Shopping, auctions, airline reservations, prescriptions, and online banking
Shopping online may be one of the greatest assets the Internet has to offer. No lines to stand in, no one trying to hard-sell you, and no need to leave your home. I have a student who likes to get out of the house to grocery shop, but she has trouble managing all the bulk items like paper towels and cleaning products. She buys those items online, along with heavy canned and bottled goods, but goes to the store for fresh produce, milk, and meats. (She could buy those things online as well, but she chooses not to.)
However, if you’re not comfortable shopping online for any reason, don’t do it. There is no rule that mandates you must shop online merely because online shopping exists. Most of us don’t climb a mountain just because it’s there.
Having said that, let’s investigate what’s available and how to shop efficiently and safely on the Internet, if you choose to do so. Shopping online isn’t limited to clothes and housewares. Anything you can imagine is available online. My most obscure purchase was a set of shower curtains. Doesn’t sound obscure, right? Well, I needed nine shower curtains in very specific colors. No, I don’t have nine showers—I wanted shower curtains for my screened porch because they are waterproof and I thought they would make practical curtains. I searched dozens and dozens of websites and viewed hundreds of shower curtains before I finally found the perfect one.
“I don’t want to sound like a Scrooge, but over the years I’d started to dread Christmas shopping. Now it’s a breeze. I sit at my computer for an hour or two and in one evening purchases are made. I even opt for the gift wrapping and ship directly to my kids!”
—Vernon
Unfortunately, the online store that sold it only had three in stock and they weren’t able to order more. From their website, I copied the exact name of the shower curtain and product number and pasted it into Google where, with a little hunting, I found the name of the manufacturer… in China! The end of the story is, after the loveliest e-mail correspondence with a woman named Rain (and an invitation to visit her in China!), the shower curtains were shipped to my home directly from China. I certainly would not have been able to accomplish that task without the Internet. By the way, they look adorable.
You can’t see or touch the merchandise, so what makes online shopping so appealing? Well, the following three aspects for starters:
• Comforts of home: You don’t need to leave your home (or office) to shop. Therefore, no parking hassles, no waiting in long lines, and no fighting for the last iPhone on the shelf.
• Global access: Stores all over the world are at your fingertips. A student of mine wanted an out-of-print CD that a jazz-musician friend of hers had recorded nearly 40 years ago in Denmark. She was able to track down the recording studio’s website and place an order for the CD online. Even the musician himself didn’t know his original recordings were still available for purchase.
• Savings: Online retailers save on personnel and other overhead costs. They often pass the savings on to you. This is especially true with travel arrangements. Shopping online should save you money—you’re doing most of the administrative work!
Get your feet wet with a visit to the website of a “brick-and-mortar” store you frequent in your area. If you shop at Home Depot, visit their website: homedepot.com. Is Macy’s one of your shopping spots? Visit macys.com. Or you could pop into the website of a catalog that you patronize. Perhaps you are a Crate & Barrel (crateandbarrel.com) fan or a Harriet Carter (harrietcarter.com) loyalist.
Right now, you and I, together, are going to visit L.L. Bean (llbean.com) to simulate the purchase of a canvas tote. Connect to the Internet and access llbean.com. Let’s see what their website has to offer.
• L.L. Bean’s website.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click in Search box.
2. Type canvas tote.
3. Click Search.
Wow… there’s a ton of information on their Home Page. It’s almost too much to take in, but there is strength in numbers and together we can navigate these new waters. I spy an internal search engine. Do you? Perfect. Click inside the text box to activate and type: canvas tote. Click on Search.
The new page reveals a selection of canvas totes. Click on Boat and Tote Bag, Open Top. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the following page so you don’t miss anything. When you have viewed the entire page, scroll back up and join me at the top of the page. This site is a good example of how the same options available in the store or in the catalog are also available when you shop online. You get to choose your tote’s size, color, and handle length. You can even have the bag monogrammed! Let’s say you want two medium-size totes with dark green handles in the regular length.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click Medium.
2. Click on Regular or Long Handles.
3. Click on desired color.
4. Click Quantity Box, hit Backspace to erase 1, type 2.
5. Click Add to Bag.
• Click on the Medium tab. Give the window a chance to update your order.
• Click on either Regular or Long for handle length.
• Click on desired color.
• Click after the number one in Quantity. Depress and release the Backspace or Delete key on your keyboard to eliminate the “1.” Type the number 2.
• Click on the down arrow to the right of Ship to Me; click on Other.
• Click on Add to Bag.
• Most websites, as this one does, give you the option to Continue Shopping or to Check Out. Click on Check Out.
The website will offer to ship the bag to someone other than you. Click on the circle to the left of Ship to Me. A box will appear where you type a nickname for the recipient of this item. Now, we’re not really buying the tote; we’re only practicing. Choose whomever you want to “pretend” to send a tote to. I will choose my sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Ballek. She always carried home our quizzes in a canvas tote to grade. (I can remember that but not the movie I saw last night?!)
You can now view the contents of your shopping cart and make any changes necessary regarding quantity.
Did you happen to notice the shipping costs? It isn’t common, but some online retailers really gouge you on their shipping fees. Before you complete your purchase, decide if the shipping costs listed are reasonable. This is especially true when shopping for airfares. The lowest airfare may end up being equal to or even exceeding its competitors’ fares when the taxes and fees are tallied.
• Next, click on Check Out. (You may have to scroll down to find it.)
• The page that opens next is an interesting one. You’re offered the chance to Log In or Check Out as a Guest. If this is a website you’ll shop at frequently, you might consider registering with the site. This involves an online form you complete with your name, mailing address, telephone number (possibly day and evening), billing address, and e-mail address. The convenience of registering is that your information is kept on file and you don’t need to type it every time you come back to make a purchase. Let’s not register with the website this time around. (Some websites require you to register to make a single purchase. It’s a bit irritating, but you may not have a choice.)
• Next click on Check Out as a Guest.
You will need to type your billing information. Notice that any text box with a red asterisk is a required field (you must fill it in). Those areas without an asterisk are usually optional. I generally don’t give any more information than necessary.
The credit card company uses the billing address to confirm that the credit card is in the hands of the authorized cardholder. Be sure you type your correct billing address—for some people that is different than the mailing address. You will be asked for the shipping address later.
Fill in the form. These forms are not case sensitive so you don’t need to capitalize, unless you have a burning desire to use the Shift key. Enter the address as you would on a mailing envelope and don’t use nonstandard abbreviations. When you arrive at State, click on the down arrow and use the Scroll Bar to find your state. Click on your state.
Certain websites require you to type your e-mail address in twice to be sure there are no typos (typographical errors). Your e-mail address is used to send a confirmation of your purchase and to update you on the shipping status. Because this may lead to future solicitations, I use my second e-mail address—the one I created for any correspondence other than with friends, family, and business contacts. You may want to do the same.
A SHORTCUT
The Tab key moves the cursor from text box to text box, instead of clicking in each box to activate before you type.
Notice on this site there is a choice about whether you receive e-mail updates, along with an offer to store your information for future purchases. If you see a check in the box, it indicates you accept their offer. If there is a check in the box and you don’t want to accept the offer, click on the check to make it vanish. Poof! It’s gone.
• Now, click on Continue.
• For the sake of practice, fill in the shipping form. You can input a fictitious address because we have no intention of completing this order.
• Next, click on Continue.
You can see your entire order for review before you type your credit card information. Remove your hands from the keyboard, lest you accidentally order an unwanted tote bag! Notice where your credit card information would be typed, but remember we’re not actually shopping. In the future, when you input your credit card number, ignore the spaces or dashes—type it as one long number—and examine what you typed and be sure there are no errors. You may be asked for the code on your credit card. If you use American Express it will be the four numbers above and to the right of your credit card number. If you use MasterCard or Visa it is the three numbers to the right on the back of your card. The last step after entering all the credit card information would be to click Continue. The website then sends an e-mail confirmation of your order, which you should promptly print and keep for your records until delivery occurs.
• Here is where you would give your credit card information.
If, at any time, you see a customer service number, jot it down. Websites are notorious for concealing their contact numbers. For reasons of cost, most sites prefer all correspondence be by e-mail. I may be old fashioned, but when I have a complaint or question, I’d like the option to speak to a human being. If you return to the website seeking out their telephone number, look for Contact Us, Customer Service, or About Us. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Sometimes, what you seek (and they hide) is in very small letters at the end of the web page.
To ensure that your credit card information is safe, websites employ SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), which encrypts data, making it safer for transmission. You’ll know the page is protected by SSL when http in the web address has an added s (https) for security. A closed padlock might appear at the bottom of the browser window. An open padlock or a broken key at the bottom of the window indicates you are not on an encrypted page.
If the unfortunate happens and someone has abused your credit card (and, remember, the Internet may not have even played a role in the event), under federal law your liability is limited to $50. If a breach of security on the part of the website revealed your credit card information, the website should pay this amount for you.
• A closed padlock indicates you are on a secure website.
The American Bar Association has created an informative website, safeshopping.org, for information about online shopping. (Note: It is .org, not .com.) Visit their site for more information before you start shopping on the Internet.
If something happens that warrants you bringing in the big guns, contact the Better Business Bureau at bbbonline.org (or call your local Better Business Bureau). You could also fill out a complaint form with the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov. Type complaint in the internal search engine. Another option is to contact your state attorney general. Contact information can be found at the website of the National Association of Attorneys General, naag.org. (Notice their website acronym almost reads like “nag”!) If your complaint crosses international lines, head to econsumer.gov and click on English.
When you register on a website you are required to establish an identity (ID) with the website. Some websites will use your e-mail address for your ID; others may allow an ID of your choosing. You will also be asked for a password. Do I have to tell you not to use your bank password? Good. You’ve been paying attention! A+!
If at any time during the ordering process you are uncomfortable or confused, most shopping sites allow you to complete the order over the phone. Don’t be hard on yourself. If the site is difficult to navigate, it is poorly designed. You are not the ninny, the website designer is.
Relax while I relate a funny, and possibly helpful, story about a student of mine. Gloria, with great trepidation, ventured onto a website to purchase a gift for her nephew. In the course of filling in the registration form, the site asked her to type her e-mail address. She dutifully did so in the appropriate text box. Next, she was asked to type a password. She did. The next step read “Confirm your password” with a text box beside those words. (As you may have noticed by now, when you type a password you can’t see what you type. That’s for your own protection, so no one can peek over your shoulder and read your password.) Gloria responded to the request for her to confirm her password. The website rejected her. She tried, and tried, and tried again. She finally gave up in frustration. In our next class together, she shared her saga. I asked, “What did you type in the box that asked for you to confirm your password?” She answered logically, “I confirm.” A completely understandable mistake—the website, of course, wanted her to “retype” her password as confirmation, but the language the website designer chose made that less than perfectly clear. Shame on the designer, not on Gloria!
“I couldn’t believe it when I found the American Heritage plate of my mother’s that I had broken years ago. You should have seen the look on her face when I gave it to her. I love shopping on the Internet.”
—Georgia
• Click in either place to see more items offered from Amazon.
The burden, unfortunately, falls on you to interpret the text of a website or software program. If at first you don’t succeed, try a different interpretation, then try, try again.
The steps we took with L.L. Bean are essentially the same as what you’ll do with any shopping website you visit, whether ordering tulip bulbs, vitamins, or a bicycle built for two. Be sure to notice if the website offers, at the top or the side of the window, different categories of what they sell. Nose around the site until you find something of interest, and then click on the item for more information. Next, instruct the site to place the item in your shopping cart, bag, or basket. When you’re done shopping, fill in the necessary shipping and billing information. When you’re certain you want to complete the purchase, fill in your credit card information. Soon after, you’ll receive an e-mail confirmation to be printed and kept until your doorbell rings when the package arrives. The convenience is fantastic, and you can’t deny the efficiency of the process.
Your Prescription Is Ready
It is now possible for you to purchase prescription medication online. The most common reasons why people choose to buy prescription medications with a click of their mouse rather than a trip to the pharmacist are convenience and privacy. However, it may also appeal to you because you’re able to compare prices and access more written material about the drug in question.
The steps to checking out are a little more involved than the steps to purchase a tote bag, but not by much. You will at some point be asked about allergies to medications to be sure that you can take the medication prescribed. There will also be a point where you decide how the website will verify your prescription. You can mail in your prescription, have your doctor call or fax the website, have the website walk you through the steps to transfer the prescription from your present pharmacy, or ask the site to contact your doctor directly to confirm the prescription.
• You decide how the website will contact your physician to verify your prescription.
The website shown above is drugstore.com, but ask your doctor what pharmacy site he or she recommends. Be cautious about buying prescription medication from a foreign country’s website because the drug may not be exactly the same as it is in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the quality of drugs made in the United States but not elsewhere. If you have more questions, visit the FDA’s website at www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline/.
Before you pay top dollar for an item, perhaps you should shop around for the best deal. The same item is often sold on several different websites. Could it be that there is competition on the Internet? You bet your bottom dollar! Competition breeds competitive pricing, and that’s good news for all of us. Comfort and/or loyalty may lead you to shop at a tried-and-true website. There is nothing wrong with that. But, if you want to buy a particular item and you have no website allegiances, why not find the best deal? There are search engines to hunt the World Wide Web in its entirety (e.g., Google, Yahoo!, Ask) and there are search engines that specialize exclusively in shopping.
shopping.com
shopzilla.com
pricegrabber.com
mysimon.com
CLICK AND GO
1. Click in box.
2. Type hammock.
3. Click Search.
Try any of these on for size. Each site allows you to type in the item you seek by name, product number, or description. The site will look up the item. If it finds it, it will let you know the different websites you can purchase from and let you see an estimate of the price.
• Use the scroll bar to see the results of your search for a hammock.
Feel free to also experiment with Google, Yahoo!, Bing, or any other search engine. The results, however, from a general search engine will be less specific than a search engine designed specifically for shopping. Shopping search engines usually hit on the type of product you seek (e.g., microwave) and list the various models, with a link to direct you to the websites selling that product. Remember to take shipping costs into consideration before you decide where to make your purchase.
There is an alternative to paying a set price asked for an item.
You can decide to do your shopping on an auction website such as eBay. These sites operate very much as a live auction does. If there is an object you are interested in purchasing you place a bid on the item. You watch the bidding to see if someone bids higher and then you can decide if you want to go higher, and so on. This goes on until the deadline for the bidding is reached. The highest bidder then pays for the item and it is shipped to them.
Many people buy and sell on auction sites with happy results all around, but you must have your guard up. It is extremely important that you click on and read the Terms of Use, Rules, or Policies. The rules of the auction site must be perfectly clear to you before you become involved in buying or selling.
• eBay policy page.
Although you view an auction item on a given auction website, who is responsible if the item doesn’t arrive, is broken, or is not what it appeared to be? Often that responsibility is with the seller, not the auction site. How comfortable are you with that situation? Who is this seller anyway?
These issues illustrate why it is so important to familiarize yourself with an auction site’s policies and stick with reputable auction sites. Although eBay may be one of the best known auction websites, it isn’t the only good one.
Here are some other auction sites to visit:
ubid.com (a general auction site)
skyauction.com (specializes in travel auctions)
biddingforgood.com (a portion of the proceeds goes to charity)
For now, let’s use eBay as our gold standard. Visit ebay.com (no need to type the b in caps). Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Policies. Take the time to read everything this page presents. The policies for whatever site you use to buy or sell should be as clear and specific as eBay’s.
Auction sites usually charge a fee to the seller. The fee may apply whether your item sells or not, or the fee may only apply if the item sells. There is a time limit for how long an item is at auction. If you really want the item, get your final bid in just before the bidding closes. My heart is racing just writing about it! The reserve price, which is typically unknown to the bidders, is the lowest price, the seller will accept. Some sellers also list a “buy-it-now” price, eliminating the hassle and nerve-racking auction process. Frankly, I would rather buy the item outright than play the auction game. The suspense is too much for me.
Both sellers and buyers are required to register with the auction website. (Use the same registration and password guidelines that I suggest throughout the book.) As a matter of fact, you will be using a lot of the same skills discussed previously to get the most out of your auction experience. For example, use the internal search engine of an auction site to compare prices on what you want to sell or buy. Also, be on the lookout for a list of categories at the top or sides of the window to narrow your search.
Armed with the preceding information, find and buy the vintage Louis Vuitton handbag your mother gave away before you were old enough to appreciate it. Sell the awful lamp your sister-in-law gave you, because there is someone out there who will think it’s beautiful. Bid on the missing Hummel to complete your collection. Good luck!
• You can either browse a site’s categories or use the internal search engine to find what you want.
Before you decide to participate in an auction, watch a few auctions online from start to finish. Get the lay of the land. Here are some more helpful tips for buyers:
• Do not be lured away from the auction site you know and trust by the promise of that same item at a lower price by a private seller. That is called “bid siphoning.” Once you leave the auction site, you leave the protection it guarantees.
• Stick with the top price you set for yourself. Sellers may have “shills” who drive up prices with no intention of buying. (Shills are a violation of most auction policies.) They rely on buyers to get caught up in the moment and overbid.
• Take heed of other people’s experiences. Usually a website offers a place where people can review their experiences with a particular seller. The rating scale (another term for review) should be near the ID or e-mail address of the seller.
• Do not assume the rules are the same from one auction site to another. Some websites offer a tour of how the site works or a tutorial on how to use the site. If there is a bidding tutorial offered, take advantage of it.
• Investigate shipping costs, warranty, and return policy.
• You name a collectible and you can find it on the Internet.
Before you list your baseball card collection on an auction website, get familiar with how these websites work. There are as many shifty buyers as there are sellers. You need to have your head about you as a seller. Here are helpful tips for sellers:
• Be as specific as possible about the condition of the item. You don’t want to give the buyer the opportunity to return something on the excuse that the description was inaccurate.
• A good photo will save you a thousand words about the object.
• Be clear about who incurs the shipping expense. If you’re selling a large or heavy object, you may not want to be the one to pay to ship it cross country.
• Decide and post a clear return policy. The more transparent your policies, the less wiggle room for the buyer.
• If the buyer suggests an online payment service that you’ve never heard of, check it out with a phone call or a visit to the website before you agree. Don’t accept a payment arrangement that makes you uncomfortable. The standard website to facilitate payments is PayPal.
• Be on the lookout for fraudulent checks or money orders. If there is any question about a check’s authenticity, bring it to your bank and ask a bank officer to have a look before you ship to the buyer. Most sellers stipulate a seven-day waiting period, to make sure the check clears, before shipping an item.
The Internet is sort of a mixed bag when it comes to what is free and what appears to be free and ends up not free at all. Here’s a good example: You want to design an invitation for Bastille Day. You search on a search engine (i.e., Google, Yahoo!, etc.), as described in the previous chapter, hoping to find free clip art that relates to Bastille Day. Holy smokes! More than 165,000 websites come up. I don’t want to disappoint you, but most of the clip art sites in your results aren’t free at all. Sure, you can use some of the (how shall I say this and remain polite?) “less attractive” clip art, but the good stuff? That you’ll have to pay for. It’s a sneaky technique. Based on principle, I don’t buy from a website that touts “free” and then doesn’t live up to it. I find it underhanded and disingenuous.
Here’s the good news… there are websites that offer free advice, free information, and, yes, free stuff for free. One of my all-time favorite websites is freecycle.org. At freecycle.org, you’ll find all kinds of things that people want to dispose of and are willing to give away rather than sell. The whole spirit of the website appeals to me. (Although there is no law governing the use of .org, it is intended to be used only with nonprofit sites. If you type freecycle.com, you will arrive at an entirely different website.)
Even though the site is full of free stuff, become acquainted with their site procedures by clicking About Us or FAQ (frequently asked questions).
• Freecycle.org’s home page.
The Internet offers you not only the opportunity to research where you might want to go on vacation, but what is the best way to get there, where you should stay, and how you should get around while you’re there. What more can you ask?
There are several really good travel websites that you might recognize because the same companies that supply the travel books host them:
fodors.com
frommers.com
lonelyplanet.com
If you don’t find the hotel you desire with the resources cited here, you can either search on google.com or try hotels.com. Most hotels have their own websites with a photo gallery, the location of the hotel on a map, and the capability of making reservations online.
One of the more intimidating transactions to complete online is the reservation and purchase of airline tickets. Almost all airlines have a web storefront where you can purchase airline tickets directly from the carrier. There are also websites that compare airline, hotel, and rental car prices for you. You can make your reservations through these websites and be offered some great discounts. However, be aware that you may be subject to the website’s policies and not the airline, hotel, or rental car company’s policies.
Being able to track down the flight that best meets your travel needs is miraculous. (You could stop the process there and call the airline or your travel agent with the flight information to finalize the purchase. I did that for years before I decided to take the plunge and actually purchase the airline tickets online. But now that most travel agents charge a fee to issue tickets, I almost always buy online.)
Before you take the plunge, it’s best to have a printer—as likely as not you already do—because the common practice on the part of airlines is to e-mail you an e-ticket (electronic ticket), which you print and bring to the airport in lieu of having the airline mail you a ticket. You don’t have to print out your e-ticket—you can pick it up at the airport—but I get nervous without some acknowledgment I can carry in my hand to the check-in desk. There are kiosks in most airports where you can use your credit card to get your boarding pass, or if you have proper identification the representative at the ticket desk will print your boarding pass for you.
There are many travel sites out there, and new ones sprout up all the time. Here are some of the better known discount airline websites:
orbitz.com
expedia.com
flights.com
kayak.com
travelocity.com
When I shop for airfares, I experiment with several sites to compare prices and flight times. Once I decide on the flight, I usually visit the airline carrier’s website to check if they can match the lowest price. Be sure to add up any fees and taxes before you decide which is the better deal.
Take your time filling in the search form. Click on Expand Search Options, Advanced, or More Search Options to specify one-way, round-trip, multiple stops, and so on. When you type your destination, avoid abbreviations unless you know the airport code; otherwise, type the full name of the city, state, and country. The more specific your departure and arrival dates and times, the leaner your results.
• Some travel websites.
The list of available flights can be sorted by price, departure times, and/or length of flight. Pay attention to whether there are stopovers. How long is the stopover? Too tight for the connecting flight or so long that you lose a day of your vacation?
In the event that you need to cancel or change your reservation, the change fees with discount tickets can run over $100. If there is an opportunity to buy travel insurance at the time of purchase, you may want to consider it. Investigate travel insurance when making hotel and car rental reservations as well.
Happy trails!
At some point, the day of reckoning arrives and you have to pay for your purchases. That’s where online banking comes in handy. No more writing checks, licking the yucky envelope, or paying postage. In one fell swoop you can pay all of your bills online in a few minutes. Contact your bank and find out if they offer online banking. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that because online banking saves the bank money, many banks share the savings by not charging a fee to pay bills online. Ask if that’s true at your bank.
If your bank does offer online banking you will be able to go to their website to view your account balance, see any recent transactions, look up past transactions, order checks, transfer from one account to another, and pay both monthly bills and onetime bills. Other than actually getting hard cash in your hands or making deposits to the bank, there isn’t much that can’t be done with online banking.
“I no longer have to spend hours balancing my checkbook at the end of the month. I view my balance online every day and always know the status of my account.”
—Marlena
Whether it is your telephone company or your local florist, the bank can make a payment from your checking account to the payee online. All you need to give to the bank is the mailing address of the payee along with any account number you may have with them. You do not need any bank account information from the person or company that you want to pay online.
• The bill payment window of Bank of America’s website.
Access your bank’s website to register to view your account and pay bills, among other things. Some banks issue an ID and password. Others let you choose it yourself. (I will resist reminding you again about password protocol.) This is one of the rare times that you may be asked to type your Social Security number. The bank uses that number to confirm your identity. Once you have gotten past that stage, you should never be asked for your Social Security number online again. If you are, call the bank directly to be sure it is a legitimate request.
• The registration page of HSBC’s website.
After registration, you will log on to your account with your ID and password.
Follow your bank’s instructions about how to input each payee for bill paying. Double-check everything you type (account name, account number, mailing address, and telephone number) to be sure it is correct. A typo can cause a payment to go astray. Eventually the problem would be corrected, but extra care during account setup will prevent possible difficulties.
I know for some of you there is too much uncertainty with banking online. Will my payments really go through? How can I be sure? What if I make a mistake with a transaction? Do I get a receipt?
• The Sign On window of Citibank’s website.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click in box, type your User ID.
2. Click in box, type Password.
3. Click on Sign On.
Start small. If you want to experiment with banking online, start with a utility bill or two until you get the hang of it. Once you’ve honed your online banking skills, add your credit cards, then your mortgage payment, and before you know it, you won’t be able to remember the last time you wrote a check! Continue to note transactions in your check register, however, to keep on top of your bank balance. When you make an online payment you may be given a transaction number. Note that number in your check register or on the paid bill. It will be your reference number with the bank if something goes wrong with the transaction.
Let me fess up. I still walk into the bank and wait in line for the teller to process my deposits. I can’t explain why I don’t use the ATM machine to make my deposits, but it’s somehow comforting to me to hand my money to a live person. So I completely understand if online banking does not appeal to you. Conduct your bank transactions in whatever manner is comfortable for you.
Consider accessing your credit card statements online. The process to sign on to your credit card accounts online is very similar to that of online banking. You can also pay the credit card company directly, if you don’t mind giving them your checking account number. (I personally prefer doing all my payments from my bank site and not directly on my credit card company’s site because I’m afraid I’ll forget to note the payment in my check register.) You can monitor your credit card spending daily, rather than nearly passing out when the monthly statement arrives. You’ll also have ample time to make up some really good excuses for your overspending before your spouse sees the statement!
Your online shopping experience will probably start out slowly, with small purchases. That is as it should be. Take it at whatever pace works best for you. I hope that I’ve given you some tips on how to make your online shopping less confusing and safer.
However, no one can save you from your own bad shopping habits. Step away from the mouse when considering the 1980s sweater that glows under black lights. It wasn’t a good idea back then, and it certainly isn’t a good idea now. Do you really need another circular saw? Aren’t two enough? Yes, I know it was a great deal, but stand firm. The convenience of the Internet can definitely feed the impulse shopper in all of us. Practice restraint and enjoy your purchases.
Q: What if I buy something online and it arrives broken or I don’t like it?
A: Before you make your purchase, check the website’s return policy. Usually you can return the item in the box it came in for replacement or refund within a certain number of days.
Q: Is it safe to bank online?
A: Banks have done everything they can to ensure that their websites are safe and secure. If they didn’t trust the safety of their site they wouldn’t have you bank online at all. Obviously if there is a breach of security that is due to the site not being designed securely enough, the results of that would be the bank’s responsibility. However, if you have any hesitation about banking online, don’t do it.
Q: If I start paying my bills online can I also still write checks?
A: Yes. There are still certain bills (like my rent) that I prefer to write a check for. You have no obligation to pay any bills online even if you access your account online. It is your decision if you only want to view your account online or actually “use it” online.
Q: What is Groupon?
A: Groupon (derived from “group coupon”) offers daily discounted gift certificates on their website. If enough people sign up for any of the “deals of the day,” they become available to everyone who signed up. If too few people sign up, no one gets the discount. Usually the deals involve paying a fee for a more valuable discount from a specific retailer. For example, you might pay $25 for $50 worth of clothing at Nordstrom.
