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June
2003 Consumer
Advisories
Internet
Auctions:
"Going, Going, Gone!"
Internet auction sales involve
billions of dollars every year and are growing fast. Online
auctions are one of the hottest things going on the Web, with
an endless range of merchandise available at any time of day
from just about anywhere on Earth.
But some consumers are harmed
by Internet auction sellers who take payment and fail to deliver
goods, who deliver them late, who deliver goods worth less than
advertised, or who fail to disclose key information about the
sale. The Attorney General's Office has taken action against
several Iowa sellers who failed to deliver items people paid
for.
Remember,
an online auction house is like a bazaar or like your newspaper
classified section. The auction itself usually doesn't own the
merchandise -- or guarantee it.
Follow these tips
to protect yourself from Internet auction fraud or frustration:
- Pay with a credit
card whenever possible. Then, if necessary, you can
seek a credit from the card issuer if the merchandise is not
delivered or is misrepresented. Ask to pay by COD
(cash-on-delivery) or ask about using an escrow agent
if you must pay by certified check or money order. Escrow
agents act as "middle-men." Determine whether you or the seller
pays the COD or escrow agent fee.
- Verify
the seller's information
-- the name, phone number and a physical address (not just
a post office box.) Don't do business without this information.
Determine who pays shipping and handling, and verify if returns
are accepted by the seller.
- Confirm
all details if you win the bid, and print all documents and
e-mail. (Confirm
if the item is an original or a reproduction, its condition,
the costs for ship-ping and handling, etc.) Save the original
description and all correspondence.
- Read the FTC
brochure: "Internet Auctions - A Guide for Buyers and Sellers."
Find it and more information at the Federal Trade Commission
site: www.ftc.gov
For
more information, or to file a complaint, go to the Iowa Attorney
General's web site or contact the Attorney General's Consumer
Protection Division, Hoover Building, Des Moines, Iowa 50319.
Call 515-281-5926. Visit the Attorney General's web site at
www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.org
(then click on "protecting consumers.") Email: consumer@ag.state.ia.us.
Here
are some sites and links to other good sources of information
about online shopping and related topics:
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