Check the care you should take when shopping online.

6 precautions to be aware of when shopping online

With the ease of being able to buy digitally, more and more Portuguese people avoid going to stores or supermarkets.  

Therefore, DECO PROteste warned, to Notícias ao Minuto, about six main precautions that we should pay attention to when buying online.

The consumer defense association DECO Proteste explains that "online stores are part of the so-called distance selling" and, as such, "must disclose in a clear and simple way the terms and conditions of sale, with all information on the use of personal data and the right of access, rectification, and deletion of the same."  

If you are making a purchase for the first time on a website that you are not familiar with, look for references from previous buyers by checking user comments. This way you can "get information about delivery time, refund in case of return, etc". "If the comments indicate a bad reputation, be suspicious: you risk losing the money from the purchase," warns DECO PROteste.

In the same line, you should therefore opt for well-known stores, avoiding buying from stores without a physical address or only with a PO box, as "the complete address is essential to locate the seller in case of problems". 

You should also suspect if the price is too good: "It doesn't always mean a good purchase".

Another shared alert is to read "carefully the terms and conditions of the online store". "For example, it may accept that the return be made within 30 days (the legal deadline is 14 days, but a longer deadline may be set), in a physical store, at a collection point or only by mail", reads the example from DECO in Notícias ao Minuto.  

Finally, the organization recommends that you create an email just for online purchases , where you can "receive information regarding promotions or specific information about your order, namely returns or refunds" and avoiding your main account from receiving all the respective spam from purchases.

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