Not long ago, I published a post about why you should check a website’s About page before you trust the information on the site.

The post was inspired by information in Tim Carter’s Ask the Builder newsletter. You can read it here.

Another one of my favorite newsletters is from Joe Cannon. He writes about supplements, fitness, and personal training. His supplement product reviews are excellent, and reading them has taught me a lot about how to check out a company. (Scroll down for links to his websites.)

In his latest newsletter, he talked about the importance of reading the Terms & Conditions and the Policies & Procedures pages before you make a purchase from a website.

Links to these pages are often found in the small print at the bottom of a website (on this site, we have those links at the top; hover over the About tab and click on “Boring Legal Stuff” in the dropdown). The content on those pages can be interesting and important.

Joe wrote:

It’s on those pages that I sometimes find information pertaining to automatic shipment policies and even statements about waiving legal rights if you buy the product from their website.

He shared the story of a Florida-based company that markets weight-loss products and included a gag clause in its Terms & Conditions. The company used the non-disparagement provisions in that clause to try to stop customers from sharing negative product reviews.

More on that story can be found in the FTC’s news release here: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2015/09/ftc-sues-marketers-who-used-gag-clauses-monetary-threats-lawsuits-stop-negative-consumer-reviews

But who has the time or inclination to read pages of legal jargon before you make a purchase? I admit that I go cross-eyed after the first paragraph.

Joe has some advice. He writes:

Most internet browsers—Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.—have a “Find” feature. If you put a word into the Find search box and hit enter, it will search the page for every place that word appears. If you can’t find the icon on your web browser, just use these keyboard short cuts:

  • On a PC, press CTRL + F.
  • On a Mac, hit the Apple Command Button + F.

When you do this, the Find box will appear and you can type in the word you’re looking for.

For example, to make my reading of these pages quicker, I often enter these words into the Find box:

  • Arbitration
  • Autoshipment (or just auto)
  • Comments
  • Waive
  • Legal
  • Guarantee

Words like these can highlight areas of the pages that discuss auto-shipment policies as well as what legal rights you have – and might be giving up – if you buy from the product website. They can also give information about whether or not the company has any policies about leaving negative comments on websites, too.

You would be surprised by what you find when you search those pages. For example, in my review of this weight loss product, I discovered you have to get a note from your doctor before you were eligible for a refund!

You can learn more about Joe Cannon on his website here: https://joe-cannon.com/. For his in-depth, unbiased supplement reviews, go here: https://supplementclarity.com/.

Both sites have links so you can sign up for his free newsletter, and I recommend that you do (this is a totally unsolicited and non-compensated endorsement).

Joe’s reviews contain information you might not think about. For example, I don’t recall the specific product he was reviewing when he pointed out this: The seller offered a 21-day window (“Try it free for three weeks!”) to use the product before the non-refundable auto-ship kicked in, but that countdown started when the product was shipped, not when it was received. That little detail was buried in the fine print.

Don’t risk your health or your money. Thoroughly check out an online seller before you buy.

Jacquelyn Lynn
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