If you feel that you have been ripped off for that Seattle internet purchase you made, or maybe you didn't receive the item at all, there is help for you. Of course, you'll have to admit what you purchased, and sometimes that can be a bit humiliating.
Internet shopping brings convenience, a huge range of products, and competitive prices. However, problems can still arise when you make a purchase from a web site. You may have been billed too much or for the wrong item. You may not receive what you ordered; for example, the wrong size, color or item. Or worse yet, you may purchase an item that never arrives.
For billing concerns, the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) and Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) establish procedures for resolving errors on credit and bank account statements. The FCBA applies to disputes about "billing errors" for open-end/credit card accounts, such as unauthorized charges; charges for goods or services that you did not accept or were not delivered as agreed; charges that are incorrectly identified or show the wrong amount or date; and math errors. The EFTA applies to electronic fund transfers, which include transactions involving ATMs, debit cards, and other transactions that can result in the withdrawal of cash directly from your bank account. For more information, please visit the Consumer's Guide to E-Payments online publication.
If you think that a company has treated you unfairly, you can file a complaint online with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). This organization contacts the merchant to help resolve the issue. You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or by using their Online Complaint Assistant. FTC complaints related to Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other types of fraud are entered into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) also accepts online Internet crime complaints from either the person who believes they were defrauded or from a third party to the complainant.
Complaints about e-commerce (business or trade that takes place on the Internet) across international borders can be filed at eConsumer.gov.
Finally, you may wish to view additional information about online security and safety.