Getting satisfaction
If you're unhappy with your shopping experience, there are consumer advocacy and dispute-resolution services, such as Internet Consumer Assistance Bureau and iLeveL, that work on your behalf.
At the ICAB site, you fill out a complaint form. The group then e-mails the merchant for you and asks for a response within 72 hours. You have a chance to rate the response (very satisfactory, satisfactory, or not satisfactory, for example), and make a suggestion or send a follow-up comment.
iLeveL presents a "Notice of Dispute" to vendors with whom you've had a problem. The group's primary goal is to provide an expedited, non-litigated, economical means of dispute resolution. If the merchant is unwilling to reconcile your problem, the group will post your dispute for others to review. So before you buy from a site, you may want to check iLeveL to see if others have had any problems with the merchant.
Other places you can go for help are the BBB and the National Consumer Complaint Center. At the BBB site you can fill out a complaint form or check out the business and consumer alerts. The National Consumer Complaint Center lets you submit complaints to the appropriate government agency, including the Federal Trade Commission.
If you suspect fraud, you can turn to The National Fraud Information Centre page, sponsored by The National Consumers League. This site lists common fraudulent activities and suspect organisations.
