Online Shopping Tips for Cyber Monday and the Holidays

WAIT! Before you buy anything online be sure to read these online shopping tips from Your Legal Corner to help protect your identity this coming Cyber Monday and Holiday Season.

Today Your Legal Corner will discuss “Cyber Monday Shopping Tips and Online Shopping Tips for the Holidays.”

Have you heard the naysayers or perhaps you are one of them, spreading the same old propaganda about the despicable commercialization of Christmas? It’s too soon, we should wait to begin online shopping at least till after Thanksgiving; their brash voices can be heard above the Christmas music playing in the stores. Yet, there is another way to look at this.

Which is, the longer we have to shop will often serve to de-stress what can be a very stressful time. As we check the gifts and errands off our Xmas to-do lists, we can begin to relax and truly enjoy the Holiday season!

Shopping on the Internet is a convenient way to get things done, to place checks on that extensive gift list. However, when shopping on the Internet, there are different online shopping tips to follow to ensure that the proper merchandise is purchased, the correct refunds are received, and adequate identity theft protections are available.

Online Shopping Tips

Before beginning your Internet shopping spree, compile a list of Internet sites you plan to visit/shop. Next, create a physical file folder and an Internet folder to place copies of all confirmation numbers/data of purchases to include merchandise receipts with the actual cost of the products purchased.

Review CyberMonday.com to track Internet deals you may be interested in purchasing on Cyber Monday. Remember, if a deal appears too good to be true…it usually is.

Some websites will offer free shipping as an enticement to purchase. Some will also offer free shipping on returns such as Target.com. If you are a Target Red cardholder, Target will offer an extra 30 days to return items. See ConsumerWorld for online shopping tips on general internet/ store return policies. Then double-check the establishment’s online shopping tips and policies from the actual site where you are shopping.

Identity Protections

Review each website you shop to learn if they gather information on the consumers who peruse their page. Certain web pages deposit a “cookie” on the hard drive of a computer. What this means is the next time you visit that cite, the cookie will alert that you are back. For example, when deciding on a new pair of running shoes, the shoes I had viewed on a particular site would then appear on the margins of my computer as a reminder to purchase them.

More important than understanding “cookies” is recognizing what should not be revealed or asked by a website. Legitimate websites will not ask for your social security number, checking account number, or account passwords. Further, you should not be required to provide a credit card number until after the merchandise has been selected.

For further information on online shopping tips contact Gloucester County Consumer Affairs, call 856-384-6855. For unresolved consumer claims, consult with an attorney.

Till next week, God bless, keep smiling and remember who’s in Your Legal Corner…Pointing You In The Right Direction.

Next week, YLC will discuss “Minimize Home Improvement Fraud While Getting Ready For The Holidays.”

Victoria M. Dalton is an Attorney Of Counsel with the dedicated Law Offices of Hoffman DiMuzio.

Call 856-845-8243 or fill out a quick contact form for further information.

Your Legal Corner was created to provide educational articles about the law and is not legal advice! Consult with an attorney to address your legal needs.