Mindsets around online shopping have evolved dramatically over the past decade. During the early days of eCommerce, many consumers were hesitant to order products or share credit card information online. Now, it’s a common part of everyday life. We live in a world where you click a button, and something is delivered to you.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t scam artists ready to take advantage of our complacency. Before you schedule your next delivery, use these five easy ways to confirm that your chosen delivery service is trustworthy.
Read Online Reviews
One of the easiest ways to determine whether a delivery service is legitimate is to search them on Google and read online reviews. For example, if you’re looking to get fresh flowers delivered, you can run a quick search of the company and see what people are saying online.
When reading online reviews, take an objective approach. Good reviews are a good sign, but bad reviews can be telling. If the company only has good reviews showing on the website, they’re likely using a blocking service to hide poor reviews. Google reviews don’t have that option.
Remember that a few bad reviews aren’t a deal-breaker, as it’s impossible to please everyone. Take some time to identify whether there are overarching trends of people saying their product was not delivered and how the company dealt with those issues. Sometimes businesses make mistakes; it’s how they work to correct them that matters.
Look at the Social Media Presence
Having a strong social media presence will also indicate whether the company is legitimate or not. If the business has new pages or minimal posts, you should feel hesitant. While a new business doesn’t mean they aren’t legitimate, they should be actively showcasing their value to connect with customers.
Read the comments on social media posts as well. Many dissatisfied customers who have been scammed or can’t contact the company will post in the comments about their experience.
Look for Red Flags
In addition to customer touchpoints, there are other red flags to look for when evaluating a delivery service. It’s easy to make a professional-looking website with the click of a button. However, nice photos and a nifty layout don’t mean the company is legitimate.
Take some time to click around their website and look for grammatical errors and unfinished pages. If there are many pages filled with lorem ipsum (that gibberish space-saving text), there’s a problem. Additionally, businesses are required to have a privacy policy and terms listed on their website.
Finally, look for contact information. If the website doesn’t have contact information listed, how are you supposed to get in touch should an issue arise with your delivery? If they have a phone number, call it and see who you get.
Confirm the Business Exists
There are easy ways to confirm whether the delivery service is a registered business. Start with a quick search on the Better Business Bureau.
If you really want to be sure about the legitimacy of a business, ask for their EIN (business number). If they claim not to have an EIN, ask why, as all registered businesses in the USA do. You can also run a business name search as though you were planning to start a business using their name. If the business name is available in the national database, your delivery service is illegitimate.
Ask Your Network
Finally, ask the people in your network whether they’ve had experiences with this delivery service before. A quick post on Facebook on your feed or in a community group can be incredibly informative. Always trust your instincts when exploring new delivery services. If something feels off, it probably is.
