| You would really be shocked at how many innocent | | | | make sure that they have a registered business at the |
| shoppers fall for electric scooter scams everyday on | | | | very least, which indicates that they are serious about |
| the internet. Whether its buying a generic rip-off or | | | | what they're selling. |
| buying from an un-reputable seller, there are too many | | | | 4) Do they have a phone number and email address? |
| mistakes that you can make as an ill-informed buyer. | | | | These are an absolute must. A toll-free number is |
| Most of the electric scooter scams on the net are | | | | even better, because it really shows professionalism. |
| "partial scams", meaning that there is a product for | | | | Shoot the website an email asking some questions |
| sale but its either of very bad quality, or there is no | | | | about the electric scooter you're interested in, and see |
| after-sale service available for the product. Usually, this | | | | how fast they respond. Otherwise, give them a call |
| is the case with sellers that aren't established, or | | | | and get a feel for the company. At a minimum, |
| importers that bring in cheap scooters from overseas | | | | response time to emails and phone messages should |
| just to resell them at a cheap price as fast as possible. | | | | be 24 hours excluding weekends. |
| The chase for the quick buck...it hurts the consumer | | | | 5) Are they members of any reputable service or |
| and the good sellers that don't want the industry's | | | | bureau? Some good places where businesses and |
| reputation to be tarnished. Here are some ways that | | | | websites should be registered are: Better Business |
| you can avoid getting ripped off when shopping for | | | | Bureau, Better Internet Bureau, Geotrust, Verisign, |
| electric scooters: | | | | Validated Site, and Paypal Verified. |
| 1) Never buy from an auction site. Unfortunately, there | | | | 6) Is the website design clean and free of spelling and |
| are just too many sellers that are fraudulent and/or | | | | obvious grammar mistakes? |
| looking to make a quick buck on auction sites. Even | | | | 7) What brands do they carry? You can quickly do a |
| though you might find a reputable seller, its quite rare. | | | | search on the internet for the brand-name to see how |
| Infact, auction sites are the favorite hangouts for | | | | popular it is and if there are reviews available. Some |
| people looking to sell their electric scooters as cheap | | | | good brands for electric scooters are: X-treme, |
| as possible without any concern for quality or service. | | | | Bladez, Razor, Schwinn, & Mongoose. |
| 2) Shop from an established website. You can check | | | | 8) Are they authorized dealers for the brands they're |
| how established a website is by starting with the | | | | selling? Being an authorized dealer is important, |
| Alexa traffic rank and Google Pagerank. Although | | | | because it means that you'll be able to receive support |
| these measures shouldn't be used as absolute criteria, | | | | from the manufacturer for your scooter. It is risky to |
| it gives you an idea of how trafficked and how popular | | | | shop from un-authorized individuals. |
| the website is, which can be a prerequisite for | | | | The above 8 points will help you narrow down a |
| credibility. You can easily learn more about Alexa and | | | | reputable seller, which will help you avoid scams when |
| Google Pagerank by doing a quick search. | | | | shopping online. Make sure to do your homework, and |
| 3) Check the company name behind the website. This | | | | you'll be happy with the electric scooter you've bought. |
| is important. Are you buying from an individual, or are | | | | If problems do come up, you know that the seller will |
| you buying from a legitimate business? Many times, | | | | be there to help. |
| mom & pop stores aren't bad, but you need to | | | | |