The Better Business Bureau has a warning for consumers when it comes to holiday shopping. “Shop as early as possible because there are a lot of deals people have become accustomed to getting as the holidays grow nearer that simply just won’t be on the table this year,” says Director of Public Relations and Communications Josh Planos.
He tells KLIN News a lot of the what they are seeing is related to supply chain issues. “You know the products aren’t coming in so the deal is not going to be there,” Planos says. “People typically like to wait until Black Friday to get the newest electronics and the newest toy of the season but, unfortunately, those deals are probably not going to be there.”
Planos says if you happen to see a good deal on the shelves of stores right now grab it because it could be gone tomorrow. He also says the pandemic has created a microchip shortage. “It really has affected everything from the auto industry to the toy industry and everything in between. That shortage is just another delay and another snag that we’re going to have to deal with for the holiday season.”
Planos says they are are also seeing an increase in online purchase scams. He says since October 26th they have seen three online purchase scams and they are anticipating additional cases as we get closer to the holidays.
He says if a scammer is aware that a product isn’t available they will attempt to step in and provide it. “They will either ship you a counterfeit product, if they ship you anything at all,” Planos says. He says a lot of online purchase scams center on providing a deal that’s too good to be true for the hottest item and the hottest product at a cut rate. “Unfortunately, it’s not a reputable retailer and consumers are just unaware and out of the money.”
He says the best advice for knowing what is real and what is fake is to check the URL. “There is a difference between and https and an http website. That ‘s’ stands for secure and it should have a lock symbol next to it. He tells KLIN it provides an extra layer of protection that you don’t have with an http website.
“Search out that ‘s’ and URL, search out that lock symbol and you’ll be that much closer to ensuring your money is going to where you think it is to getting the products you purchased.”