The arrest of two executives of an online shopping portal came as relief not only for customers but to consumer rights activists as well.
They said usually, people run pillar to post to get justice after lodging their complaints in online frauds but the recent arrest is “a ray of hope” in terms of cracking down on such con jobs.
Akshit Sachdev, a frequent e-shopper, said that due to a hectic lifestyle and busy schedule, online shopping has found favour with many but these fraud and cheating incidents had become a matter of concern. “In the recent past we have seen that a lot of online scams have come up. Hence majority of people are bit apprehensive,” he said.
An expert in consumer rights issue, Pushpa Girimaji said if one intends to do online shopping, a few precautions has to be taken to avoid being cheated. She, however, said that the ‘cash on delivery’ option should be used for a safe transaction. “Cash on delivery is the best option .At time of delivery a consumer has the power to say no if they don’t like the product. The refunding policy takes long or you never know how much time so cash on delivery is best. You can see the product and take your product” said Girimaji.
She also urged that surfers go for secure websites when making purchases. “Websites that have a lock or a padlock sign or the letter S in its hyperlink (as in https) are considered secure. And also check for the postal addresses, landline telephone numbers of the company running the portal.”
Many also suggest running a simple internet search on the portal they are shopping from. This would warn them if the website has earned a dubious name.
Checking the privacy policy is a must so that the confidentiality aspect of information is safe, experts suggested while also advising that terms and conditions are read through so that refund and cancellation policies are clear.
There are times when the order is not delivered in a given span of time so if a consumer wants to cancel the order then the policies help. Some portals also offer something called the cooling period which is basically trying and testing the product and seeing if its quality was worth it. Consumers can return it if the product does not live up to their expectations.