I shop online often and it is my occupation but I feel certain stigmas hurt the industry, especially in South Africa. Some of them have grounds and others are urban legends in my opinion.
So instead of moan about the lack of resources e-commerce currently receive from the government, I am going to try and suggest some solutions to these issues.
- I have added a product to the shopping cart, have I purchased it? No… It is the same as walking through a normal store with your trolley and then paying at the till when you are completely done. Adding an item to shopping cart does not purchase it until you have added all your details to the payment section of the process. You will be informed normally by means of breadcrumbs where you are in the process.
- The product is not available at your online store and there for have I been billed incorrectly after billing me. This is a sticky one but I have experienced the shops informing you consistently by means of email if they have the product and if they do not offering a full refund if not. Shoppers need to remember that the shops generally do not have any stock onsite but are rather dependant on a supplier for the stock levels and sometimes the suppliers do not have stock and have not communicated that to the shop.
- Online shopping is unsafe. I have not found an unsafe shop yet and generally look for shop reviews on the chosen shop before purchase. Secondly look for a secure connection when paying for your purchase and if your browser gives you a message to the effect that that the information might be seen by others then walk away from it. If possible purchase with a credit card and if anything unsatisfactory happens then cancel the charge with your bank that provided the credit card.
- I have waited and have received no communication from the shop. I generally give the shop 48 hours and if nothing has happened then I will phone them. If I get no reply to the phone call then I will email the store and phone again. If nothing still has happened I will write a review on a comparison shopping engine to communicate to other shoppers my situation and use a dispute resolution service like hellopeter or getclosure.
Shopping online in general is an enjoyable experience but sometimes situations occur which are outside of the control of the shops. The process normally is about 3-5 days from order completion after the order is received by the shop.
I would also suggest that you subscribe to newsletters from some stores as that normally is a good place for good deals.
Emma Donovan on March 11, 2010
There are some useful suggestions here, thanks Hendrik. I like your point about subscribing to newsletters , and it’s also a great way to keep up to date on new products or specials.
We’ve recently uploaded an article to the getclosure site on how to complain effectively, which ties in well with your point about how to go about contacting a supplier with a complaint or query. Here is the link if you would like to read it: http://www.getclosure.co.za/Handy-tips-for-effective-complaints-resolution/gca653
hendrik on March 11, 2010
Hi Emma
Thanks for your kind words. It all boils down to access to information and some stores require that you purchase something and then you get added to their newsletter service and other provide the option to just subscribe without any additional strings attached.
The information about the complaints is a great read and I have been lucky to have been able to sort most of my issues by phone or email. Thanks for your input I appreciate it.
I think it is important for online shoppers ti
Emma Donovan on March 12, 2010
It’s a pleasure – I’m glad you found it useful :)