, and you can check that the amount taken from your bank account tallies with the cost of your order.
If you follow these rules, you shouldn’t hit any problems doing your Christmas shopping online. However, make sure you order everything early enough for it to be delivered in time. You can check final posting times here, including when the final order dates fall for several major online retailers.
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