Poles are increasingly willing to buy more and more on the Internet. This is confirmed by all surveys conducted among online shops and payment organisations, which help to settle transactions made by customers. Lack of time, convenience and attractive prices are the main reasons why we prefer to spend time in front of a computer instead of going to the store.
However, the growing value of e-commerce poses risks to the security of e-procurement.
The media regularly report on various frauds that take place during online shopping. Although the vast majority concerns auction portals, including Allegro, there is no shortage of online shops whose owners want to get rich in an unfair way.
As Internet users we have quite limited possibilities to protect ourselves 100% from fraud.
This is confirmed by the data of the Police Headquarters. In the first half of 2012 alone, nearly 7,000 fraudsters were reported in online shopping. Worse still, fraud is on the increase.
How to protect yourself against a dishonest e-shop?
Above all, let us respect the basic principles of secure online shopping.
Before you make a purchase, check the shop’s website carefully.
Do shopping in trusted, well-known shops used by friends and family.
The Internet allows not only to make purchases, but also is a source of information about the entities that offer purchases. Don’t hesitate to spend a few minutes checking the reviews that others give you about a particular store. A lot of positive opinions gives us a chance to be served fairly by the store as well.
Avoid super promotions, sales. It is one of the best lures for customers.
Super-price often makes customers sleepy and exposes them to a serious risk of getting a proverbial brick instead of a dream mobile phone.
In order to increase security, pay by credit card and not by bank transfer.
Why do I pay attention to the latter?
Because there is a very useful but little known chargeback service.
What is the chargeback?
This is a so-called chargeback, which gives the possibility to advertise a transaction made with a payment card, both debit and credit, if the service or goods, for which we pay, have not been delivered. One of the applications is therefore Internet shopping. If our order has not been completed as planned or, worse still, has not been completed at all, we are entitled to go to the bank to demand reimbursement of the expenses incurred. What is important for the victims, our bank complaint must be accepted and there is no need to worry about the avoidance of a surprised bank employee.
A classic example of a complaint is the famous recent fall of Sky Club, a travel agency.
The travel agency left on ice several thousand people who went on holidays just before bankruptcy and several thousand who had bought trips. Although the office is required to have insurance to compensate victims in the event of bankruptcy, reimbursement procedures take a very long time. It may also happen that the value of creditors’ claims exceeds the insurance limit, which means that customers will lose some of their funds.
In any case, chargeback is by design a more efficient and, above all, individual solution. However, while individual complaints and demands for the return of money are not a problem for banks, hundreds of such requests are made monthly. It is not just about procedures and paperwork, it is also about financial issues. Imagine that 100 people who bought a trip to Sky Club will come to one bank to advertise the transaction for 3,000 each. For the bank, this means carrying out charging procedures for, and above all involving, the intermediaries in such a transaction, i.e. the bank, the payment organisation (Visa, MasterCard), the settlement agent and, ultimately, the card merchant, in this case the travel agency. Every transaction requires verification and time. Although the chargeback is free of charge for the customer, it certainly involves the employees of the above mentioned institutions. Therefore, we cannot hope that this service will be advertised in any way. Nobody, except the victims, has an interest in this.
Do chargeback limits seem unavoidable?
Contrary to the will of banks, the aforementioned possibility of advertising card transactions, i.e. chargeback, is becoming more and more common from month to month. You can be almost sure that banks, fearing an excessive number of dissatisfied customers, will try to reduce the number of complaints processed, e.g. on a monthly basis, or introduce limits in the amount similar to those in the case of returning money after an unauthorized transaction with our card. For example, if we are cheated online and want to use a chargeback, we can count on a maximum of 1,000 compensations. Even then we can e.g. pay for holidays with two cards, e.g. with a husband and a wife. Z