As residents gear up for the holiday shopping season, the Better Business Bureau of Cleveland offers these tips to keep the holidays "Grinch-free."
* Merchants are not required to offer returns, refunds or exchanges. Be sure to know the policy before buying. It should be clearly posted in the store. Also ask about restocking fees for returned items. Use gift receipts whenever possible to make it easy for gift-getters to return or exchange items.
* Shop around and compare prices. Don't rely solely on advertised claims to find the best bargains.
* Mall kiosk vendors are seldom around after the holiday. Be sure to get the company's permanent address and telephone number in case there is a problem or question with the purchase.
E-mail scammers get busy during the holidays. Watch for these ploys:
* E-mails offering $500 department store gift cards and free video game units, plasma TVs and more. These offers require the completion of surveys and agreements to sign up for free trials offered by other companies. One has to jump through many hoops to get the reward (if they get it at all) and provide personal information, such as credit card account numbers, in order to qualify. Read all conditions very carefully.
* Watch out for "phishing" -- e-mails that ask for to personal information like credit card account numbers, banking information or Social Security numbers. Some contain links that go to other sites which may look legitimate. Banks, the IRS, credit card companies, credit unions and other similar businesses or agencies will not contact anyone by e-mail for this information.
When shopping online:
* Make sure the computer is equipped with updated spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a secure firewall.
* Do not do business with Web sites that refuse to provide a street address and a working telephone number.
* Use a credit card or established online escrow service like Paypal for online purchases. Federal law allows credit card charges to be disputed if one does not get what they ordered or if there is a problem with the purchase. Beware of sellers who demand use of an unknown escrow service.
* Read the site's privacy policy to understand what happens to any personal information provided. If a privacy policy isn't posted, consider that a warning that personal information may be sold to others without permission.
Regardless of whether holiday gifts are purchased over the Web or at a "bricks and mortar" merchant, always start with trust by checking the seller's record with the Better Business Bureau. BBB Reliability Reports are available at ww.bbb.org.