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RATEPOINT ANNOUNCES CRITICAL CONSUMER TIPS FOR LAST MINUTE ONLINE SHOPPING

RatePoint's Web and Trust Experts Provide Insight for Consumers Shopping Online During the Last Full Week of the Holiday Shopping Season

Needham, MA -- December 17, 2007 -- RatePoint, Inc., the leader in providing businesses with the only comprehensive online reputation management and customer feedback platform available, today announced its top 'Critical Consumer Tips' for last minute online shopping. In the wake of the holiday shopping season, where consumers have a tendency to fall victim to identity theft or even scams due to the pressure of shopping for holiday gifts, RatePoint offers its 'Critical Consumer Tips.'

This week could easily rival the past few weeks of ecommerce spending -- as online shoppers flock to the Web to make last minute purchases in time for Christmas.  RatePoint's CEO and co-founder Neal Creighton, an information security, identity verification and web authentication expert, states that the number one thing consumers should consider this holiday season is making sure that they are doing business with a trusted, quality business. 

"It's not just holiday shoppers surfing the web for bargains -- it's consumers looking to either rush through their last minute online holiday shopping, or trying to beat the rush and submit orders to receive deliveries on time -- those are the shoppers who risk being scammed or not getting what they've paid for," says Creighton.  "It's critical for consumers to take their time before they make an online purchase -- and look at both the security of the website and the reputation of that business before buying online.  Just a little bit of research can save a consumer numerous headaches, and possibly even prevent them from being scammed during this critical week of shopping."

RatePoint offers these tips for last minute online holiday shoppers to find trusted, reputable businesses:

1. Ensure the ecommerce sites you are using are secure.  For example, a website that displays a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate from a trusted authority like VeriSign or GeoTrust, or a trust seal such as ControlScan, Trustwave or HACKER SAFE, ensure that a business is indeed safe to do business with. It's not just the seal or the logo that represents this level of trust, it's the authentication or validation technology behind it that's helping your transaction remain secure. Just because a site says its safe, doesn't mean it really is safe: there are only a handful of companies who can truly secure your online transaction, or verify that a website actually employs safe practices.  Again, it's not necessarily the logo or site seal that means something, it's the technology behind that brand that's working to secure your personal information during your purchase.  Make sure you take the time to actually click on the seal or the lock icon (in the case of SSL) to verify that it is real and authentic, and is issued to the company you're doing business with.
   
   

2. Consider what's being said about a business online.  Look for online reviews and feedback of the business you are considering doing transactions with.  Consumers today share experiences and opinions about businesses across the Web, and more than 8 out of 10 consumers (82%) of those who read reviews said that their purchasing decisions have been directly influenced by those reviews (Deloitte & Touche). Consumer-generated reviews, especially if it's authenticated (i.e. via e-mail or other authentication techniques) and validated by a third-party, are a powerful tool and can provide valuable insight into a merchant or product that you may not see otherwise.   Look for online consumer reviews and ratings about brick-and-mortar businesses if you're shopping offline as well. 

 

3. Don't just shop by price alone, or rely solely on pricing comparison sites.  Early on in the holiday season, online shoppers often have the time to perform "due diligence" in shopping by price and trying to find the best deal on a particular product, or actually researching the business on a pricing comparison site.  While helpful to the price-conscious consumer, pricing comparison sites often don't provide the much-needed background on the company you are considering buying from. Be wary of a price that's advertised significantly lower than on other sites, as it could be too good to be true -- meaning the actual site you're purchasing from might not be a secure and trusted business. Before you purchase from a shopping comparison site, it's wise to double check the actual price and availability directly on the merchant's site, or better yet, purchase directly from that site.
   
   
4. Make sure the business has clear contact information, return or refund policies and a way to resolve any disputes or complaints that may arise. There's nothing worse than being promised a gift to arrive by a certain date and then not getting it in time; or just simply not getting the product you've ordered. You can determine the quality of a business by the way they handle any customer complaints or disputes.  A reputable business should clearly display contact information including a physical address and phone number, have strong return and refund policies, and a mechanism to collect feedback and resolve any disputes that may arise.  Additionally, you could choose to do business with merchants that guarantee your purchase with a bond from a trusted third-party such as buySAFE.
   
   

5. Use common sense.  The convenience of shopping online, especially close to the holidays, is tremendous.  You should take many things into consideration so that you're online shopping experiences are positive, and use the same common sense and good judgment you would when shopping in a traditional retail outlet.  If you're suspicious about an online business or think an offer is too good to be true, you're probably right.

 

About RatePoint, Inc.
Founded in 2006, RatePoint, Inc. offers a powerful, quality-assurance certification and customer feedback platform for today's growing businesses. Leveraging the latest in Web 2.0 trends, web content authentication and consumer ratings systems, RatePoint, Inc. is revolutionizing the way businesses and consumers define, identify and monitor quality.  RatePoint provides businesses with a highly interactive customer feedback and online reputation management platform that allows them to easily collect and publish feedback and reviews from any Web site, plus a recognized and trusted site seal that promotes their commitment to business quality. Other features include a Dispute Resolution service and a host of other feedback management and marketing tools.

The founders of GeoTrust founded RatePoint, Inc., which is a venture backed by Prism VentureWorks and .406 Ventures. For more information about RatePoint, Inc., please call 888.777.1636 or visit www.ratepoint.com.