I’ve noticed a trend developing of people having bad experiences when ordering products on-line. I buy products on-line all the time and rarely have a problem so I’m posting the following tips to help ensure your on-line buying experience is as good as mine.
The most common reason people complain is ordering items they didn’t want or in other words extras being put on the credit card they didn’t order. This usually happens because in an effort to make more money on the transaction some companies like to add items to your basket by default. These products need to be removed before checkout.
These extra items are called up-sells and in some cases the product you’re purchasing is a loss leader for the company – they don’t make any money from selling you the product they make their money from the extras they add on 
The way to avoid this sharp practice is to:
- Be aware they may do it
- Check every page in the checkout process carefully for added goodies you don’t want
- Don’t sign up for Free Trails like 30 day supply of vitamins or such like. Free stuff always sounds good but you’ll have a devil of a job cancelling even if you remember before the free trail is up
- Watch the S&H sometimes it can be more than the item you’re purchasing. This is particularly true for BOGOF offers (Buy One Get One Free) yes you get a free one but when the S&H is $6.95 for a $5 item it’s not such great value.
- Always order from the Website when you’re alert not at 2:00am in the morning
I believe buying on-line can be safe but you really need to have your wits about you when purchasing. The old adage Buyer Beware is just as true for on-line as off-line purchases.