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IN A RECENT DIVER SURVEY, 38% OF READERS indicated that they had purchased diving gear online. Compared to the single-figure percentages of only a few years ago, this demonstrates that we are increasingly comfortable with buying equipment designed to keep us alive without seeing it or talking to a specialist about its use.
This year, it is estimated that online purchases in the UK will exceed £3000 million. Diving equipment makes up only a small proportion of that amount, but the diving industry is witnessing the emergence of a purchasing culture that cannot be ignored.
Unfortunately for the consumer, where there's money there is also likely to be theft, fraud and deception. Last year the credit card industry body, the Association for Payment Clearing Services, estimated that plastic fraud would exceed £400 million. Of this total, 2% (almost £8m) will result from online fraud.
As online shopping becomes more accessible, so do the chances of becoming a victim. But the risks of online purchasing go beyond fraud. As services on the worldwide web become increasingly global, the opportunities to purchase goods from just about anywhere in the world also become greater. Sometimes the quality of those goods will be questionable and the customer may have little recourse to those regulations in the UK and Europe designed to protect them.
Many retailers in the diving industry are feeling the pinch of the online competition. Some complain that the online stores are incapable of offering the same standard of service and that consumers run the risk of purchasing goods that are sub-standard or "grey" imports (goods obtained from an unauthorised source and without a manufacturer's warranty).
Add to this the potential difficulties of chasing up any complaint in a different country, and suddenly online shopping is potentially a risky business.
So the Mystery Diver decided to investigate some of the pitfalls of online shopping and look at precautions the consumer can take.
To make things more interesting, I mystery-shopped online while at the same time comparing the websites with the industry standards for e-commerce.
I spoke to some victims of online fraud to see what we can learn from their experiences, and asked industry experts for guidance in relation to online security and UK/European standards.
Before any of the companies mentioned complains, it is only right to state that I am in no way insinuating that they intend to or have defrauded their customers in any way. What I am reporting are the facts - an online site either does or does not meet an industry standard.
And as you will discover, industry standards are there to protect us.
THE INDUSTRY
I started by contacting the representative bodies in the diving industry by e-mail and asking for some simple guidance.
"I'm trying to find out if you have any advice about buying diving gear online," I stated. "I'm hoping to purchase most of my gear in this way, but I'm not sure what I should be looking out for to ensure that my shopping experience doesn't go wrong."
PADI didn't answer the question and went for the commercial jugular: "We don't sell diving gear, you should go to a dive centre or maybe to Mares. On our website www.padi.com/search/dcnr you can enter your country and then you will find the PADI dive centres near you."
The Scottish Sub Aqua Club directed me to Diver's Divernet site and eBay. That was it.
NAUI Worldwide responded through Training Representative Frank J Toal Jr: "My advice is do not do it unless you live too far away from a dive shop to buy from oneÉ the Internet and mail order cannot support your purchase with annual service or air. Dive shops are able to fill your cylinder and do the warranty work required to keep your regulator and other equipment functioning properly.
"If you buy it from mail order you will have to ship it to them for repair, which is expensive in both time and money. If you purchase from a professional dive retailer they will be there to support you and service your equipment with a minimal downtime and reasonable prices. The difference you pay versus what you get back from a dive shop is miniscule."
Mike Clack, who is from the Technical Department at BSAC HQ, provided some excellent advice: "As with any commerce undertaken online, always ensure that the transaction part of the site is hosted on a secure server (denoted by a 'padlock' icon in the taskbar in the bottom right corner). Never send your credit card details by e-mail - or any other sensitive information via e-mail.
"Use a credit card rather than a debit card - credit card companies allow purchasers a higher degree of security and will indemnify purchasers from vendor fraud."
I received no reply from CMAS or the Sub-Aqua Association.
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