Today more than ever we see senior citizens become a victim of online shopping scams and phone solicitation. There are so many resources in internet, books and magazines dedicated on how to turn an online shopping game and phone solicitation, targeting elderly. They are aiming on elderly, because they know that aged people is ignorance and prone for doing mistakes in buying thing. So how we avoided all those scams and protect you from being the victim? We need some guidelines on how to tell a legitimate online shopping company or phone call from a reputable company. Bellow is 10 online shopping tips for smart senior citizens that you must take in to account when doing internet or telephone shopping to avoid being ripped off your retirement savings.
You should initiate the call to make purchase not shopping company. If you didn’t need it before they called you, it’s obvious you don’t need it now. You must aware that salesperson will always try to create “a need” for their products. This is part of their cognitive game to trick potential buyers. You must put a protection from this phone solicitor
Before you buy things, check the company refund policy. They should have policy that follow industry standard which allow buyers to return goods in 30 to 60 days from the date of purchase. Some online store has different refund policy, you may order a couple of different sizes try them and keep ones which fit your size and need. Then send back the others for refund. Don’t forget to watch out their returned shipping fees if any.
Only choose to buy from companies that you already known or that you feel can be trusted. Some companies will trick you by inflating their prices in holiday’s season or even charging very high shipping and handling rates. How to know if the new online shopping companies can be trusted? You may try buy an inexpensive item from them (but you need the item) during non holiday season. You then will check their delivery time, customer service and the quality of products. If you satisfy with them, then next time you are having a firm believe for this company and avoided online shopping risk with them.
Some companies put feedback articles in their sites. Good, but you never know if this is part of company promotion, because you seldom find bad users response there. But there is other place you can check for legitimate user’s feedback. Go to auction sites where users posted honest comments regarding shopping experience from particular shopping company. You can also try search engine and query for this phrase: company “abc” + users + feedback.
Beware of survey giveaways or any promo, read the Fine Print before doing so. Some purchases of books, music, video, magazines might offered at extremely low prices, even free in exchange of you filling out their surveys. Unfortunately many surveys will turn out to send you email with things that you don’t need. This is known as spam mail. They event will contact you trough telephone, should you provide your numbers in the survey. Beware of giving your credential in filling out any survey form.
Some salesperson will give you offers that you must take right now, or only have limited time period, or only just for you. This will make you fee special. But, if it is too good to be true, you may think 10 times before you take the offers. Don’t accept it only in the sense of urgency because the limit offering they have. At the end, perhaps it is part of company marketing gimmick that you don’t want to be part of being a victims.
How about charitable giving on online shopping company? Well, by any reasonable standard, shopping company should not offer charitable giving in their website; the two are not match by their own merit. But if the shopping company refer to another charitable organizations outside their company, then you may have a second thought of it. Please do some survey for the organizations that you want to donate. Should you confidence enough then give it to them and that’s it. You don’t need to donate or charity because shopping company wants you to do so.
Have you been contacted by someone because you just win a “special price”? Well, you will not win a price if you never enter the contest in the first place. This kind of ploy is one way to make shopping company to sell you things that you don’t need, before you claim your “special price”.
Before you considering the prices, find quality products for the brand names. The reason for doing this is you’ll still want excellent quality even if the price is low. Searching for a low price only may result in getting a low-quality product. At the end of the day, You’re only wasting your time and money when buying items of poor quality.
No matter where you shop, look for sales and bargains over the holidays to get the lowest prices while shopping online! Use the Power of the Search finding the lowest price is easier than ever once you learn to use the “power of the search!” The Internet is built on searches, but millions of people still do not understand “how” to search for what they want. You can start with major search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, or AskJeeves, and type in specific items or brand names you want to buy. Be very specific at the start.
There are plenty of legitimate online shopping, business people, charities and retailers out there who will do business with you honestly. So feel free to have little or not patience for anyone who calls you to sell you something and start now getting taken off their lists. When you do that, before long the solicitors will realize you are not a victim and they will move on and leave you alone. Your phone might ring less often and you may pay longer time in internet for shopping, but when it does, it will be someone you really do want to talk to. And that’s worth waiting for to keep your savings and your retirement money save.
