Technology has given us the liberty to buy all kinds of products online, including medication. For buying medication online all you need to do is fill out your details, upload your prescription, and wait until your medication is delivered to your doorstep. If you hate making periodic trips to the pharmacy to procure your prescription drugs, online pharmacies are here to rescue you.
However, there is always a flip side to everything. Due to the increasing demand for online pharmacies, it is not uncommon to find fraudulent and illegal websites selling drugs online. In fact, about 20 illegal pharmacies are created on the Internet every day. And knowingly or unknowingly people make some general mistakes while buying medication online.
Apart from receiving the wrong medication, you may also put your personal information at risk by trusting the wrong pharmacy online. So, what can you do to keep yourself safe?
7 mistakes while buying medication online
Here are the 7 mistakes that people usually do while buying medication online If you avoid these committing seven mistakes, you can purchase medicines safely to make the most of the services offered by online pharmacies.
Choosing Sites that Don’t Ask for Prescriptions
Most pharmacies online do not ask for value prescriptions, and these are the ones operating illegally. Therefore, the best way to steer away from fraudulent websites would be to see whether they ask for a valid prescription from a licensed doctor.
Online pharmacies operate the same way as physical pharmacies, so they should be asking you for a prescription before you can place your order. If they don’t ask for one, how can you be sure that they are providing the right medication to you? Taking the wrong medication could be extremely harmful to your body. Hence, you should never risk your health for convenience. So it becomes even more important when you are going for buying medication online. Visit your doctor, get your prescription, and order your medicines from a website that asks for a prescription!
Ignoring the Pharmacy’s Credentials
It is a pretty common mistake that customers make when purchasing medicines from an online store. Checking the reputation is essential, and the best way to learn that would be by taking a quick look at their credentials. Check whether they’re registered with any national body or licensed to practice in your area. If an online pharmacy is legitimate, it will list all credentials on its official website. If you cannot find the information, you can ask if they can provide the same.
Not Paying Attention to Reviews
While a pharmacy may be legitimate, that doesn’t automatically mean they offer excellent service. Because of this reason, it is absolutely necessary that you check their reviews. And when it comes to reviews, look for third-party sites because testimonials on the official websites are often exaggerated or fake. The best place to look for reviews would be the company’s Google My Business listing. If you plan on buying supplements, look at the Supplements Reviews as well.
Do not just trust one platform for reviews but make it a point to browse through multiple websites to get a clearer picture of the pharmacy’s brand image and reputation.
Additionally, you must also look if there are any complaints filed against the pharmacy. It isn’t a serious red flag if you find a couple of negative reviews. However, a lot of negative reviews would indicate that the services are bad, and the pharmacy isn’t trustworthy.
You can also check whether the pharmacy has replied to these negative reviews. A reply where they acknowledge their mistake shows that the company cares about its customers.
Buying Medicines from Bargain Sites
If you’re low on cash or trying to save money, buying medicines from bargain sites can seem pretty tempting. These websites would try to woo you with amazing discounts and deals but remember that they’re all a trap. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Instead of looking for medicines with the lowest prices, look for pharmacies with a good reputation. The initial research would take some time, but when you shortlist a few, you can compare prices at different websites and go with the one that offers the best deal.
Turning a Blind Eye to the Pharmacy’s Policies
Whenever you’re ordering your drugs online, you need to dive deeper and go through the fine print before making the payment. It would include terms and conditions, return policy, privacy policy, shipping policy, and so on. It can be tedious, and nobody likes doing it. But if your health is at stake, you have to do the right thing in order to make sure you don’t have to deal with unnecessary hassle after placing your order.
Disregarding the Website’s Security Features
When visiting an online pharmacy or before buying medication most people overlook the security features of the website. And it can be dangerous, especially because you will be submitting your personal details on the site. Hence, you must make it a point to check whether the website you are accessing is secure before you place an order.
How can you do so? It’s simple, look for an ‘HTTPS’ or ‘SSL’ certificate. Double checking the security features will take only a minute and can protect your payment details and personal information from hackers.
Ignoring Pharmacy’s Accreditation on the Official Websites
Most pharmacies would maintain a fancy website online, including the fraudulent ones, to attract customers. However, the good looks of a website don’t automatically mean it is legitimate. Therefore, it would be unwise on your part to blindly go with a pharmacy based on face value.
Before making up your mind, it is best to check out the list of pharmacies on official websites, including the pharmacies that are non-recommended on these sites. Checking the accreditation of your shortlisted pharmacy will offer greater clarity into the quality of services they offer.
Wrapping Up
You’ll notice that keeping most of these things in mind while buying medication online is not that difficult. If you do your due diligence, you can enjoy the services of online pharmacies without stress. And once you find a store that delivers to your location and offers all the perks you’re looking for, you place repeat orders on their site whenever you need to buy medicines.
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