No Customer Service? No Online Sale from Me!

According to the U.S. Census Bureau of Statistics, Americans purchased $199 billion worth of merchandise in 2007, and 44.6%, or $89 billion, was purchased electronically. With the millions of shopping sites available on the World Wide Web today, it is hard to decide which seller to purchase from-especially if the seller is a lesser-known retailer or individual.

I have previously had a bad experience when purchasing a product online. At a time when I was planning for a wedding, I found peach rose petals on a website (which shall remain nameless in this article) that I hadn't heard of previously. In my mind, the site looked legitimate, and the rose petals were a great price. I wanted them badly, so I thought I was okay to order-BIG MISTAKE. I never received those rose petals, and I never received a refund for the amount that I paid.

As an avid online shopper, I was determined not to let that one negative experience keep me from finding great deals online. After all, shopping online allows me to find many more products that I would if I just relied on shopping in actual, tangible stores. However, I have a new rule of thumb when shopping online-if I am not familiar with the retailer, I will call them first.

I do this for two reasons. First, I want to determine if and how quickly I will be answered when I call to inquire about the product. I figure that first impressions are lasting ones, and if they answer the first time, I will more than likely have my call answered if I have a question or issue with the product. Second, I want to get a feel of the business' "attitude" as well as their knowledge of the product.

If I call a business outside of the normal "business hours" before making my online order, I would expect to hear some type of answering service-whether it is a real human being or a recording telling me what the business' hours are and to call back then. If I get no answer or if my call is mysteriously disconnected after a period of ringing, I assume that the business is not legitimate and never call back. After all, there are thousands of other sellers waiting for me to purchase from them. However, if I get a good feeling about the business when I call, I will more than likely go ahead and place my order.

The bottom line is this: before I put my credit card information on the Internet to place an order with a business or individual, please believe that I will call them first. That may not guarantee that my sale and product delivery will be flawless, but it at least makes me feel a little more confident that I'll get what I ordered.