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As a Huge Web Shopper, I Have Learned a Few Things

February 17, 2009 on 4:38 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

I am a huge web shopper. We buy many of our supplies from online stores. And, I always shop for suppliers and prices when buying office, store, or warehouse equipment. Come to think of it, in the last year or so, we built a new warehouse and filled it with pallet racking and a new (to us) electric order picker — all, including the building itself— sourced from Google searches. We are in the process of completing a new pick and pack area filled with motorized shelving (called carousels) that will bring the product to be picked right to the front of the aisle so the person picking your order choices can use their brain more and their legs less – all bought online and site-unseen.

So, I have spent a lot of money on things without actually having seen them—based on pictures, specifications, and what we are able to determine about the vendor from afar. I am generally quit trusting. I believe my fellow man to be, for the most part, good and honest. I live by the Golden Rule and assume most people do. After all, good ethics is good business. But there are those rotten few who will, given the opportunity, teach you some harsh lessons. So, use due diligence when buying online. I have saved a lot of money by shopping the internet, and am generally quite pleased, but I have learned a few things. I am an old coot. I am used to looking someone in the eye, shaking their hand and having a deal. I can still do that “virtually”. Here are a few ways to virtually “look ‘em in the eyes” before shaking that mouse over the order button.

Look for Genuine Customer Ratings and Comments.
Buy from online businesses that are rated by outside agencies based on customer experience. And, look for customer feedback both on the site and at the source of the rating. Is it overly suspicious and cynical to believe that a merchant would post bogus comments in praise of their services or perhaps just select the good ones to show you? Could be, but it is still something to consider. I will not berate (pun intended) any customer service rating system in particular, but I do know that good ones like Yahoo, Amazon, and e-bay serve customer comments directly and cannot be tampered with. We are proud of the 5-Star Top Rating our customers have given us with Yahoo Shopping. You rated us top-of-the-heap the first year the rating system went into effect and have kept us there every year since. Thank you. The crew here deserves this honor; they work very hard and aim to please.

Look For Members of Local Chambers of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau is well known to everyone as an independent evaluator of business practices and a consumer advocate. The BBB has local chapters in all parts of the country and provides customer protection like no other agency. It rates not only how a company treats its customers, but how it treats suppliers and the rest of the community. D. Lawless has been a member of the BBB for a number of years, and carries an A+ Rating. Look for the BBB membership and check out the ratings of companies before you buy. There are other business seals out there, but none as long-standing and reputable.

Look for Secure Shopping Carts and Privacy Policies
Read the privacy policy of the site you are visiting. If the company does not have a posted policy stating how they intend to treat your information, go somewhere else to shop. Also, before checking-out of an online store, make sure to look for some indication of a secure shopping cart and ordering process.
Stores who are hosted by Yahoo, such as ours, process all personal and financial data through a secure process involving 128 bit encryption. If the store you are shopping is on Yahoo, Amazon, or is some other well known entity such as Home Depot, Loews, Target, etc., then you are good-to-go. But watch the independent sites. Most have signed up with independent verifiers like Verisign, Digi-Sign, Thawte, and others who, to varying degrees, check and verify SSL Security and confirm Whois identity and other registered information. Always look for these security assurances, and if in doubt, click on the link to see if the seal is legit.

Look for a Phone Number
Make sure the company you are about to send your hard-earned money to has published a phone number. I am of the opinion that if they do not want to talk to you on the phone, there must be a reason. Forms to submit questions, e-mail addresses, and chat services are convenient ways to communicate —but they can all be ignored. Look for a phone number. Then, if you harbor any doubts about a product or the company, call that number and see if anyone actually answers the phone. Ask a question or two and make sure you feel comfortable about doing business. If you do not find a published phone number, shop somewhere else.

Look for a Physical Address
Find a real address, a street address, not a P.O. Box or some other dodge used by businesses to avoid being bothered by their customers. They have to be located somewhere, and you want to know. If a company does not want you to know where they live, one has to wonder why. Once again, shop somewhere else.

Do Not Buy From Drop-Shippers
Shop with businesses that have their own inventory. Drop shipping creates numerous problems with both shipping and returns. I like to buy from a company that has invested their own money in a product that they have actually looked-at as it went into the box being shipped to me. The fact that they thought it was a good enough product to put in stock has to mean something. And if I want to discuss a problem with the product or how to install it, I want to talk to someone who has actually held it in their hand and packed it. But, maybe that’s just me.

And Finally
Do not forget to compare shipping costs. And, look for a reasonable return policy.
Shipping and handling will be paid by someone—probably you. Shipping costs have to be paid to the shipping companies whether it is UPS, FEDEX, USPS, or Joes Parcel Service. Employees have to be paid to pick your order and pack it. Boxes and packaging cost have to be added. If shipping is free, it is because these costs are included in the cost of your product. That is why there is usually a minimum order to receive free shipping. No vendor can pay employees a decent wage to process an order, pack it, and pay for packing materials, shipping charges and overhead by selling you a five dollar order—even if the product cost the vendor nothing. But, the bottom line for you, literally, should be the bottom line on your invoice. Are you getting the best price—all things considered?
And lastly, a reasonable return policy should include a no cost to you return if the problem is the entire fault of the company. (faulty product, misrepresentation, etc.). Otherwise, the policy should be a reasonable compromise and a sharing of responsibility and expense. If there is a lack of detail in policy, it will probably not be as lenient as the headlines of 100% satisfaction guaranteed seem to propose.

Happy Shopping.

Dave