1. Know Who You Are Dealing With
First, make sure that a given website belongs to a registered company, a so-called "dotcom." The alternative is dealing with people who have simply requested a few megabytes on Hinet or Seednet, set up a personal webpage and begun selling things. Consumers should bear in mind that there are no guarantees when dealing with such individuals, and if a problem occurs, consumer protection laws do not apply. As such, the first rule for the online consumer is to shop at "brand name" sites with good reputations. The Net Consumers Association is now preparing to establish an accreditation system to help consumers pick e-commerce sites they can trust.
2. Look Before You Leap
Many people are concerned that goods sold online might be defective, and are therefore only willing to buy standardized products like books and CDs. But improvements in quality control measures at Taiwanese firms make it very unlikely that consumers would receive defective products. Even if they did, most legitimate online retailers have return policies. What consumers need to be careful about are firms which frame their policies in ambiguous language to avoid responsibility.
Lin Shih-hua also recommends that consumers be wary of online retailers who offer goods at prices which seem too good to be true. Often, excited consumers rush to complete their transactions only to discover that they are responsible for hefty shipping charges. In other cases, consumers have encountered problems with cell phones or similar items purchased online. While they receive a fully functional product, they discover too late that the item has been sold without a battery or is a gray market product not covered by the manufacturer's warranty. Similarly, some auction sites advertise goods at bargain-basement prices, then have employees bid up the price, fleecing unwitting consumers who continue to bid.
For heavier, more expensive goods such as computers and home electronics, Lin recommends that consumers who find a product which interests them online make a trip to a local retailer to see the product at first hand and make sure that it truly meets their needs.
3. How Should You Pay?
The possibility of credit-card information being stolen by hackers and the instances of websites being established solely to gather credit-card numbers have prompted the ROC government to vigorously promote what it calls its "electronic wallet" system, while the Electronic Signature Bill is already under review in the legislature. But opening an "electronic wallet" account is complicated, and so far the system has not really caught on. Since the security of online transactions is still questionable, Lin Shih-hua suggests that for safety's sake consumers pay for goods using a postal transfer or even cash-on-delivery.
4. Privacy
Both for security reasons and in order to build customer profiles, many websites require users to become members. On the membership application, such websites may ask applicants if they are married, how many children they have, their profession, and even their annual salary. When online buying becomes more widespread, consumers may even leave a record of their measurements when buying clothes, of their illnesses when buying medications, and their holiday preferences when renting a car. While this information can make it easier for online merchants to provide personalized services to consumers, it also puts consumers' personal information in the public domain, subject to misuse by any who are so inclined.
5. Avoiding Online Pitfalls
While online buying can be a pleasure, consumers need to be aware of its hidden pitfalls. There are stories of consumers' computers having been infected with viruses picked up from software purchased online, from emails sent by businesses, and even from visiting websites. At the same time, the Internet is something of a rumor mill, and consumers should not believe everything they hear.
