Group 2: Virtual Shopping: The Pros and Cons of Online Shopping - Dhaliwal Navdeep, Ho Erika Daphne, Lahoud Adam John, Rempfer Colby Jacob, Tam Wade Doug

Examples of Cons of Online Shopping
Buying Tickets Online

A common and increasingly frustrating experience occurring nowadays is trying to buy tickets online. In theory, this method of purchasing tickets from the comforts of home sounds like a convenient and efficient way in the technological world of the 21st century. One no longer has to line up the night before in a tent (or some other camping device appropriately conditioned for the time of year) outside a Ticketmaster location. Now, people can log online at the appropriate time in your pyjamas and score a pair of tickets with a laptop, credit card in hand, and a simple click of a button. This sounds perfect, one step closer to a technological utopian society, right? Unfortunately, this method is not as perfect as it sounds.

Recently, an article in the Calgary Herald addressing the ticket sale issue, was sparked due to the frustrated buyers trying to obtain tickets to a Coldplay concert. The article explained that often times, since there are thousands of people logging on the system at the same time, the system will be extremely slow, inefficient, and sometimes the suppliers’ server can crash and you can lose your place in “line”. In addition, many tickets are sold before the general sale due to Internet presales, and tickets are also held for the band members, VIP ticket holds, and season ticket holders. Therefore, by the time the general sale occurs, buyers are already given a limited selection. On top of what was already mentioned, there are hackers and scalpers who know how to either bypass and hack the Ticketmaster system or have some kind of inside connection to get the better tickets and resale them for a much higher price. An example of this occurring would be an incident reported by the Calgary Herald that a woman living in Edmonton paid roughly $1200 for tickets to a Charley Price concert, when they really should have cost $67.50. The woman’s son, outraged by this, contacted Charley Price’s manager, and low and behold, Charley Price flew from his home in Texas to Edmonton to personally present the woman with a refund for the tickets and better tickets to his show. Charley Price commented, “I would not like to pay that much to see myself.” The above shows how online shopping can be a bad thing when it comes to ticket sales. Not only do you already have a limited selection to choose from, you also don’t get the tickets you want without paying a higher price from a scalper. Also, the system does not accommodate people who have difficulty using a computer.

eBay Scams

Online shopping might make buying things a lot easier nowadays, but, there one should always be aware of the dangers of online shopping. One of the most common online shopping sites is eBay. Users log on and can buy and sell their items. The only problem with this is that the credibility of both buyer and seller are questionable, and often it is hard to track internet crimes.

An example of this is when a woman a twenty-two year old woman from the U.K. was trying to purchase a car online through eBay. She sent the buyer $4900 through Western Union (a cash transfer service between customers). Later, the buyer asked for $1800 more for “delivery costs”. At this point, the woman knew it was a scam.

The above example illustrates how easily it is for someone to steal money from another person through online shopping. In the example, it was only money, but often credit card numbers can be stolen and even identity theft can occur if one is not careful.