The student generation is full of online shoppers, and there are numerous advantages to this method of buying, stores like Amazon are superbly constructed and completely reliable.
Advice on protecting your purchases by shopping with your credit card
The student generation is full of online shoppers, and there are numerous advantages to this method of buying, stores like Amazon are superbly constructed and completely reliable. On the net our choice of goods is exponentially higher due to what is effectively a global market, which also means cheaper prices. On the downside, there is far less accountability, and we lack the supposed and often very real security of face-to-face transactions.
For example, there’s an air of safety about buying a smartphone in a high street store like Carphone Warehouse, due to all the jargon and terminology involved. Smaller net based suppliers may not have this customer service ethic, so we need to be aware of our consumer rights, one of the most important of these being ‘Section 75’: http://www.totallymoney.com/guides/section-75-consumer-credit-act/
Section 75 should be a piece of legislation engrained into our collective consumer psyche, and in short, it protects us on all credit card purchases over £100. The salient point being that the purchase must be made via a credit card.
If the goods we buy are faulty, the supplier goes bust, or your product never arrives, you can call on Section 75 to guarantee a refund. The purchase must be over £100 and less than £30,000, giving a pretty comprehensive level of cover.
You should always try to get your money back through the supplier, but in the faceless world of the internet this can be tricky. You’d then turn to your Visa, American Express or Master Card provider e.g. Santander, to guarantee your money back. You will need to fill out a claim form issued by the bank.
Section 75 is consumer legislation, so it covers every credit card without exception, and importantly, you can also claim for ‘consequential costs’, which are costs incurred by the inconvenience of your faulty service or product.
Debit cards can have a similar protection scheme, but this isn’t set around legislation and has to be agreed with the bank. This is generally called ‘Chargeback’. If you find your product is faulty or it doesn’t arrive, you can arrange to have your bank charge the money back into your account, but once again, this is at their discretion. You may even have to explain ‘Chargeback’ to the staff in the bank.