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Online (Facebook ad) Buying experience
After running an online store for over 20 years I have seen things that boggle my mind and one thing that keeps coming back into my mind is "If it seems too good to be true it probably is". Here is the story behind this blog...I am business owner selling product online PLUS I also shop online. I was doing searches for a product. After doing searches I also browsed facebook. I saw a bunch of advertisements for the product I was searching for, or like items. I knew from my research the product was going to be around $450. But in the facebook ads I was seeing a lot of the product at $149 total cost, or even less. So, I was interested, since who doesn't want to get a good deal?I figured "I'll order it and see". I did.I received a very nice email saying the order has been received and then a couple days later another saying it was processed and finally another with shipping info. GREAT! Everything looks like it is processing as expected. I wait. I wait longer. Finally 3 WEEKS after I ordered, I see the shipment is going to be delivered. What I ordered should be delivered by UPS or FedEx because of the weight and size of product. Yup.. this product shouldn't be less than $149 with shipping but I like shopping with small companies so I figured it was worth a shot and I just might get a deal...
Finally I see it was delivered but "In mailbox". This product should be at least 40 inches long. There isn't any mailbox I know of around my house that is that big!
I walk down to the mailbox and sure enough there is a package with the same tracking number in my mailbox. The package is about 4" x 6" x 1"! It is a flat little cardboard toy that you have to assemble. Not metal, which is what the product I ordered is made from and quite a bit smaller than 40 inches. Ok lets bring this all together.... What happened and how can I, and you all, watch out for this?1) Obviously I got scammed. 1a) Remember: If it seems too good to be true?2) How does this happen? 2a) Social media ads are a great way to get info out there about products. We use them and so do others, including scammers. 2b) When you are served ads it very well could be legit, but might not be. Rest assured there are ways to get a good idea if you are going to get scammed or not. I will detail a couple here but you can also read more at this link: https://www.cuesplus.com/store/shop-safely-online 2b1) If you click on the social media advertisement it will most likely bring you to their website. It'll probably be a slick looking website with things that make you be impulsive. i.e. 5 minutes LEFT!!! with a countdown timer for how long the deal is good for. Or little pop-ups saying "XYZ person just purchased ABC product". And/or 400 people looking at this item now - Limited supply! This is designed to get you to buy without putting in too much thought or research. 2b2) The checkout will seem also a bit too good to be true. Remember my big & heavy product I ordered? The shipping was also free. That is another red flag. The product was an oversized and heavy product for hundreds less than it can be found elsewhere AND free shipping for something that should have cost extra for shipping.3) In the link I included above, you can read about how to check the age of the website. In the case of the website I ordered from, it was basically new. The domain was registered 4 months prior. This is also a red flag.4) Why did they ship anything at all? This is so if you dispute the order with your credit card company the scammer can point to a package being shipped, and received. This lends a little legitimacy to their counter claim that they filled your order and YOU and trying to scam them!
5) Lastly. It was a website with "https" in the url. That is good right? Yes and no. Yes because it should keep your info secure IN TRANSIT but it does NOTHING to guarantee what happens to your credit card and address info after the fact. Now here is another piece of info. A lot of websites use a free SSL (actually TLS) certificates. "Lets encrypt" is a popular free certificate. There are some valid websites that use Lets encrypt certificates but unfortunately a lot of scam websites do too. The scammers are already putting out money for the social media ads, the webhosting, and some sort of payment processing so they are trying to cut costs and be a bit more hidden by not going through the process to get a more legit certificate. How can you tell? CLICK on the lock on the web browser!!!! See who issued the certificate. If it is "Lets encrypt", that is another possible red flag.
Put together those red flags and you should learn from my "mistake" (aka experiment). You should know the approximate cost of what you are looking to buy and research the website selling the product. You can also email the website and if you get a reply that seems a bit odd, or no reply, add another red flag.Thank you and I hope this helped some shoppers, explains there are scams out there, exposed one of the most common scams, and a few things to look for to be able to spot a scam.Mike
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Privacy and how we feel about it. Link to our policy
We take your privacy seriously. We would LOVE to know all the tricks that are being used to track ourselves AND our customers so we could all be better protected. Some of this stuff seems like magic but also a lot of it is useful (at times). As you can read from the blog above about facebook ads you will see we were browsing for a product. Then browsing on facebook. Facebook started serving us ads about the product or similar items! As best as we understand it you have a lot of control by using web browsers that block the tracking. WE try to minimize the use of any trackers but it is required for some of the services we provide AND sometimes it makes it better experience for you, the customer. For example, when you come to our website, add a product to the cart, then leave and come back your cart is still there! Magic? No but it is a cookie from our website tracking you to provide that good experience of not having to find and add those products again. We do everything we can, and know how to do, to protect your information. WE personally don't sell your info nor do we even use it much. We might send you emails or on the rare occasion a newsletter but that is about all. Also of course when you register and/or place an order you will receive emails from us.We highly value our customers and hope we are protecting you as best as we can. To that end we almost NEVER see full credit card info. The only time we do is if you contact us for something special and we collect your credit card info. over the phone We prefer to have you shop online where we are not provided the full credit card info, ever. Much safer for you, and frankly, for us.Please take a look at our privacy policy link provided above for more info!Thank you,Mike Go to the TOP
I think the first thing is to inspect your new cue. Then assemble and check again. Next, did you get a case or have a case? That is a good thing and make sure you use it. Next ensure your hands are clean and dry. Then scuff the tip. Yes, new cue, but new tip too and a new tip is normally just a bit too smooth. Use a tip tool and scuff the tip OR at a minimum use a bit of sandpaper BUT DO NOT touch the ferrule with the sandpaper, remember just the tip. It is a good idea to prepare the cue for use.Then..... wait for it...... go and use the cue! A list of items that might help you along the way as you play:-Of course, the Cue-Your Case-Tip tool (tip scuffer and or tapper)-Chalk (yes I recommend your own chalk) and maybe even a chalk holder-Glove if you feel the need-Old cotton T-Shirt scrap or any old cotton scrap. Why? Because you will want to wipe down your cue after play. Trust me, this is an important step a lot of people don't do and it can wear your cue.-A cue holder. Why?1) Because if you put your cue in a rack at the place you play PEOPLE WILL THINK IT IS THEIRS TO USE!2) If you lean the cue against the table it can slide and fall - bad.3) Because it is just a good idea. Some hold quarters too so an area to consolidate your stuff.-People. Playing pool is a social thing. Don't go completely solo. Gather your friends or make new ones and challenge yourself and others to improve your game.
As time goes on - new tips, glue, tip clamp, some sort of tool to handle the tip mushrooming, and a shaft cleaner. Everything that gets used needs maintenance and your cue is no different.Is this an all inclusive list? Absolutely no. This is a list to get your mind going and unfortunately this list will not work for everyone. Some will say "dumb list" while others think I am missing a lot. The last part is true. I am just listing my essentials list. Good play to you and I hope you enjoy the game. Go to the TOP
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