Internet Shopping

2007-10-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

Shopping on the Internet is different than shopping at your local mall.
The Internet Sales Contract Regulation applies to residents of Alberta or
to people purchasing goods or services from Alberta businesses that sell
online. Only goods or services that are bought or sold for personal, family
or household use and have a value of more than $50 are affected by this
regulation.
Some types of businesses are exempt from the regulation. For example, the
regulation does not apply to businesses selling cut fl owers or food products
that are perishable at the time of delivery to the consumer.
Also, the regulation does not apply if you are buying from a private
individual rather than a business
SHOP SAFELY ONLINE
Protect your privacy
Protect your personal information when you shop on
the Internet. Businesses may ask for your date of birth,
your mother’s maiden name or your Social Insurance
Number to help them identify who they are dealing
with. Be careful what you share about yourself. The
more information others have about you, the greater
your exposure to security risks.
Find out if the company has a privacy policy that
sets out how it will use the personal information you
provide. Check to see if the policy allows you to decline
or opt out of sharing personal information such as
email addresses. Some businesses use this information
to develop market profi les or to sell their mailing lists
to others.
some Internet shopping tips from Industry Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs:
Know the merchant you are dealing with.
Look for detailed product information.
Read the contract's terms and conditions and print or save them.
Check for quality assurance certificates or seals.
Verify that the merchant has a fair and clear complaint-handling process.
Make sure that you're comfortable with the merchant's purchasing process and that you know how to cancel your order.
Make sure the merchant has a secure transaction system to protect your financial information.
Review the merchant's policy for protecting personal information.
Watch out for mass e-mails, scams etc.
For more information on Internet shopping scams, and how to be a clever consumer, . This is an award-winning Web site developed by the Office of Consumer Affairs of Industry Canada. It provides rapid access to consumer information, powerful tools to cut research time, and many useful links to consumer and other organizations. Canadians can access Consumer Connection from home, the public library, community access points or from Government of Canada, provincial and territorial service outlets.