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Fraud is a growing problem with doing business online, according to a new survey, and a growing number of businesses are taking steps to counter illegal transactions. Read the rest of this entry »

Web sites are gearing up to provide full-bore coverage of the Bush-Gore cliffhanger, as well as the results of every last congressional election, governor’s race and referendum. And unlike the television networks, which must keep as many people as possible glued to the same broadcast, outlets in cyberspace have practically unlimited time and space to report on every decision. (For an encyclopedic guide, check out the State Watch section of Elections U.S.A. at www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6228.) Read the rest of this entry »

Amazon.com
www.amazon.com

For time-strapped last-minute holiday shoppers, the promise of mobile buying is seductive: You can shop from anywhere — whether it be the doctor’s waiting room or the line at the ATM. Since Amazon.com is the behemoth of online shopping, I tested their mobile site with a friend’s Sanyo cell phone and Sprint PCS service. I didn’t have to do finger gymnastics to get to the site: Amazon.com is featured on the Sprint PCS home screen. But when I clicked on the search function, I did have to tap away (three clicks to get to “c”) to spell out “cook books.” Amazon.com gave me only six choices, three of them CD-ROMs. I wasn’t interested in any of the picks so I went back to the search function and tapped “Martha Stewart Living Cookbook.” (Yes, it took forever.) Because of the tiny phone screen, Amazon.com offers only basic of information, including price and author, though you can access some customer comments. When I clicked the “buy” button, Amazon.com asked for my e-mail address and Amazon.com account password. The mobile site is set up only for customers who bought through Amazon.com before and registered their shipping and billing addresses and credit-card numbers. After I clicked on the “one-click charge” button, I was done. I didn’t get a confirmation of my order on the phone. So it wasn’t until later, when I received an e-mail on my personal computer, that I learned I was charged $13.98 for shipping and handling. Besides the sticker shock, a downside is the lack of customer support. I couldn’t find any information or FAQs about mobile service on Amazon.com’s regular Web site. Even for big guys like Amazon.com, mobile shopping has a long way to go. In its current state, I can’t imagine doing it again unless I had a lot of time and nothing better to do.

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I’ve used Kozmo.com (http://www.disobey.com) to order CDs and videos, so why not a birthday present? A few weeks after the online delivery shop launched its gift service, I gave it a test drive. The service’s promise: Kozmo.com will deliver a wrapped gift to a recipient in any of 11 cities in about an hour. So while sitting at your computer in San Diego, you can send the latest Harry Potter book to your nephew in Chicago. Read the rest of this entry »

Images of galloping polo ponies, chiseled yachtsmen and tousled children play across the screen. Sterling silver bar accessories, vintage watches and posh vacation retreats are just a mouse click away. Need a great evening look for a snowy weekend? In the “Ask Ralph” section, Ralph Lauren declares “nothing is better than a plaid velvet pant with a rollneck sweater.” For the rest of the weekend, there’s a “petunia” red leather women’s jacket embossed to look like lizard for $1,250 or a Fair-Isle patterned cashmere turtleneck sweater for men for $725.

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The airline has introduced electronic upgrades that enable passengers with full-fare coach tickets to purchase upgrades to first or business class. Previously available in paper-coupon form in booklets of four, the 500-mile upgrades also enable Premier members to upgrade from most published fares. Four 500-mile upgrades cost $200; Premier members can purchase them for $125.As with the paper certificates, the airline will issue complimentary electronic upgrades to frequent fliers based on flight activity; Premier members receive four free upgrades after every 10,000 miles flown. Each 500-mile electronic upgrade will be valid for one year. If the upgrade goes unused, United automatically credits 500 miles to the passenger’s frequent-flier account. Read the rest of this entry »

In the beginning, online banks had a simple strategy: With the money they saved by not owning expensive, marble-clad branches, they could offer high-interest, low-fee bank accounts that would bring customers flocking to their virtual doors. Read the rest of this entry »

The Web site was created by Marya Charles Alexander, a self-described “solo-dining maven” and freelance writer from South Pasadena, Calif., who also edits a newsletter of the same name. The site profiles “solo diner-friendly” restaurants in the U.S. and Canada that offer good cuisine without the company.

But solo diners may be disappointed to learn that the Web site serves as a mere appetizer for the print version of the quarterly SoloDining.com newsletter, which costs $29 a year. The site does have some restaurant reviews available under the “Current Hot Restaurants and Tips” for 11 states, Washington, D.C. and Canada, but in the majority of cases only one restaurant is profiled under each state.

Those interested in perusing the “100+ Top Solo Dining Restaurants” must pay $9.95 to receive a hard copy; the remaining “special reports” including the 75 tips for dining alone and “Top New York City SoloDining.com” restaurants are also $9.95.

Fortunately, it is possible to doggie-bag a few useful tips from the site itself, and readers are encouraged to contribute comments, which spice up the offerings. For example, Don Sakland, a solo diner from Cambridge, Mass., cites these warning signs when ordering take-out food:

1. Anyone taking your order is busy to distraction.

2. A language barrier exists.

3. A customer-service department is nonexistent.

SoloDining.com is sponsoring a contest for patrons to nominate their favorite dining spots. The top three winners will receive a $100 gift certificate to the solo-friendly restaurant of their choice.