I don’t have a problem with buying goods on the Internet. After all usually you can get a much better deal than if you purchase the same item in a shop. It’s rare that I can’t find a better price on household goods through Amazon for example. The time you need to be careful is when you purchase an item that you’ve seen advertised on one of the infomercial channels.
Mostly these offers are genuine and although the quality of the items can sometimes be poor at least you only get what you asked for. Sometimes though and usually it’s for the most desirable items a problem can occur. Often the product you want to purchase is a “Loss Leader” and the price is low because they intend to try and sell you something else at the point of sale after you’ve put in your credit card details. This is called an up-sell.
Mostly this is fairly harmless and the only thing you need to do is be very careful when checking out. Make sure any check-boxes (which may be pre-populated as the default option) are unchecked otherwise it will add another items to your shopping cart. The worst type is a recurring subscription option. Usually it will go something like this add a free 30 day supply of vitamins (for example) but you needn’t worry because if you cancel within 30 days you won’t be billed again and you get a free 30 day supply of whatever.
As I’ve stated before people like free stuff so they subscribe meaning to cancel before the 30 days has elapsed. But if you’re anything like me well before the 30 days at I’ve forgotten all about it. The next thing I know I have a $20 charge on my credit card and I slap myself on the head because I know I’ve forgotten to cancel the damn thing.
That’s usually when your problems begin. You’ve absolutely no chance of getting a refund for the 30 days you’ve just had trust me I’ve tried. Your real problem comes in cancelling the recurring subscription. The operator often tells you they can’t find your details, the supervisors on a tea break and any one of a myriad of excuses why they can’t cancel a subscription right now. If you’re very persistent and it usually takes several calls you can eventually cancel.
This new method of selling I believe is unethical. Or at least making it difficult to cancel is unethical. The solution is simple. Just be careful you haven’t inadvertently opted in to one of these offers when going through the checkout. To make matters worse although a lot of us would rather purchase at a store where we can easily turn the goods if they’re not fit for the purpose many of these offers are available via phone or the Internet only.
As always it’s buyer beware, so be aware when you’re filling in on-line forms that require credit card details. It’s always best to be sure rather than sorry.
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