Hidden is right, on some sites. They hate to tell you how much shipping is
going to be until you have filled out the whole order form. Then they surprise you with
those charges. Similarly, unfriendly sites assume you know how to order online, how to
find products, how to get customer support if you have a problem. So they just don’t
tell you. To get answers from these sites, you have to be psychic.
Even good sites vary in the way they give you information about using the site. Look
for any of the following buttons to take you to instructions:
• FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
• Help
• How to Order
• Customer Service
• Customer Support
• Order Information
• Shipping
Also, scrounge around the About Us or Contact Us to find out what number to call to
talk to a live human being. Best hours to call are outside of business hours.
Most sites include an email address somewhere, like at the bottom of every page or
inside the Contact Us area.
The best sites offer specific email addresses for different issues, such as billing,
cancellations, international questions, order status, product questions, returns, and
Webmaster. You just click a button, and your browser calls up your email software, ready
to send a message to the right address.
Remember that many sites get more than a thousand emails a day. You are not alone. The
person reading your message does not know your order number, your preferences, your
suffering.
So put every key detail into the email, so the staff person at the other end can look
up your order and find out what went wrong.
At a minimum, put in
• Your full name
• Your full address
• Your order number
• The products you tried to purchase
• The date on which you ordered,
• Any confirmation number that they came back with.
Do not put your credit card number into the email, because email is
not as secure as the computer on which you originally placed your order.
