Before purchasing a good or service , "Count to ten." With this play on words, the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) provides consumers with a handbook of ten concise rules to avoid falling into the traps of online shopping.
The warning is: "Follow our advice to stay away from scam sites and shop safely."
- Be wary of excessive discounts and offers of products at ridiculously low prices or for free.
- Check the product features on the manufacturer's website or by comparing them with well-known sites.
- Pay particular attention to purchases that must be made directly through social media: it is preferable to make purchases on sites of sellers that use certified procedures.
- Carefully analyze suspicious similarities with other sites. You may come across "scam sites" that, with small differences, imitate the official ones of brands belonging to renowned operators.
- Verify that the website's homepage contains the seller's key information (name, physical address, VAT number, contact details) and the general terms and conditions of sale. If you have any doubts or inconsistencies, contact the seller. Do not proceed with any purchases if these information is missing.
- Look for reviews about the site you intend to purchase from using search engines, referral portals, or consumer associations.
- Carefully examine the linguistic accuracy of the texts published on the site: ungrammatical or incoherent sentences may be signs that it is a scam site.
- Carefully examine the procedures for returning/withdrawing goods (existence of the form, return costs, refund times) and whether it indicates that the cost of returning goods (perhaps to distant countries) is to be borne by the consumer, as often happens.
- Check the legal guarantee of conformity (2 years for new products) and its contents. Check that the operator offers after-sales service.
- Do not purchase from sites that require payment only by bank transfer, without actually allowing payment by credit card or other traceable payment systems.
(Unioneonline/E.Fr)
