POLL: How Did You Make Out on ‘Cyber Monday’

Millions of people logged onto their favorite shopping websites Monday looking for deals on holiday gifts on “Cyber Monday,” a follow up to Black Friday.

Several companies sent emails to past customers alerting them to sales on popular items online.

Even though Cyber Monday allows people to shop from the confines of their home, there are still risks to shoppers.

Here are some tips from the Better Business Bureau and Fairfax County Police for those doing holiday shopping online:

• If you don’t feel comfortable buying or bidding on an item over the web, or if you feel pressured to place your order immediately, maybe you shouldn’t.
• Only buy gift cards from reputable retailers, not through online auction sites. Gift cards sold through online auction sites may be counterfeit or have been obtained illegally.

• Take special care to familiarize yourself not only with the rules and policies of the auction site itself but with the legal terms of the seller’s items that you wish to bid on.
• Be careful when clicking on a link in an email that sounds like a great deal. By clicking on that link, you could be taken to a compromised Website that downloads malware onto your computer.
• Be sure to check the prices of the items you are shopping for, whether the product is being sold as new or used and you should be suspicious of prices that are too good to be true.
• Read the privacy policy carefully to find out what information the seller is gathering from you, how the information will be used, and how you can stop the process. If a site does not have a privacy policy posted, you may not want to do business with that site.
• Review the return, refund, and shipping and handling policies as well as the other legal terms. If you can’t find them, ask the seller through an e-mail or telephone call to indicate where they are on the site or to provide them to you in writing.
• Make sure the computer you are using has a strong internet connection. Before you give your payment information, there are various icons and software programs that indicate that security software is in place.
• Pay for your order using a credit card.
• Print out and date a copy of terms, conditions, warranties, item description, company information, even confirming e-mails, and save them with your records of your purchase.
• If you’re concerned about the safety of your package if there’s no one home to receive it, ask whether you can specify that the shipper must receive a signature before leaving the package. Or, it may be safer to have the package delivered to your office.
• Inspect your product and look at your purchase carefully as soon as you receive it. Contact the seller as soon as possible if you discover a problem with it. Tell the seller in writing about any problem that you are concerned with, ask for a repair or refund, and keep a copy of your correspondence.