Shopping

What is AOL Shopping?
Shopping Tips
Search Tips

What is AOL Shopping?
AOL Shopping is a one-stop shopping channel brought to you by AOL. AOL's aim is to offer members a range of shops who provide a wide variety of products and great-value deals. Order your purchases from the comfort of your home and have them delivered straight to your door (or get gifts delivered direct to a friend or relative).

Shopping Tips

Before You Buy

Below are some guidelines on how to shop safely on the Web:

1. Do your homework
Take the time to find your product and do research into the products and the online stores before you buy.

2. Compare products
Once you have narrowed your choices to a few products, compare them to find the right one for you. Consumer reviews can uncover the pros and cons of similar products.

3. Calculate total price
When you compare prices, don't forget to add any applicable tax and delivery/postage and packing charges to the basic price. Some online stores occasionally offer free delivery promotions.

4. Look beyond price
Unfortunately, stores with the lowest prices do not always provide the highest level of customer service.

5. Order ahead of time
Give yourself as much time as you can, and check estimated delivery times, especially around events such as Christmas and Valentine's Day. You can often speed up the delivery of your order, but you will usually have to pay extra for this.

6. Check return policies
Before you buy, check the particular store's return policy. Return policies can vary widely, though some online stores offer 30-day money-back guarantees.

7. Pay by credit card
Paying by credit card can help protect you from online fraud as many credit cards offer complete purchase protection. This can also help if your goods fail to arrive, or are damaged or faulty (although this may depend on your individual card provider's terms and conditions). Paying by debit cards may not offer you the same protection.

8. Keep your receipt(s)
Print and save all your online receipts and keep any other documents you receive (whether by post or with the delivery) offline in case you need to track your deliveries or return the item.

9. If you experience a problem, take action immediately:
o Contact your credit card issuer or bank immediately. o Notify the online store where you purchased the goods as soon as you become aware of the issue. o If the store does not resolve the problem quickly and to your satisfaction, there are a number of organisations you can consult to try and obtain help. Try the following organisations for advice on matters such as making complaints, your rights as a consumer and guidance on online shopping: - Trading Standards - Citizen's Advice Bureau - The Office of Fair Trading

Safety Tips

AOL cannot vouch for the safety of every shopping website that members may want to purchase from.

Online fraud is relatively rare, however, you should always take reasonable steps to shop as safely as possible and to protect yourself from things going wrong.

To protect yourself from credit card fraud, be careful about giving your bank or credit card information or password to anyone contacting you via email, Instant Message, or telephone - these requests may be fraudulent. Unless you are sure about where the request has come from, you should not give out any personal information.

Always shop on websites which use secure transaction methods. You will know you are on a secure site by a padlock icon appearing in the bottom corner of the web page - this should appear on all pages of the site which require you to enter confidential information such as your payment details.

Step-By-Step Guide to Shopping Online

These steps are meant as a general guide only. Do bear in mind that all shopping sites operate slightly differently.

1. Find your product
Select the appropriate category (e.g., books) and either click on a featured product or search for a particular product you are looking for.

2. Add selected item to the shopping basket
Once you have found the product you are looking for, you should be prompted to add it to your 'shopping basket', which is also referred to as 'shopping trolley' or 'shopping cart'. If you are not presented with one of these options, don't worry, there will normally be another option such as 'buy now' for you to click on. You can then continue to shop, adding as many items as you wish to your shopping basket. You will usually have the option to remove these items later if you change your mind.

3. Proceed to checkout
When you have added all the items you wish to buy to your shopping basket, you should proceed to the checkout. You will be presented with a list of all the items you have added to your shopping basket, and you should have the opportunity at this point to remove any items you no longer require. You will also see the total amount payable including any delivery charges. You will now be prompted to pay for your items. You may be required to register with the site before being able to proceed.

4. Paying for your purchase(s)
You should now enter a secure area (look for the padlock icon as suggested above) where all your payment and delivery details are fully protected. Enter your card details and the address to which you would like the items delivered. At this point you may have the opportunity to have your purchase gift-wrapped and add a personal message.

5. Order confirmation
Your order is now complete. Most shops will email you with confirmation that they have received your order. Your order should be delivered to you within the time stated. It's a good idea to keep this email and print a copy of the details for reference.

Customer Service and Delivery Details

-- Order Status

If you're curious about the status of your order, you should contact the online shop where you placed your order directly. Most shops will send you a confirmation email within one business day of receiving your order, so you may need to check your mailbox for delivery details.

-- Returns

If you want to return an item, visit the customer service area of the shop where you placed your order for instructions. Provide them with as much information as possible. If the shop's response fails to comply with their stated customer service policies and you fail to reach a satisfactory outcome, please contact the Office of Fair Trading, Citizen's Advice Bureau or Trading Standards.

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Shop Search Tips

Are you having trouble finding the product you are looking to buy? Below are a few tips that should help you get the best results from our shopping search engine:

1. Be general
The shopping search engine is designed to help you locate what you want, even without a specific search term. Your best bet is to enter a fairly general term and/or just the most important words (e.g., 'digital camera' or 'Sony') and then click the specific links in the initial results. Entering overly specific search terms (e.g., 'Sony Mavica M100 digital camera with extra memory cards and carrying strap') may not generate the best results.

2. Check spelling
Typos or spelling mistakes are the most common reason for unsatisfactory search results. If you're not sure how to spell a product or brand name (e.g., 'satellite receiver' or 'Minolta'), try a more general term (e.g., 'digital' or 'TV') and use the product or brand links in your initial results to select the correct match.

3. Search all of the categories
To ensure that you get as many relevant results as possible from your search, you should select 'All Categories' from the drop-down menu below the search box. Even if you think you know which category a product would be found in, it's often best to search the whole site and narrow down to the right category with the links in your initial results.

4. Don't use 'and' or 'or'
The shopping search engine does not recognise 'and' or 'or' as search terms. If you want to combine multiple terms into a single search, just type all of the words into the search box (e.g., use 'TV VCR' instead of 'TV and VCR').

5. Don't use punctuation or symbols
Avoid using anything other than words in your search terms. Punctuation and symbols (e.g., ?, !, &, @ or $) may not generate the right results. For a brand or product that has punctuation or a symbol in its name, just use the words (e.g., use 'Dolce Gabbana' instead of 'Dolce & Gabbana'). Also, don't put quotation marks in your search terms, as the shopping search engine will not recognise them.

6. Don't use abbreviations or nicknames
Because our shopping search engine only recognises the manufacturer-designated name for a product, do not use abbreviations, nicknames or slang words to search for an item (e.g., use 'digital camera' instead of 'dig cam').

7. Don't run words together
If you are searching for a product with a multiple-word name, make sure to include a space between each word (e.g., use 'digital camera' instead of 'digitalcamera').

8. Don't enter URLs/Web addresses
Avoid using Web addresses (e.g., 'www.sony.com') as search terms. Only use product-based keywords, such as the brand or product name (e.g., 'Sony' or 'digital camera').