Answers to questionable e-commerce practices Two nonprofit organizations promote reliability to pave the way toward smoother online shopping.

By Rik Fairlie
(1/9/02)

Shopping online has been both a boon and a burden for consumers. Some have benefited from broad selections, jackpot prices, and unbeatable convenience, while others have hit obstacles such as vanishing orders, wobbly shopping carts, wildly erroneous billings, and products that limp in DOA.

After more than five years of practice, online vendors should be getting it right all the time and adhering to higher standards. But who's going to make them? Most consumers who've had bad online shopping experiences don't share their frustration with fellow shoppers. (Share your shopping nightmares in our message boards.)

Most consumers who've had bad online shopping experiences don't share their frustration with fellow shoppers.