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Without that knowledge, consumers might find themselves in trouble, especially, it seems, when they're in the market for camera equipment. In May 2000 a computer-industry worker in Benicia, Calif. (who asked to be known only by her online alias, Cneber), ordered an Olympus C-3030 Zoom camera from Best Stop Digital, an online merchant she had found listed on CNET. Best Stop Digital's site said that the highly in-demand camera was in stock at the attractive price of $850, while other merchants were listing it about $200 higher.

A few days later, when Cneber hadn't received the camera but found that her credit card had been charged for the purchase, she called Best Stop Digital to ask for a tracking number. She learned that the camera she'd ordered wasn't in stock and probably wouldn't ship for several weeks. When she asked the customer-service representative to cancel the order, she was put on hold and then disconnected. Further calls to Best Stop Digital were transferred, put on hold, or disconnected, and Cneber says that eventually no one answered the phone at all.

Cneber, whose account is corroborated by documents and correspondence she shared with Inc. Technology, then sent an E-mail message to CNET to alert its product reviewers that a questionable merchant was included in its listings. She also recommended that CNET drop Best Stop Digital from its vendor list. She says that CNET responded with a message that the company made no guarantees regarding the quality of merchants that were listed on its site but not "CNET certified."

CNET's Miller says he's sorry about Cneber's experience and confirms that CNET had received earlier complaints about Best Stop Digital. Miller says he suggested to Cneber that she contact her credit-card company for help with the charge. (Her account was credited for the amount of the purchase a few weeks later.) In this case, Miller says, CNET couldn't mediate between the company and the consumer, because CNET's best information indicated that Best Stop Digital had gone out of business and had been dropped from CNET's ratings. (Best Stop Digital is, in fact, still in business, but the company didn't respond to Inc. Technology's repeated requests for comment.)

Miller says that CNET is well aware of cyberspace's bad apples, who "are hurting the credibility of online retailers everywhere," he says -- not to mention the credibility of online information sites. To be a CNET-certified vendor, a merchant must supply CNET with up-to-date information on its pricing, shipping and handling, and inventory, as well as its site's customer-service policy. The company must also honor the prices advertised on its Web site, conduct its transactions on a secure server, process orders promptly, deliver merchandise in professional packaging, and respond to all E-mail messages and phone calls from customers within two business days. According to Miller, CNET recently added a "code of conduct" that applies to all its listed vendors, whether they are CNET certified or not. The code prohibits certain bad practices, such as making orders contingent on the purchase of additional materials.

CNET is also aware of the complaints about formerly CNET-certified merchant Family Photo and Video/Abe's of Maine that are posted on Photo.net. "We can't verify those complaints. We can only act on what we know," explains Erik Kokkonen, a CNET vice-president. If a consumer complains to CNET about one of its vendors, a CNET staffer will contact the vendor and give it a certain amount of time to fix the situation. If the merchant is repeatedly unresponsive, CNET will kick it off the list for 5 days for the first serious offense and for 15 days for the second serious offense. If there's a third offense, the merchant's contract with CNET as a certified vendor is terminated, but the company can still remain on the site as a regular listed vendor. "We are in the business of bringing buyers and sellers together," says Kokkonen. "But the reality is, we have a responsibility to the sellers to make sure we're treating them fairly as well."

Where to Turn?
Cameras and electronics are product categories that are especially rife with consumer complaints, especially with the prevalence of so-called "gray market" goods ("off-brand" versions of products that manufacturers produce to sell inexpensively abroad without warranties) that make their way into the U.S. market. But consumers need to be aware of the economic imperatives of the ratings services, no matter what kinds of goods they are looking to buy. Performing that level of research can be a big job, since there are so many different kinds of online services that aim to improve the Web shopping experience. (See "The Top Ratings and Comparison-Shopping Sites at a Glance," below.)

BizRate.com is one of the most visible comparison-shopping and vendor-rating sites on the Net. The site's ratings section ranks 2,000 "partner" merchants on a scale of 1 to 10 based on data from consumer surveys. Using 10 shopping criteria, BizRate.com surveys shoppers, once at the point of sale and then again after goods have been shipped, in order to get feedback on the buyers' fulfillment experience. BizRate.com calls its partner merchants "Gold Stores," although that somewhat lofty designation may often be misleading, as it would seem to imply that the stores offer unusually high-quality products or service.

According to BizRate.com president and CEO Chuck Davis, the company, located in Marina Del Ray, Calif., aims to include all online merchants in its surveys. It doesn't charge vendors for a basic listing. However, vendors can pay for "preferred" placement in the marketplace section, which means that the merchant's listing will appear at the top of any consumer search of that section. BizRate.com provides a daily feedback service to Gold Store merchants and sells additional detailed reports for about $3,000 a month. BizRate.com also makes money if buyers click through to the seller's site to make a purchase. "We do no rating ourselves," says Davis. "All we do is set up the infrastructure for unbiased buyer ratings."

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