Emily Living
Focus
SARAH SIEGEL
Clarion Co.
Extension
Agent
Secure Online Shopping
The online auction site has a
used saxophone that is just right
for your teenager playing in the
high school jazz band.
You want to order a sweater
from a company that doesn’t
have a store in your area but has
a website? You want a book that
is not available in your local
bookstore but you can get it
from an Internet site? How do
you know if this is really a good
way to shop?
A December 30, 1999 article
in The New York Times re
ported that Internet holiday
sales increased 300 percent from
the year before. Total online
sales for 1999 are estimated to
total nearly $4O billion. You can
see that this type of shopping
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'lf You Can't Find Won't Find It!
RECLINER ' L ' 7
Reg. Ret. PtTTTm 1 f I
m 749-9 . f 1 >fA A™* MOVES’- I
N° rmal| y B»P' I
5M9-** l SfWVH' 3 - *
Closeout C]_44 t Ll4J| Available. 7 ' I
.M 79 04 /
BOOKCASE/ , , '
CHEST | J -W I
Reg. Ret. $299.95 1 ] 1
Our Price $159.95 ,• ' |
Closeout , 'SJ I
$ 89 95 , fiV'i;
if
/SECTIONAL SLEEPER \
Loveseat, i
Center Console,
Side by Side I
k Reclmers, Sola .
I Factory Liquidation w/Hide-a-Bed
[ Reg. Ret. $2,589.95 Special I
| Our Cash Price )QAQSB .
>
4 DRAWER CHEST '
Pine Finish and Brass
Hardware
Reg. Ret. $149.95
OUR CASH PRICE
HM$
WITH COUPON
#2 S 39 04
f BEDROOM SET \
(Bleached Oak) Plus Chest .
Reg Ret With Jewelry Case Top 1
IS- s AJEJ'
Closeout
*B99 9 i
CHEST
Richly embossed cherry
with brsss
Reg. Ret. $499.95 fipK
Our Price $241.95 ■jsSiy
Closeout <
5 129 95
L. * Wsv under wholesaler
\ BEDROOM SET
[ Reg. Retail $1229.95
I Our Price $449.95
[ _ Cash $399.95
I
I'* I ITT Closeout
has become a significant pari of
our retail environment.
How does the consumer pro
tect himself or herself in the ab
sence of face-to-face contact
with the seller?
Know the Seller
There are a number of issues
to consider here. First, what do
you know about the seller? Do
you have prior experience with
the company through in-store
purchases or telephone orders?
Ask your friends about experi
ences they may have had.
The Federal Trade Commis
sion and The American Bar As
sociation suggest that you be
sure the seller has a street ad
dress (not just a post office box)
and a phone number on the web
site. A web address can disap-
SOFA AND LOVESEAT SET
SA/ W y Reg. Ret. $2109.05
Price $809.95
Cash $749.95
Closeout $ 489 M _ „
GLIDER ROCKER
Available In Blue, ‘ f \
Beige, Green t- ? • lu
Rag. Retail $149.95 nS
Cash Price $129.86 JJJui?* tv
With Coupon IS- OM
. 04 mT*
w/Cherry Finished
i Panels and Matte Sllver_
Frame
Reg. Ret. $529.95! |
Our Price $379.95
Closeout
$ 189* 5 K^ii
,'armoire
1 Light Oak Finish
| Southern Hardw>
■ Reg. Ret. $1029..
Our Price SS49iO&
! Closeout
l‘2B9 M
' "lu ■ HOT ITEM! ~ \
I 5 Bedroom In A Boxl.
SS i I I _ I
iSy _Jr, ■ .
=>g ’Sr ! I r~; ,
i s ' --* l l r 1
Reg. Ret. $969.95 1 ' 1 I I
Our Price $499.95 t,| A 4595 i
Closeout 19Sl" ;
THREE PIECE N
END TABLE SET ■
I
Special ** '
> 79 »
DESK '
Reg. Ret.5229.95 ■
Our Price $129.95 |
Closeout I * 1 • I .
*49 88 , U |
Futon Closeout
• In Black & White I
• Comes w/ 8” Futon Mattress ■
Reg. Retail 1
$639.95
Cash Price
$259.95 I
!TMy $ 139 9 S
CLOTHES
ORGANIZER ,
Reg. Ret. $459.95 1 '
Our Price $249.95 ! 1 I
Closeout i ‘
r S PIECE DINETTE SET CLOSEOUT
Solid Oak Table
Reg. Price $889.95
OUR PRICE
$24995
STYLISH SOFA AND
LOVESEAT SET
Closeout
Reg. Ret.52,239.95 sama9s ,
Pur Price $949.95 *049 /
' FIVE PIECE DINETTE
GREEN/OAK
Re^.Ret.
Closeout h9P
$9995 rh
JNDREDS OF OTHER ITEMS!
impland Road. Lancaster 397-6241
3019
We are a four store chain not affiliated with any other stores.'
Stores In; LANCASTER •YORK • CARLISLE, PA • ELKTDN, MD.
STORE HOURS: Mon.-Frl. 9-9 • Sat. 9-6; Sunday 12 to 5 PM
•Noßafunda
*No Exchange For purchaaat with a chaclt, bring FINANCING
#B3BC *NoExchangaa drlvara llcanaa and phooa numbara AVAILABLE
• CaahACarry
V Not mponwWa ta typographical atrora. Wa raaarva t» riflW to aubaMfcita git Hima
pear into cyberspace and leave
you with no alternative way of
contacting the company.
Beware of dealing with compa
nies in other countries. You may
not have the same rights as you
would with a domestic com
pany.
The website, Bizßate.com,
rates e-businesses by asking tens
of thousands of customers about
their experiences. Questions
cover product selection and
quality, delivery experience, and
privacy policies. The Bizßa
te.com service is free to the con
sumer, and retailers do not pay
to be rated. It is a good way to
check out small retailers.
Many online auction sites
have “feedback” areas where
you can find other customers’
experiences with a seller. Gener
ally these “feedback” areas are
reliable. The Federal Trade
Commission has experienced an
increase in complaints about
online auction fraud.
The most common complaint
is non-delivery of items pur
chased. Other scams include
sellers bidding up their own
products and fabricating “feed
back” information. The FTC is
working with auction sites to
improve consumer protection.
I
$9988
Available in Natural
Pay Safely
Before placing an order,
check the security on the seller’s
website. Many websites use
Secure Sockets Layer technol
ogy to encrypt credit card infor
mation. If the web address
begins with “https” rather than
“http,” this technology is in
place. A website is also secure if
it displays a locked padlock, an
unbroken key (Netscape Navi
gator), or the icon of a lock on
the status bar (Microsoft Inter
net Explorer). Buy only from
vendors that protect your finan
cial information. Paying by
credit card is the safest way. Ac
cording to federal law, if you
have an unauthorized charge on
your card, your maximum liabil
ity is $5O.
If you have used a credit card,
you may be able to dispute a
seller’s charge if your order does
not arrive or if you return an
item.
Cathy Bowen, Penn State Co
operative Extension Professor of
Consumer Issues Programming,
suggests having a credit card to
use exclusively for online shop
ping. Should the security of this
card be compromised, your
other cards will still be available
for your use. Having a low credit
limit for this card would further
reduce your exposure in case of
fraudulent use. It is still a hassle
to straighten up a credit card
mess even if your liability is lim
ited to $5O.
Protect Your Privacy
Consumer Reports magazine
advises consumers to check out
the web seller’s privacy policy.
Web sellers are not currently re
quired by law to respect the pri
vacy of people who order from
their sites. The seller may collect
data on the site pages you visit,
the products you buy, when you
buy them and where you ship
them. The seller may then pro
vide this information to other
marketers.
You may then get more junk
mail and junk phone calls. If
you don’t find a satisfactory pri
vacy policy, you might prefer to
take your business elsewhere.
Keep your personal informa-
Wh«re's your mustache? “
TT / —CLOSED SUNDAYS, NEW YEAR,
EASTER MONDAY, ASCENSION DAY,
WHfT MONDAY, OCT. 11, THANKSGIVING,
FH 8 MITVI f CHRISTMAS & DECEMBER 26TH
FISHER’S FURNITURE, INC.
NEW AND USED FURMTURE
USED COAL & WOOD HEATERS
COUNTRY FURMTURE & ANTIQUES
BUS. HRS. BOX 57
MON.-THURS.&6 1129 GEORGETOWN RD.
FW, 96, SAT. 8-12 BAHT, PA 17503
Cut Your Heating Costs With Our
• Standard Model Burns Wood, Coal
or Wood by-products
• Multi-Fuel Model Burns Wood,
Coal, Oil or Gas
Adapis to any existing heat system Installation & Accessories Available
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 11, 2000-B7
tion private. Don’t disclose your
address, phone number, Social
Security number, or e-mail ad
dress unless you know who is
collecting the information, why
they are collecting it, and what
they plan to do with it. Be espe
cially cautious about giving out
your Social Security number.
There is no reason for a retailer
to have this information and you
could be exposing yourself to
identity theft.
If you need to create a pass
word to order online, come up
with a new one just for that site.
Don’t use a password that is the
same as the one tied to your
bank accounts or credit cards.
Make something up; don’t use
something that can be reason
ably guessed at, such as your
birthday or street number. It is
best to have a different pass
word for every online site. Keep
a record of the passwords away
from your computer and in
somewhat cryptic form.
Keep Track of Your Purchases
Online shopping is just like
any other way of shopping; it in
volves real money. Set a budget
and stick to it. The lower limit
credit card suggested above
would have the additional bene
fit of keeping you from over
spending.
Research an item before you
buy. Comparison-shop between
sites. Remember that shipping
and handling are additional
costs of buying online and are
often substantial. Choose the
shipping method that best suits
you. Understand the seller’s pro
cedures for returns and refunds.
Keep printouts of the web
pages indicating the seller’s
name, postal address, and tele
phone number. Also keep prin
touts of the item ordered, any
confirmation messages, and any
other pertinent information.
Online shopping appears to be
here to stay and probably will
become more popular. These
tips may seem like a lot to re
member, but if you choose to
shop online, practice will make
them second nature. You’ll be
saving yourself time and money
while protecting yourself from
fraud.
MILK
Outdoor, Furnace
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