Online Shopping Insurance
The Internet is a shopper's paradise. It lets you browse through your favorite department store at two in the morning, with or without your pajamas on. Who cares? But it can also be a nightmare when that purchase goes wrong or when that Web merchant vanishes into Cyberspace. A company called WebAssured.com has launched a new service it calls ShopAssured….
"Imagine, every time you load a Web page, if you instantly knew how trustworthy the site was. That's what ShopAssured does based on our experience resolving complaints about online transactions and information provided by Dun and Bradstreet."
WebAssured President Travis Morgan. ShopAssured is a browser plug-in that automatically tells you when you visit online shops if customers have filed complaints. And if you shop at merchants carrying the WebAssured Seal of Approval, you get a money back guarantee….
"It's underwritten by Lloyd's of London that if you don't get what you're promised from a WebAssured merchant, we will actually refund your money directly."
The limit is typically two hundred dollars. There's also an online watch list of companies that you should be cautious of or avoid altogether. Right now, the ShopAssured plug-in is for PCs only with Internet Explorer. A Mac version is due out later this year. You can find us on the Web at ThirdAge.com. Bootcamp, I'm Fred Fishkin, for CBS News.