Author Topic: Ordering hiking goods online and hiking related equipment  (Read 1636 times)

gunwharfman

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Until recently I ordered 'stuff' online and nothing has gone wrong. In the last three months, I have been caught out twice. I first ordered a cheap priced Rab Vital windproof hoody, the screen suggested that the money had been taken but the item never arrived. Then my wife noticed that nothing was taken out of our account and never has been. To feel safer we ordered new cards. I then ordered £12.50s worth of Silnylon from UK Hammocks, the money was taken but the goods never arrived. I've emailed etc but no response from them at all.

Due to me dropping my phone I now want to order a new mobile phone. I've seen the site at the best cost, looked for the 'safe lock' in the address bar, it's there! I've checked the site for email addresses, telephone numbers, business address and so on, it's all there for me to read, but I have now lost my nerve to proceed. This time I would have to part with £300. Any other suggestions of what I should look for to give me reassurance that the site is legitimate?

pauldawes

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One other fairly straightforward check is to google search something like “Firms’s name any problems?” to see if that comes back with any issues.


And...if you proceed..probably safer to pay by credit card, so if anything does go wrong you get section 75 protection from your own credit card provider.

vghikers

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Quote
Any other suggestions of what I should look for to give me reassurance that the site is legitimate?

End the relentless obsession with lowest price and go for a reputable place?  :)

gunwharfman

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Sorry vghikers, whether I have a 'relentless obsession' or not is neither here nor there. I don't but that's not for me to judge. All I seek from Forum members if they are willing to offer it is any advice on what they may do and what they check out, to lessen the risk of being ripped off online. For example, one person I know has suggested that I use Paypal? I know nothing of Paypal but would be interested to hear from anyone who believes this might lessen my risk. Another person has suggested I should buy from AliExpress?  Am I the only Forum member who has gone through an online money losing experience?

To date, I have only lost £12.50 but am planning to spend out about £300 and I am now a bit nervous to go ahead with my purchase which will come from China. In the past, I have bought 'expensive' items from the UK, from Slovakia, from the Netherlands and from China and have never experienced a problem.

And as regards a 'reputable place,' how would I judge what is such a place? In a capitalist world is 'reputable' the best word to use anyway and why would I not want to find a cheap price for myself. As a person who does NOT believe in the idea that you get what you pay for, I will always look for the product that works best for me and if possible, I can buy cheaper! Why should I pay more when I don't have to?


Dread

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Go with Paypal. Then you don't need to give your card details to anyone else. I have used their dispute resolution service twice, both times for phones bought from China that didn't turn up. Got a full refund both times.

fernman

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Am I the only Forum member who has gone through an online money losing experience?

You are not the only one. I ordered a branded down jacket only retailed in USA, from what turned out to be a fake website.
I should have been more aware, there was a very big range of gear on the site, everything was in stock, and prices were generously lower, but I had been searching for this specific jacket for ages and I was so glad to have found what I wanted at last.
I reported it to Action Fraud, who gave me a crime reference number, and I was fully refunded by my credit card provider about a month later.
I don't know if PayPal has changed at all, but when I was an eBay seller I found they dragged their heels a bit, you had to wait x number of days, and then wait again for the refund.

vghikers

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Whoa, it was a light hearted comment, hence the smilie!.
By chance I had just been reading posts elsewhere by people who tirelessly run down the lowest prices on everything yet simultaneously bemoan the 'race to the bottom' that retail has generally become, apparently making no connection between the two.

First I always pay by VISA credit card directly, to gain section 75 protection.
Regarding Paypal, the first danger to be aware of is that section 75 will not apply to your purchase if Paypal is acting as a middleman rather than merely as a payment gateway, and that is far from clear in many cases. Paypal's own protection scheme is inferior in various ways and not backed by law.
I have my own reasons for hating Paypal anyway and I closed my account years ago.

Buying confidently online can be difficult if you don't keep abreast of things, it's descending into a cesspool. Even Amazon, despite its many other despicable practices behind the scenes, was at least good at what it did: not any more, its marketplace is being overrun by fakes and they don't care, they are making a fortune out of it. Even if you buy from a genuine well known retailer via Amazon, you might still be sent a fake (how this happens is easy to understand once explained, I won't bother here).

Other than low-priced items - and certainly any electronics - I would always buy from long established retailers with well known reputations. All our big-ticket stuff is from specialist retailers or established ones known particularly for their after sales service.

Edit: the Paypal stuff: I meant one thing and said the opposite!. Corrected now, for more detail see here
« Last Edit: 13:36:37, 14/08/19 by vghikers »

ninthace

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GWM I recently bought a Samsung A50 for a similar price from a supermarket mobile phone shop.  It is dual sim which I think is one of your requirements.  The advantage was that the young lad in the shop helped me migrate all my apps and data to my new phone.  I also know that if the phone turns out to be a dog I can take it back.  It is pay as you go so no contract.  Surely this strategy is worth considering rather than fret about a reliable website.
Solvitur Ambulando

Dread

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Paypal has the advantage of not having to give your credit card details to the website.  It does take a few weeks to come up with a refund but then so do the credit card companies. You have more legal back up with a card, it's true but you end up having to change the card if the website is fake.

Rob Goes Walking

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Most banks will let you raise a dispute if you pay by debit card as well as credit card in the case your goods don't arrive and will refund you themselves, issuing a chargeback against the retailer.

Mel

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Re: Ordering hiking goods online and hiking related equipment
« Reply #10 on: 22:13:00, 14/08/19 »
.... Any other suggestions of what I should look for to give me reassurance that the site is legitimate?


Look for a proper postal address (not a PO Box) and landline phone number (usually found on the "contact us" page.


T&Cs should be written in English (not translated to semi-gobbledegook)


If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.




Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: Ordering hiking goods online and hiking related equipment
« Reply #11 on: 22:48:15, 14/08/19 »


T&Cs should be written in English (not translated to semi-gobbledegook)
Not written by a lawyer then? :)

forgotmyoldpassword

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Re: Ordering hiking goods online and hiking related equipment
« Reply #12 on: 13:53:01, 15/08/19 »
Most banks will let you raise a dispute if you pay by debit card as well as credit card in the case your goods don't arrive and will refund you themselves, issuing a chargeback against the retailer.


The difference is they are only doing t his as a goodwill gesture since you've already lost 'your' money, whereas for a CC it is the bank who have the imperative to do this?

Rob Goes Walking

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Re: Ordering hiking goods online and hiking related equipment
« Reply #13 on: 14:14:59, 15/08/19 »

The difference is they are only doing t his as a goodwill gesture since you've already lost 'your' money, whereas for a CC it is the bank who have the imperative to do this?

Sort of, I believe the credit card company is only legally liable under section 75 if the goods cost more than £100. I checked with my current bank if they provide this dispute service for debit cards as well as credit cards before opening my account with them. It's not exactly a goodwill gesture, the bank reverses the transaction with the retailer and takes the money and an admin fee from them - the bank doesn't lose money on it the retailer does. It's called a chargeback, I've only done it once but it's been useful.

Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Ordering hiking goods online and hiking related equipment
« Reply #14 on: 18:44:31, 20/08/19 »
Always do a background search on the business, and read the reviews, to see the kind of service the business offers.
If you cannot find any contact details, or address for the business, then think very carefully before buying anything from them.


Ive lost count of how many businesses who use the Uk in their web address, when most of the time their based in the far east.


Most of them are pretty trustworthy, offering a good service, but they can be very slow at times, making the buyer panic, thinking, oh where is that item of clothing i ordered weeks ago.


Ive only had one disappointing experience with a dealer in China, the item never arrived, but PayPal reimbursed me.

The majority of internet businesses now take PayPal as their choice of payment, as it offers good protection for both buyer and dealer.

If the offer looks to good, then maybe theres something fishy going on, especially when you cannot find any contact details or information on the company.
« Last Edit: 18:51:52, 20/08/19 by Dyffryn Ardudwy »

 

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