Dress Shopping

Weddings, reunions and other events often mean you need a new outfit, even if your budget is tight. Heaven forbid you should wear the same dress to multiple weddings for close friends or relatives.

You may be tempted to click on the next ad that pops up on your email or Facebook, promising to deliver designer fashions at deep discounts. Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises consumers to check fashion sites and stores out carefully before clicking the order button or entering your credit card.

Finding the dress of your dreams could turn into a nightmare if the item doesn’t meet your expectations or doesn’t arrive on time. Consumers often complain to BBB about sites that didn’t deliver the right size or the outfit arrived too late for events. Some so-called designer items turned out to be poorly made knock-offs.

BBB offers BBB Business Reviews on 5.3 million businesses in North America, including online retailers. But many websites aren’t based in the United States, so you’ll need to do an online search to see if others have reported problems.

Other tips for safe online shopping include:

• Check website addresses. If you believe you’re dealing with a well-known merchant, be sure the website is authentic. Type the company name in your browser and avoid email links and pop-up ads, which may actually be a conduit for malware and/or take you to a fraudulent, copycat website.

• Dig for hidden costs. Read guarantee, return and refund policies. Look for applicable shipping and handling fees. If you aren’t happy with your purchase, will you receive a refund or merchant credit? Do you pay for return shipping?

• Check delivery promises. Does the site clearly state its typical delivery times? What happens if the purchase doesn’t arrive on time for your event? The Federal Trade Commission requires merchants to ship within 30 days unless the seller states otherwise at the time of order. Buyers are entitled to a full refund if the seller is unable to ship within the stated timeframe, or 30 days if no timeframe is given.

• Check location. If you knowingly buy from a company overseas, U.S. laws and protections will be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce. A seller should provide you with a physical address and telephone number, not just a website or email address.

• Stick with a safe payment method. Never pay by wire transfer or prepaid money cards. Credit cards still offer the most protection, such as zero liability and longer periods to challenge charges. Debit cards don’t offer these, and using them online also could put your banking information at risk for fraud.

• Secure payment. Before you enter your credit card number, look at the address bar on the payment page to see if it starts with “https” or if there’s a padlock icon on the page.

• Read privacy policies. Does the store sell your information to other vendors? How is your information kept secure?

If you can’t resolve a problem with a retailer, contact BBB at bbb.org or call 573-886-8965.