Using the internet to purchase goods or services we need has a number of advantages, such as the comfort of buying from one’s home 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The internet also offers a very vast range of products at competitive prices to choose from.

There are, however, a number of risks linked to online shopping. Hence, before clicking the buy button, we need to take certain precautions as to the type of goods we buy, who from and also how payment is effected.

If we do not take specific precautions, we risk making payments over unsecured web pages and lose our money. First of all, we should keep in mind that paying by credit card offers greater protection in terms of fraud, guarantees and non-delivery.

Furthermore, before giving our credit card details, we must ensure that the web page is secure. This can be done by checking that there is a closed padlock symbol on the web page. Additionally, the web address should begin with https. The ‘s’ stands for secure. If the purchase of the product or service is made from an individual, we should never accept to transfer the money directly into their bank account.

Instead we should use a secure payment site such as Paypal, where money is transferred between two electronic accounts. After processing the payment, we should check our credit card statement carefully to make sure that we have been billed correctly.

Another important precaution is to know the seller. If we are about to buy from a seller for the first time, we should double check by finding out more about the seller. The best way to find a reputable seller is through recommendation from a trusted source.

As consumers, our most effective weapon against untruthful sellers is complete information on who the seller is, from where he operates and how to contact him when necessary. We should ensure that the seller provides a physical address and telephone contact details.

Before making an order, we should be clearly informed about how much we will pay

Before making an order, we should be clearly informed about how much we are going to pay and whether there are any shipping or handling charges. We should also be given a clear and detailed description of the goods or services we are about to buy and information on after-sales services and commercial guarantees.

Where applicable, we should ask for a copy of the terms and conditions of the commercial guarantees. Another precaution is to print a copy of our order and of the confirmation e-mail we receive when we finalise the order.

As to delivery, before placing an order, we should find out how long it will be before we receive our goods. According to the Distance Selling Regulations, the trader must deliver goods or carry out the service within the period agreed with us, or if no period was agreed, within 30 days of the order placed. If this does not happen, we are entitled to cancel the order and ask for a refund of any money paid.

When shopping online, we also have the right to cancel the sale and ask for our money back. Until June, the cancellation period may vary according to the member state we make our online purchase from, but it cannot be less than seven days. From June, this cooling-off period will be 14 days all over Europe.

The trader is not only legally obliged to inform us that we have cancellation rights but must also tell us where we can address our complaints, how to cancel our order, and also who has to pay the cost of returning the goods. The law says this should be paid by the consumer.

If we are not provided with this information, the cancellation period may be extended to three months. Moreover, once a sale is cancelled and the product purchased returned to the seller, the money we paid should be refunded to us as soon as possible, within 30 days from cancellation date.

We should also remember that in case of non-conforming goods, as online shoppers, we have the same rights to remedy and compensation as if we physically purchased the goods from a shop.

This basically means that if the goods we purchase are not in conformity with the contract of sale, we are entitled to a legal remedy, which may be repair or replacement, or part or full refund of the money paid.

odette.vella@mcca.org.mt

Odette Vella is senior information officer, Office for Consumer Affairs, Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority.