- U.S. shoppers face online order no-shows; $300 billion is expected to be spent this holiday season.
- Federal law mandates retailers ship orders within 30 days or offer refunds.
- Research retailers thoroughly; use credit cards for protection against scams and non-deliveries.
DRAPER — Shoppers in the U.S. are expected to spend over $300 billion dollars online this holiday season. You can bet some of those purchases will never show up. So, what happens when your online orders never turn up?
"It's about a $2,400 purchase, and initial delivery was like a few months out," Robbie Gerber said of a gift he bought himself that never turned up.
Gerber had ordered a SoundBed from Opus Immersive. It's a portable bed that promises to provide relaxation through sound and vibration. Not that he's ever had a chance to try it, because he said all he's ever received from Opus are bumped delivery times. He bought it two years ago and still has no product or a refund.
"I don't have any confidence they're going to do right by the refund," Gerber said.
The KSL-TV Investigators reached out to Opus on his behalf, but we did not hear back.
This is an issue which we have reported many times before and very likely will report many more times in the future. People make an online order, and it never shows up or is vastly different than what was advertised.
The problem is so widespread that the Better Business Bureau stated online purchase scams were its most reported scam type last year.
So, is Gerber just simply out that $2,400 he paid? Federal law said he shouldn't be.
The mail order rule
Under what's called the Mail Internet Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, retailers must ship as advertised. If they don't specify a delivery date, then they have 30 days to send your order to you.
"It never came, (they) followed up about four times on the delivery with a response that they were having fulfillment issues," Gerber said of the shifting promised delivery timelines.
The thing is, you don't have to accept a delay. If the seller can't meet the agreed deadline, the rules state it can provide a new shipping date, but it must give you the option of canceling the order for a full refund that you should expect to receive within seven working days.
Gerber said he wasn't offered that option of cancellation.
"I just kind of feel like I don't have any options anymore," he said.
Researching a retailer
Of course, the rules only protect you so much. Some companies go out of business. Others are straight up frauds. Your best bet is not to get ripped off in the first place. So how do you do that? Research.
"When you're dealing with things online, you want to make sure the site you're on is legitimate," said Frank Cullen, executive director at the Council for Innovation Promotion.
Start by checking out the company's contact info. Is there a physical address? A phone number? Is there a contact using the company's domain as opposed to something like a Google email address? Most trustworthy companies will have those items on their website.
Look through the website's warranty and return policies. Do they even exist online? Are they clearly written with detailed information about delivery times, refunds and privacy policies? Does the website have a consistent, professional look, or does it look just thrown together?
Dig into the company's social media. Be wary if there's poor or very little content, hardly any engagement with followers or if it's stacked with poor quality or recycled images you've seen elsewhere.
Don't forget to read reviews about the business. Search its name or product online with keywords like "legit," "scam," "complaint" or "review" to see what others have experienced. For us, that turned up complaint after complaint after complaint posted by frustrated Opus customers on various forums claiming their SoundBed never showed up.
"So, everyone should make sure that they're really checking out the people they're doing business with," Cullen advised.
It's also worth noting methods of payment for an online order.
The website where Gerber bought his bed is still active and apparently still taking money for orders. And though it initially indicates various forms of payments, when you check out there only appears to be two options: PayPal or Venmo.
That can be a red flag for an online order. Most payment apps offer very little consumer protection for purchases. It could be just like handing over cash.
Credit cards are the best form of payment. If your order doesn't show up, you have 60 days to dispute the charge.
If you get ripped off on your online order, it helps to let people know. Report it to the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau. Regulators will tell you, the more complaints they get against a business, the more ammo they have to pursue them.
