I recently stumbled across a cloth nappy site selling nappies and not delivering the goods. This shocked me. Not only was I surprised another business would do such a thing, it worried me as a consumer myself. What would happen if I bought $1000 worth of product and it didn't arrive?
Online stores are governed by the same government bodies that regulate bricks and mortar stores. The same laws apply and the store can be prosecuted if they fail to comply.
It made me consider what security we can offer our own customers for their peace of mind. We use PayPal as our payment method and I know (having used the same process on a seller myself) that PayPal will always put the burden on the seller to proove they have supplied the goods and they are as described. PayPal give you a reasonable period in which to make a report if you are not happy. So, if you were to order from anyone using PayPal, you can retrieve your money through their complaints system.
Furthermore, credit card companies will also reverse a payment if you don't receive goods. This was what parents were reporting in this instance - that they had contacted their credit card company to get their money back.
So what can we do to try and avoid these problems in the first place? How do we identify online stores with excellent customer service?
My first stop is always social media. Check out their Facebook page. If they were ripping off their customers you'd expect to be seeing comments popping up on their wall. An absence of people posting about their good experience may also indicate a problem (they can delete posts on their wall too).
Secondly type their store name into Google. See if there are online reviews of the store or its products. Generally, someone with a bad experience will speak out ten times louder then ten people with a good experience. Be fair to the store, one or two complaining customers may have themselves to blame (be simply complaining because they are unhappy yet the store has done nothing wrong), but a barrage of bad reviews will indicate a systemic issue.
If you are still unsure try emailing the store. See how fast they respond to you. Do they have what you want in stock, when will it be able to be sent. A store that doesnt ever respond or takes days to do so might not be the best place for you to shop. It may indicate an overall approach to their customer service. They may not be attentive when you have questions or problems in the future.
If you don't receive your goods within a week or so, email the store. NEVER, allow a seller to tell you that it will take longer then your window with which to retrieve your money from someone like PayPal. This happened to me once and I insisted they cancel my sale and I would order again once the goods were ready to ship. PayPal in the end gave me my money back (I went elsewhere as the service had been so terrible). If I'd waited I would have had no recourse if they'd never arrived.
Essentially, we should be confident to shop online. The companies handling our payments will usually be on our side and protect us. But we should do our leg work before spending our money - Afterall, its easier to avoid an issue by taking a few minutes to check up on who you are shopping with!
Don't forget, when you have a good experience, post a review online, leave a mesage on a facebook page or let the store know via email. You are helping others make good shopping choices and rewarding a business for their good service. After all, most businesses like to feel going the extra mile is appreciated.
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