GCCNI post pri 2 Internet shopping final

							Title: Safe Shopping on the Internet
Context:
These activities will help to contextualise learning around the use of the Internet.
Allowing teachers and students to explore consumer issues around the whole area of
purchasing on the Internet and the impact on consumers. The activities link well with GCCNI’s
recent Buying Online report. (See resource section)


Year Group: Key Stage 4

Subject/Curriculum Reference: Citizenship, PSHE, Business Education, Home Economics

Topic Reference: Internet shopping, consumer responsibility, consumer rights

Time/Length: 2/3 sessions of 55 minutes depending on range of websites visited

Aims:
To make pupils aware that:

       Shopping on the Internet is not always a safe activity
       We need to use the same skills as a consumer when shopping on the Internet as we do
        elsewhere
       We need to understand our additional rights as consumers when shopping on the
        Internet
       We need to behave responsibly when shopping on the Internet

Learning Outcomes
Pupils will be able to:

       Recognise a site that does not have secure features
       Ask appropriate questions about the products the site sells before making choices
       Recognise those features that make a site trustworthy
       Know their rights and responsibilities in relation to all types of distance selling including
        the Internet

Resources:
Access to the Internet
* Internet addresses for companies selling a range of products (CDs, books etc.)
Background Information on rights and responsibilities of consumers when shopping on line
(ACTIVITY 4)
Range of mail order catalogues for possible extension activities
Buying on the Internet pupil recording sheet
Security issues pupil recording sheet
GCCNI – Buying Online report – www.gccni.org.uk




Further Information:


General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland – Post Primary
* Note: For this activity the students will need to access a range of Internet sites to be
able to explore the advantages and disadvantages of each. The teacher can choose
suitable sites in advance.


Lesson summary/organisation/activities:


            Teacher starting points                                 Pupil Activities


Starting Points
You can use some or all of these questions as
the basis for starting the session.                 Get students to respond. Many are very
                                                    experienced at surfing the web but do not
How easy is to create a web site?                   know the hidden issues/ dangers. Nor do they
We all know how easy it is to create our own        always know their rights.
web site. That means there are people who
could do this and try to sell products illegally.

Activity 1.
What would you want to know before you              Pupil Activity 1.
bought anything from any web site?
                                                    Students to answer this question:
Ask the group what they would want to know
about a site before they made a purchase from       Now that we know that anyone can produce a
it?                                                 web site -

You can write these on a flip chart or ask them     What would you want to know before you
to complete the sheet provided. They can then       bought anything from any web site?
use this to record information when they visit a
chosen site.
Discussion points for the teacher We need to
ask ourselves:
     Who is this company?
     What exactly is this company selling?
     How we are asked to pay for our
        goods?
     Are these CDs really that cheap?
     How will they deliver goods?
     What can I do if something goes
        wrong?
                                                    Pupil Activity 2 .
Activity 2
How many different types of products and            Pupils individually or in pairs are asked to visit
services do we now buy on the Internet?             a web site chosen by the teacher and to think
Do we know the difference between a product         about the questions they discussed and
and a service?                                      recorded earlier
How much do we know about shopping
online?                                             Can they think of any more questions that they
                                                    would want to ask?


General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland – Post Primary
Can you compare shopping on the Internet          Does the web site answer any of their
with any other kind of shopping?                  questions?
When we make purchases on the Internet we
are in fact making a purchase in many ways        They can record any extra questions or
no different to ordering from any mail order      information on their sheet?
company. We therefore need to be sure about
that company in the same way we would want        The students then share some of these
to be confident about ordering from a             findings with the rest of the group.
catalogue.
                                                  Pupil Activity 3.
Activity 3
This activity can be carried out separately to    Students can list all the issues around
highlight issues of security on the Internet or   security. These are not just shopping.
can be part of activity 2 above.
                                                  The categories they can think about are:
Ask them to list all the things that you can do   Information
with the Internet and of those things which       Shopping
carry issues of security and for whom?            Browsing or Surfing
                                                  Chatting
As well as individual security this is an
opportunity to flag up issues around legality
and whether property rights are breached on
Internet sites.
Do we take information or photographs for
instance are there copyright issues?
Are we buying counterfeit (fake) goods?
Who does this affect?
                                                  Pupil Activity 4.
Activity 4
This will reinforce their knowledge of their      Ask the students to read it and compare it to
consumer rights and responsibilities when         their experience of the internet.
shopping on line.
See INFORMATION SHEET.                            Ask individuals or groups to examine one
You can use this information in a variety of      aspect of the information. E.g. returns policy
ways.                                             and see what different sites say. Are they
                                                  correct? Are they abiding by regulations?


Teacher Reflection:
Using the pop up summary sheet to engage the pupils in a discussion about their experience of
making the purchase and the issues it raised for them.
This activity could conclude with a list of issues that they now need to find out about when they
go on to explore further sites.

Extension Activity/Homework
If you have a computer at home or you have access to the school or library ICT room:
Find a web site that you would be happy to buy from.
Explain Why?

You might want to print a particular screen so that you can explain what you think is good about
it. You might want to save the URL to share at your next IT lesson.



General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland – Post Primary
Using other sources of information (provided by the teacher if in class or done as homework):
mail order catalogues, Newspaper advertisements or leaflets e.g. Sunday Press. Try to
compare prices and information quality compared to the web sites you looked at. How do they
compare?




General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland – Post Primary
Student Worksheet

What would you want to know before you bought anything from a web
site?
Activity 2 - Student Recording Sheet

   What do you want to know?                             Your Information




General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland – Post Primary
Teacher Sheet – You can use this to generate discussion

What would you want to know before you bought anything from a web
site?
Activity 2 - Student Recording Sheet

   What do you want to know?                             Your Information


Who are the company?


What exactly are they selling?


How do I pay for the goods?


Is what they sell cheaper than elsewhere?


How will they deliver my goods?


What can I do if something goes wrong?


Is it safe to use my credit card?


Other?




General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland – Post Primary
Rights and Responsibilities when shopping online
Information Sources:
www.gccni.org.uk
www.consumerline.org.
www.shoparound.org.uk
www.consumer.gov.uk
http://www.oft.gov.uk/Consumer/default.htm
www.which.net
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/

What rights to do we have when we shop on line?
There are legal rights you have when you buy goods from a UK-based company. When you buy through
the Internet you have as many rights in law as when you buy from a shop, street market, mail order
catalogue or during sales.

The law says that goods must be:

As described - on the web site. If you are told that a shirt is 100% cotton, then that is what it should be
and not, for example, polyester and cotton.

Of satisfactory quality - they must meet the standard that a reasonable person would regard as
acceptable bearing in mind the way they were described, what they cost and any other relevant
circumstances. This covers, for instance, the appearance and finish of the goods, their safety, and their
durability. Goods must be free from defects, even minor ones, except when they have been brought to
your attention by the seller for example, if the goods are said to be shop-soiled.

Fit for their purposes, including any particular purpose mentioned by you to the seller - for example, if
you are buying a computer game and you explain that you want one which can be played on a particular
type of machine, the seller must not supply you with one that cannot.

Do we have more or less rights than we have when we go to a high street shop?

Additional rights When Shopping on the Internet
These are your statutory rights in the UK; defined by the law. All goods bought or hired from a trader -
whether from shops, street markets, mail order catalogues or over the Internet - are covered by these
rights as well as extra rights.
Regulations for distance selling
If goods or services are sold to consumers:
on the internet or digital television
by mail order, including catalogue shopping
by phone
by fax

The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 give them additional rights.
the consumer must be given clear information about the goods or services offered
after making a purchase the consumer must be sent confirmation
consumer has a cooling-off period of 7 working days during which an order can be cancelled without any
reason and a full refund made
full refund if goods or services are not provided by an agreed date or within 30 days of placing an order if
no date was agreed.
protection against credit card fraud
new powers for local Trading Standards Departments and the OFT




General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland – Post Primary
Cooling-off period
Now, however, under the Distance Selling Regulations you have a 7 day cooling-off period from the day
after that on which the goods were received, or in the case of a service, from the day after that when the
contract was made. This means you can simply return the goods for a full refund because you have
changed your mind. If a trader fails to supply you with all the relevant information your cancellation rights
are extended by a further 3 months.
If the goods are faulty, not fit for their purpose or not as described you may have longer than the 7 day
cooling off period to cancel the contract and return the goods.

There are some exceptions to these cancellation rights, under the Distance Selling Regulations. These
include:
Personalised or perishable goods like stuff with your initials on it or food
Unsealed audio or video tapes and computer software , things that cannot be sold again as new
Betting, gaming or lottery services
Newspapers, magazines and periodicals
Food, beverages and other goods intended for everyday consumption supplied to the consumer by
regular roundsmen such as milkmen.
Transport, accommodation, catering or leisure services provided on specific dates.

Do I have the same protection if things go wrong?
If there is something wrong with what you buy, tell the supplier as soon as possible. It is a good idea to e-
mail or phone to let them know about your complaint. Make a written note of a phone conversation or take
a copy of e-mail correspondence.

If you have signed an acceptance note on receiving goods this does not mean you have signed away
your right to reject the goods later. You can still examine them. Letting the seller try to put faulty goods
right also has no effect on your rights - if the repair fails, you still have any right to reject that you had
when you agreed to the repair.


Distance Selling – a bit more detail
Before you decide to buy you are entitled to the following information, and supplier must provide you
with this prior to concluding the contract:
Prior Information
Their name and address
Main charcteristics of goods or services
Price and arrangements for payment
Arrangements for delivery, including delivery costs where they apply
Existence of your cancellation right
For long-term contracts, the minimum duration of the contract
How long offer or price remains valid
They must tell you the cost if you are using a premium rate website or telephone service
After the decision to buy, you should receive confirmation of this information usually in writing or e-mail.
The trader must additionally tell you:
The geographical address of their business for complaints
When and how you can cancel the contract
Details of any after-sales services/guarantees, and when and how they can terminate any contract which
has no specified end date and which lasts more than a year.




General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland – Post Primary
How do we know if a web site is safe?
Although the internet is not 100% secure, there are many systems in place to make sure that the
information you give is as secure as possible. Giving out your credit card details online can be made
safer:
 make sure that you know who the trader is;
 that you have the business address before giving the information; and
 that the trader has a special system that will scramble card details while in transit. Select safe sites -
     those that display a padlock at the bottom when the payment screen is selected.
There are many systems in place to make sure that the information you give is as secure as possible.
Giving out your credit card details online can be made safer:
Check that the trader has a special system, which will scramble card details while in transit. Select safe
sites - those that display a padlock at the bottom when the payment screen is selected.



How can we find out what happens to information we give on a web site?
Check whether the company has a privacy statement giving details of how it uses information that you
give. You can then decide whether to provide personal data to the website or whether to remain
anonymous.
The Data Protection Act 1998 gives you the right, enforceable by the courts, to object to the use of your
personal information being used by others for direct marketing purposes unless you have given your
permission.




General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland – Post Primary