It didn't take long for Savvy Shopper to find
cybershoppers who were ripped off, or whose
orders were so screwed up, they had given up
on getting their money back.

Here are some basic precautions:

*Buy from a well-known, reputable retailer.

*Read a merchant's security policy that explains
how credit-card numbers are scrambled when
sent via the Internet.

*Understand the refund policy, shipping and
handling charges, and policy on damaged
goods.

*Don't divulge your password, Social Security
number, birth date, address or telephone
number.

*Get a telephone number and address in case
there is a problem.

*Print out order forms.

*Shop with a merchant that received a Better
Business Bureau seal.

*To file a complaint on an Internet rip-off, click
onto
www.bbb.org/complaints/consumerform.html.

"You need to be careful because there is a
risk," said Susan Grant, director of the National
Consumer League, which receives an average
of 600 fraud complaints a month.

"We have consumers who never got their
money back, or didn't receive the merchandise
they were promised," said Grant, who
encourages shoppers not to use credit cards
on the Internet.

That's what happened to Savvy's friend who
ordered three wristwatches from Telebrand.
She ordered one for her husband and two for a
friend.

She received only one watch, and her friend
was mailed an empty box with a warranty.

Savvy called Telebrand. After 15 minutes on
hold, Eileen, a pleasant woman, said she would
credit my friend's account for $10 because the
watch she received was not the deluxe ordered.

The whereabouts of the two other watches
remained a mystery after a half-hour
conversation.

"I think we sent out a deluxe watch during the
second or third week of November," Eileen
said. "We sent it third class. It will take at least
25 working days," she said trying to be
encouraging.

What about the Titanic watch? Savvy asked.

"I think we canceled it because we ran out,"
Eileen said. "You better check to see if you
were charged."

Well, thanks Eileen. Savvy's head is fogged,
and she just wants to get off the telephone.

The clincher to the Telebrand order is that
Savvy's friend was lured into buying two
watches when Telebrands' promotion promised
to waive shipping and handling charges.

"It looks like the person that took the order
misunderstood," said Eileen, making no offers
to refund my friend's money for shipping and
handling.

"Believe me, I'm not shopping on it anymore,"
said Deborah Finck of Connecticut, who kept
the empty watch box. "I've had it."

When the stakes are bigger - like $1,500 - the
hassle turns into a battle. Listen to Bill Walter of
Michigan.

A collector of Beanie Babies, Walter bought a
Nana doll on eBay, an auction Web site. The
doll turned out to be a fake.

"I was very upset," Walter told Savvy. "I paid
$1,500 for something that was worth $5." He
wrote a threatening letter to the seller after he
found other people who were ripped off.

The seller relented and Walter got his money
back. But not all Beanie Baby victims were
lucky.

"I'm still fighting," said Christina Platthy of Ohio,
who claims she was ripped off for $1,800.
Platthy says she knows she will never get her
money back.

"He's still doing it," she said. "I want to expose
this guy. The best advice I can give is be smart
and follow your gut and be extremely careful."

-- Maria Alvarez - 12/17/98