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Buying
Online Safely
We
are sometimes suspicious of buying online. To make it worse,
from time to time the media runs a scare story about the perils
of buying online; but the risks are low and the benefits are great
as long as you take simple precautions.
Most online transactions are paid for by credit card or debit
card. In case you're not sure of the terminology a credit card
is when you buy on credit, a debit card, like a cheque, is drawn
from your bank account. I prefer to use a credit card such as
Visa or Mastercard, as in some situations they offer an extra
guarantee whether buying online or in person.
In
many cases prices are lower online or extra benefits are given,
whether you're buying goods, software, or a service like tickets
or insurance. You can pick and choose from many sources, compare
prices and conditions, all without getting out of your chair.
"Buying
software by downloading"
Methods of selling software by downloading are many and various.
There will be a description of the software and system requirements
for running it and usually you will be allowed to download and
use it free for a time to see how you like it. When you have paid
you will be emailed a password to enter.
Depending
on the terms and conditions the password will remove all restrictions
on use, allowing full usage.
Ebooks
are a special case. There will be a description and possibly a
table of contents, and you will be required to pay up front before
downloading, although some authors allow you to download the first
chapter or so, to get a feel for the book.
"You
may encounter two annoying problems."
1) You can't find the price
2) You can't find the size of the download
Most
sellers show the price clearly but sometimes you have to look
hard for it. If you can't find it, go forward to the ordering
page as the price must be clearly given before you commit yourself.
Fill in some details if necessary to move on a page but never
your card details. Once the price is shown you can pay or cancel.
You haven't paid until you have given your payment details and
have hit the 'Submit' button.
There
is often a significant delay while the system decides whether
to accept your card, so don't hit the 'Submit' button again or
you may pay twice. Of course, you'll get a refund, but that's
a hassle. If you really think after at least two minutes, that
something has gone wrong; maybe your hit didn't register, then
it's best to hit the 'Back' button, go into reverse and try again,
but this is rare.
When
downloading software the size of the download is important, particularly
if you're on a dialup connection. If you're downloading a free
trial then it doesn't matter so much if you're using a downloader
like DAP as this will give the file size as soon as it starts.
Then, if you're pushed for time you can cancel and download later.
EBooks are usually not much larger than 1MB but if you're unhappy,
eMail the website and ask the download size before you part with
any cash.You don't want to pay and find you can't get your goods.
You'll get a refund, but what a pain.
Some suppliers, if you wish, will keep your details on file, so
that when you return you won't need to go through the formalities
of typing in your address etc. Amazon goes further and offers
a 'one-click' service. Once you have selected what you want to
order, just click on a button and the job's done. Very slick,
but very prone to the double click, when you may order two. It's
happened to me!
Some
programs can be misleading, particularly games. A file size of
say 167KB is stated, but when downloaded you find that that's
only the downloading program. The total download may be 8MB or
even more. If in doubt ask. In general games programs are large.
"Buying hard goods online"
When buying goods there is often a "shopping trolley" to keep
track of the goods and price. You are left in no doubt as to what
you are buying but sometimes, if you're a bit heavy handed, you
may find you've ordered two of something. So keep a sharp eye
on the total goods, the price and the postage. There's no hurry;
you can add or cancel items at any time until you're happy, then
go to the checkout. Even there you can change your mind until
you press the final 'submit' button. If nothing happens immediately,
then wait! Be patient. It takes a while to check your card details.
If you press the submit button twice you may get a double order.
If, after 2 minutes or so, still nothing has happened, then it's
best to backtrack a page or so and try again, but this rarely
happens.
"Check your security"
After you've selected the item(s) you want to purchase comes the
time to pay. You will be taken to a secure page where you will
be asked for personal details. If the goods are to sent by carrier
you will be asked for your address, for example. After that you
will be asked for details of your card, such as the number, expiry
date etc.
Before filling in anything make sure that the page is indeed secure.
The usual URL address starts http:// . On a secure page it should
be https:// a letter s has been added. In addition a padlock icon
should appear on the lower toolbar. A so-called secure page that
doesn't show both of these indicators must be treated with suspicion.
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Note the https://
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Note the padlock at the bottom RH corner, above the System
Tray.
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I
have bought online from all of the companies I recommend in this
website and have found them very correct in their dealings. In
all cases your transaction, once completed, is clearly shown on
screen for you to print out if you wish. It is followed up with
an eMail giving the same details or maybe a few more. Don't delete
this eMail until at least you have the goods, and preferably print
out all relevant documents. I save emails showing details of purchases
in a 'Purchases' folder on my Email client (Outlook Express)
"How
do payments work?"
To set up a website where Debit and Credit cards are accepted
inhouse is very expensive and is only done by the larger organisations
such as public service organisations.
Moderate
sized companies use an intermediary banking organisation. When
you are ready to pay you are switched to the bank. Thus the name
of the bank will appear on your Visa statement, not the name of
the company supplying the goods or services.
In
my experience this is always explained fully by email. The trading
company pays a fee to the bank for each transaction. Small companies
or individuals can use the services of an organisation such as
PayPal or FastPay. PayPal is part of the eBay group, Fastpay is
part of the NatWest Bank in the UK.
In
each case it enables cash to be virtually eMailed. The merchant
and buyer both sign up to accounts and payments are made through
the intermediary who charges a fee for each transaction. If you
want to know more, try PayPal
or 2CheckOut
There's quite a lot more that can be said about trading online
but I hope that I've convinced you that it's at least as safe
as presenting your card at a High Street store. You can poke around
seller's websites as long as you like, compare goods, compare
prices until you decide to buy. Until you have filled in your
card number and pressed the 'Submit' button you haven't bought
anything, you haven't committed yourself in any way.
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