"As seen on TV" question...help

[Liz]

I saw this "wizard chopper" on TV and would like to order it. I usually only order from online dealers that I'm familiar with & have a good rep (B&H, etc).

Does anyone know if it's safe to purchase something like this online with a credit card? I'm sure many people order these things, and I've never heard complaints about fraud - but then maybe I don't look in the right places.

Here's the link to the website.

http://www.chopwizard.com/

Thanks for any advice.....info

Liz

[Asylum Steve]

Does anyone know if it's safe to purchase something like this online with a credit card?...

Liz, I went to the link, placed an item in my shopping cart, then went to their checkout. The payment info page is encrypted. You can tell because the page URL will have an https to start the address instead of the usual http. Also windows will have a tiny "lock" icon at the bottom right of your browser page to show it's secure.

So far, so good. They have a small security sidebar on the left of this page with a link to their security certificate, which is provided by Thawte, an online security company. Unfortunately, that certificate page does not show when you click on the link.

Now this in itself does not neccessarily mean anything bad, but if you're the paranoid type it removes that reassurance of being able to verify their security.

Those commercials have been running for a while now, and my gut feeling is if they were up to no good, many folks would have been ripped off already and we'd know about it. I think they're legit, but you could probably find an online consumer site that checks these things out...

BTW, at a mall near me, there's an "As Seen On TV" retail store that has ALL the fun gizmos you see in these commercials, so you may want to check to see if there's one near you. Then you can just get it there.

BTW, I buy TONS O'stuff online, and (so far) have never been ripped off...

[Liz]

Thanks Steve,

I appreciate you're going through the trouble of checking out the security. I didn't realize there is a way to know if a site is encrypted. Thanks!

BTW, at a mall near me, there's an "As Seen On TV" retail store that has ALL the fun gizmos you see in these commercials, so you may want to check to see if there's one near you. Then you can just get it there.

I've seen some kiosks also, but not sure where. We have a few malls around so I'll check that out first. I don't watch too much TV and hadn't seen the ad. For us the item would be a great time saver.

Have a great day.

Liz

[Asylum Steve]

I didn't realize there is a way to know if a site is encrypted...

No problem. Took me all of 30 seconds.

BTW, you can set your browser (if you use IE) to warn you of the changing secure status of web pages as well as invalid site certificates.

Go to Tools>Internet Options, click on the Advanced tab, scroll down to the Security section, and make sure Warn if changing between secure and not secure modes and Warn about invalid site certificates are checked.

Activating these options will mean the occasional dialogue box (which is the warning) that you have to deal with, but at least you'll be much more aware of the security status of pages...

[Liz]

Thanks Steve - I printed it out - will check it out tomorrow.

Liz

No problem. Took me all of 30 seconds.

BTW, you can set your browser (if you use IE) to warn you of the changing secure status of web pages as well as invalid site certificates.

Go to Tools>Internet Options, click on the Advanced tab, scroll down to the Security section, and make sure Warn if changing between secure and not secure modes and Warn about invalid site certificates are checked.

Activating these options will mean the occasional dialogue box (which is the warning) that you have to deal with, but at least you'll be much more aware of the security status of pages...