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Web shoppers urged to buy smart [The York Dispatch, Pa.]
(York Dispatch, The (PA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Nov. 27--Read the fine print.
That's the take-home message for online shoppers this holiday season, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.
With retailers banking on stronger online sales this year than last year, the state's Bureau of Consumer Protection is urging gift-givers to pore over privacy, shipping, return and warranty policies when shopping on the Internet.
That includes e-commerce giants like Amazon.com, Web extensions of big-box retailers, such as Walmart or Best Buy, and any lesser-known Internet entities, said Nils Fredericksen, deputy press secretary to the state attorney general.
"There's been turmoil among established businesses and new businesses," Fredericksen said. "No matter who you're dealing with, if you're dealing with them for the first time, I'd still encourage you to go through their privacy policy."
Bargain-hungry shoppers are expected to swarm online stores en masse next week on Cyber Monday, which traditionally falls three days after Black Friday. But retailers this year are spinning off cyber-shopping deals into Cyber Weekends or Cyber Weeks.
Target, Walmart, Toys R Us and others will be running online sales throughout the holiday weekend, with additional sales on Cyber Monday.
J.C. Penney will offer online sales for items such as clothes and electronics on Monday and Tuesday, and Walmart.com will offer deals starting Monday through Dec. 4.
Even local businesses are getting in on the act. The Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center is offering a sale Monday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. that gives Strand-Capitol members a 25 percent discount on three performances. Non-members get a 15 percent discount. For more details, visit www.strandcapitol.org.
Suspicious: The attorney general's office's fine print proviso applies not just to delivery options, but also to descriptions of the products themselves, especially those with prices that seem too good to be true.
Fredericksen said shoppers should be wary of "de-contented items" -- for example, inexpensive TVs manufactured to look as feature-complete as the priciest models, but which actually are missing components some shoppers might find important.
Those might be features most people never would use, he said. But without a hands-on look at the products, others could "end up purchasing something that has been stripped of some of the features or capability that you might be interested in."
Consumers having gifts sent directly from a Web site to their intended recipient should be especially careful about shipping details, Fredericksen said.
That includes the cost of shipping the item to its recipient and, in case that person wants to exchange or return the gift, who bears the cost of sending it back.
Your complaint: The state fields about 45,000 complaints from Pennsylvania consumers each year, most of those dealing with exchanges, returns and warranties, Fredericksen said.
York County shoppers with complaints should contact the attorney general's office by calling its consumer protection hotline, (800) 441-2555, or by visiting www.attorneygeneral.gov.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
ONLINE SHOPPING SAFETY TIPS: The Better Business Bureau has recommended shoppers follow these guidelines when placing orders online this year:
---Protect your computer with the most recent updates for spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a secure firewall.
---Use trustworthy Web sites by looking for a BBBOnLine "trustmark" and clicking on the seal to make sure it's valid.
---Protect your personal information by reading privacy policies. Without one, a retailer might sell your information to others without your permission.
---Trust your gut by passing up deals that seem suspicious.
---Beware of phishing. If you receive an e-mail from a company soliciting financial information about a transaction, call the retailer, using information on its Web site to check whether there's a problem.
---Confirm your online purchase is secure by looking for the "s" in https:// in your browser's address bar.
---Pay with a credit card to make sure you can dispute charges later if necessary. Keep all documentation of your order.
---Check your credit card statements often. You might be able to catch suspicious charges early if you regularly check your statements online or by phone.
---Know your rights. Federal law requires that orders made by mail, phone or online be shipped by the date promised or, if no delivery time was stated, within 30 days.
For more advice on staying safe online this holiday season, and to see reports on thousands of online retailers, go to www.bbb.org.
To see more of The York Dispatch or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.yorkdispatch.com/.
Copyright (c) 2009, The York Dispatch, Pa.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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