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Suggested Best Practices for Shopping on the Internet
In today's technology-driven workplace, shopping on the Internet is an efficient and
often required method of procuring goods. Your agency can minimize risks associated with
Internet purchases by adhering to some common-sense best shopping practices. The
best shopping practices listed below were developed from information obtained at
Better Business Bureau Internet sites. Please refer to those sites for more
detailed information (http://www.bbb.org/
and http://www.bbbonline.org/).
- Do not use your credit card unless you are in a secure environment, i.e., the
location/address box on your browser starts with https://.
- If an Internet site asks you to create an account with a password, protect that
password.
- Know who you are doing business with before placing your order:
- Use Web sites that provide clear contact information (phone number, address in
the real world, customer service contact) for the company, as well as warranty, return
and refund policy.
- If you are not familiar with an online merchant, verify its reliability with
outside organizations, such as The Better Business Bureau.
- Do not provide personal information, such as Social Security or bank account
numbers.
- A site should have a privacy policy explaining how the merchant will protect the
information you submit when making a purchase. If you can not find that policy, request
that information.
- Understand prices, shipping and handling charges, the terms of any product or
service guarantees and the expected delivery date.
- Check your order for keystroke errors to avoid ordering the wrong item or
quantity.
- Always print and retain a copy of each purchase order with a confirmation number
attached. It's also a good idea to print the "address" (Uniform Resource
Locator) of the company site you are doing business with.
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