Black Friday is upon us once again. This year it will be harder than ever to find real bargains. Researching last year’s Black Friday deals, Which? found that most products were cheaper or the same price at other times of the year It found that 98% of deals were cheaper or the same price at other times of the year.
Added to that, the continuing increase in fraud makes it even more important to keep on top of the fraudsters. So, how best to keep safe shopping bargains this weekend?
Follow these Dos and Don’ts tips for keeping safe and not being ripped off.
Do
1) Use a credit card for any purchase over £100. This will provide you with Section 75 cover, meaning that your credit card provider is jointly liable to refund you for any evidenced fraud. It is, however, worth still informing them regarding fraud, as it is possible that they will refund you but not through a Section 75 claim. If you have used a Debit Card you may be able to apply a Chargeback via your bank and get the money refunded. There is no minimum amount for this. A guide to credit and debit cards and the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
2) Search the retailer’s return address and verify its company number on Companies House. Check for a choice of contact methods and that they have a genuine postal address and real landline telephone number.
3) Keep asking yourself if it is too good to be true. If it is, then it’s probably not genuine. Lloyds Bank research released this week revealed that 27% of respondents admit to making a purchase which made them think ‘this is too good to be true’. Of those, about 31% went on to be scammed.
@thecomplainingcow How to stay safe and not be tricked into a scam on Black Friday weekend #Scams #Scammers #BlackFridayScam #MoneyTipsAndTricks #ShoppingOnline
4) Check the reviews
- Only really take on board reviews where there are at least 10 entries so you can discount the top and bottom.
- If someone is saying that an item has this great part and that superb element but the majority of the reviews say otherwise, be dubious!
- Likewise, if someone says they find a product useless or similar and the majority of other reviews are positive, it’s likely to be fake. Not necessarily a paid for review, but a competitor or a troll, many of them exist on the Internet!
- Check out the reviewer. Click on the reviewer and their other reviews, see if there are any similar patterns. Are they all the same score? If the reviewer has all their reviews hidden that is unusual. If they are leaving bad reviews it could well be a troll or a competitor. Look at dates.
- Lots in a short amount of time, particularly at point of launch or after lots of low scores.
- Someone who undertakes honest reviews for companies such as bloggers will state that they were given the item for free.
5) If an item is currently hard to find, such as the Nintendo Switch or Sony Playstation 5, and you see it for sale from an unknown retailer and at a good price, it’s probably a scam.
6) Use price-tracking tools. Camel Camel Camel, for example, tracks prices on Amazon and will tell you when the item was at its cheapest and show when the price changed and by how much.
7) Sign up to Which? scam alert to keep informed about the latest scams.
Don’t
1) Think it’s just electronic items that are the most likely to be fake deals. Over the last Black Friday period, clothing scams were up by 646%.
2) Believe that the site is secure because it has a padlock symbol. It’s easy for criminals to build a convincing site, or clone an existing shopping site. This just means the site has an “SSL certificate” to protect your communication with it and not that it’s genuine in any other way.
3) Trust the emails, texts or online adverts that you receive or see. They may not take you to genuine sites or real offers. Don’t click on any links and go to the site directly to see if the offer is genuine. Search for it by name, and follow the search results. But a site high in search results doesn’t mean it is real. This also goes for emails containing false information about non-existent orders or emails and texts saying you owe postage or need to update payment details. Don’t!
4) Think that the social media platforms are safe either! Fake adverts and fake profiles can lure you in with offers and then send you to sites where you will be scammed and you won’t get the product(s).
5) Don’t be rushed into making a purchase. Scammers will try and use pressure selling techniques such as creating false urgency to buy an item, making you feel that you owe the salesperson something or use unrealistic claims and promises.
If you have been scammed
Report the matter to Report Fraud. It won’t investigate the case but reports taken are passed to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau who are responsible for assessment of the reports and to ensure that your fraud reports reach the right place. The information is analysed by law enforcement and private sector specialists to detect patterns of activity and behaviour for investigation.
There may still be bargains to be had but do your due diligence to ensure you find them!
Further information about scams
How to shop safely online guest post by James Bores.
@thecomplainingcow How to make sure you get a black Friday bargain #BlackFridayBargains #MoneyTipsAndTricks #BlackFridayShopping #blackfridaydealstiktok#MoneySavingTips
How to complain about Black Friday purchases if something goes wrong
And of course if there is anything wrong with your purchases you might need the books!
For more advice, tips, information and template letters covering holidays and more: GET THE BOOK! How To Complain: The ESSENTIAL Consumer Guide to Getting REFUNDS, Redress and RESULTS!
Want to get better at complaining? See 101 Habits of an Effective Complainer
Save yourself time and effort finding the laws and wording a letter of complaint. Purchase and download a template, fill in your details and get that redress.
Saving money at Christmas
Saving money and your rights at Christmas various posts about ways to save money at Christmas.
456 Ways to Save Money on Christmas Throughout the Year Save on food, presents, cards, activities, decorations, holidaying, festivities and entertainment without cutting back on the fun and enjoyment.
and via Amazon UK. (AL).
