Getting ripped off is a big problem in the digital age. Since many services are sold through a website, customers are not given the chance to see the business or the store. Because of this, shady companies can set up a professional website to attract buyers, and use the good first impression to rip them off. If you want to avoid falling for such a trap, here are three ways you can avoid getting ripped off.
Do your research.
A company may appear great from its website, but that can be accomplished by hiring a professional web designer and a good legal consultant. For this reason, you should spend some time looking over the company’s website for any sign of foul play in the fine print. Moreover, you can often find articles or forums posts online that will provide anecdotal evidence on a company’s trustworthiness. Take these with a grain of salt, though; some negative reviews may result from an innocent mistake in the company’s customer support, while positive reviews may have been posted by shills.
Check out alternatives.
Cartels and monopolies, though illegal in a sense, can still occur amongst big corporation, giving them control over the entire industry. By all fixing the same price, big companies can make you believe that the price they offer is the lowest possible price for the service they offer, but that may not always be true. Indeed, smaller businesses may exist behind the scene, and these businesses usually strive on word-of-mouth and a high-quality, fairly-priced service. These alternatives can give you an idea of what you should be paying for a service.
Don’t take what you don’t need.
Some businesses make their real profit off of peripherals and additional expenses. When purchasing a product or service from such a company, you may end up paying far more than you expected for your purchase. This usually happens when the company or its retailer convinces you to buy things you really don’t need! Worst of all is that you often won’t notice you’ve been ripped off, since these extras have been offered to you under the guise of discounts or bundles, making you believe you actually saved money—money you weren’t planning to spend in the first place.
With these three tips, you can avoid wasting money on fraudulent products or services you frankly don’t need. Do you have any questions or comments? Let us know below, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter for regular updates.
