Expert: Buying Online is Now Safer Than High Street Shopping

LONDON, November 23 - You have more consumer rights when you buy things online than you do
shopping in the high street.

But people purchasing online are not aware of all their rights, according
to an expert at leading cashback website www.eDealsUK.com.

Nadeem Azam, marketing manager of www.eDealsUK.com said: "Many
people do not realise that when purchasing items online they receive extra
protection from the Office of Fair Trading.

"In the past this may have deterred many people from using the internet
to purchase goods, but through raising awareness about online consumer
rights, people can be more confident in buying products via the internet."

    When purchasing products online, shoppers are entitled to:

    - Clear information about the goods and services offered before a
      purchase is made.

    - Written confirmation of this information after a purchase has been
      complete.

    - A seven working-day 'cooling off' period during which an order can be
      cancelled without any reason and a full refund given.

    - A full refund if goods and services are not provided by the agreed
      date, or if no date was agreed, the goods and services are not provided
      within 30 days.

Nadeem added: "Knowing these rights is important when purchasing items
online. However shoppers must be aware that these rights do not apply to
financial services such as insurance, which is widely available on cashback
and discount websites such as www.eDealsUK.com and
www.froggybank.co.uk."

Nadeem also advises shoppers to use credit cards when making online
purchases.

"If goods purchased add up to over GBP100 and you pay by credit card,
then you may be protected by the Consumer Credit Act. This means that the
credit card company is equally liable for any defects, allowing you to claim
from either the trader or the credit card company should you encounter any
problems. Be careful though as this may not cover you for international
transactions."

eDealsUK.com now has 600,000 members across its network of 200 sites,
buying from 2,000 mainstream retailers.

Cashback is a very simple concept that is experiencing extraordinary
growth during the recession.

Customers log into the cashback site before visiting any of 2,000
mainstream retailers and buying goods and services as normal.

A portion of the referral fee paid by online retailers is returned to the
consumer - this is the cashback.

Because it can monitor purchases from more than 2,000 retailers,
eDealsUK.com has access to more UK online sales information than any single
retailer.

The network is operated by V A C Media, the biggest operator of customer
loyalty websites in the UK.

NOTES TO EDITORS

- For any further information or interviews please contact Zoe Coll on
+44(0)8452-303049, or email press@vacmedia.com

- You can also visit www.vacmedia.com

For any further information or interviews please contact Zoe Coll on +44(0)8452-303049, or email press at vacmedia.com