World Consumer Day is celebrated every year on 15 March and is an opportunity to raise awareness of consumers' rights and needs.
We, at Papaki, wanted to celebrate it with a useful article! Below you will find useful tips and information that is important to keep in mind as a consumer.
Shall we go?
What to look out for before you buy
Suppose you go into an eShop. ΓTo proceed with an order, you must have available all the information you need to place an order. necessary information you need about:
- the identity of the supplier, the his/her address and contact details,
- the main characteristics of the product
- the price includingincluding all taxes and charges,
- the method of payment, delivery and execution of the order,
- transport costs,
- the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy.
By placing an order, you are actually placing an order distance contract with the supplier. In order for this contract to be valid, the supplier must therefore provide the above basic information to consumers. Before ordering online, don't forget to search the shop on the internet first and read the reviews, as they can be very helpful.
Did you receive a message from your bank?
When you make a purchase online, it's a good idea to ask your bank to inform you by message or email about the approval of transactions and any activity on your account. Usually, with any new bank account this is set up automatically so that your transactions are secure. If you also have the bank's app installed on your mobile phone, then you can have better control.
However, despite the protection measures, attempts to intercept data, the so-called phishing, is a common phenomenon. It is an attack that attempts to steal your money or your identity. Through an email or a message supposedly sent by the bank, it asks you to disclose personal details e.g. passwords, card number etc.
Your bank will never ask you to reveal any passwords. Check the sender carefully, avoid clicking on any links and contact the bank directly.
You ordered it, but you don't want it...
Many of us have happened to make a purchase online and finally decide that we don't want the product. Did you know that you have right of withdrawal;
This is the right of any consumer shopping online to return the product purchased in its original condition, without justification, within 14 calendar days. The online shop must refund the full amount and the shipping costs. Relevant information should also be mentioned in the terms of use the e-business. The right of withdrawal is not absolute and is subject to certain exceptions. More information can be found here.
How much do you pay?
Imagine that you enter an eShop and accept cookies. Now consider that cookies together with your IP are used to identify you and form a profiles for you. This profile includes information such as your gender, age, location, marital status, consumption habits and preferences.
Profiling
So, the data analysis algorithms classify you into categories and present you with a final price you would be willing to pay for the item you have searched for (profiling). This price may differ between users or categories of users, who often do not know that this distinction is being made, nor what price they would pay if their personal data were not available.
So, before you make a purchase, it would be advisable to check the final cost from different devices, different browsers or even with anonymous browsing and in different language/version of the site. Try it and the results will probably surprise you!
Cookies
In addition, you can change the cookie settings at any time by clicking on the button that appears at the bottom left of your screen. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but they do provide controls that allow you to block or delete cookies. You have the option to block or delete cookies. the ability to enable or disable their installation on your device by changing the settings in the browser you use at any time.
You can also set your browser to notify you before a cookie is installed on your device or follow the browser's instructions to delete any cookies already installed by using the appropriate link below. If you use multiple devices, you should set the browser according to your preferences on each of your devices.
To manage cookies, choose your browser and see the instructions:
Microsoft Windows Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Opera
While, for mobile devices, choose: Android, Safari, Windows Phone, Blackberry
If you are using a different browser, you can find the instructions for setting cookies in the support section of your browser. To learn more about cookies, follow the links:
Where you can contact
If you become aware of any instance of misrepresentation or unfair practice, such as above, you have the right to apply to Consumer Ombudsman which is competent to take action in the event of a complaint.
At Papaki, honoring the trust relationship with our customers, we take care to clearly state all the necessary details of our company and the terms of use of our products and services.
