1. New Mexico State University Internet Shopping for the Office December 2006 Techie Talk

2. New Mexico State University Shopping with a Procurement Card Allows the use of a wider range of vendors. It is easier to shop locally for smaller items. It is much quicker than purchase orders. You have access to Internet sellers that don’t want to deal with purchase orders and typically have better prices.

3. New Mexico State University Shopping on the Internet Be prepared. –Anticipate problems in using a card. –Think about security and possible fraud during every step of the transaction. If you are nervous at any point, make changes that help you feel more trusting. Find the product you want. –Get the right features that fit your needs. –Get the right price range that fits your budget. Find a Seller you like. –Get a seller with the best price that you feel can be trusted. –Don’t forget to think about possible warranties and package deals that may affect the ultimate price. Make the transaction. –Consider shipping method and address in the cost of the item. –Consider the cost of any warranties in the cost of the item as well. –Consider using a toll-free phone order line rather than using the Internet to pay. It isn’t done until it is done. –Make sure you receive what was ordered and resolve any concerns with the vendor or the shipper. –Open it and test it to make sure it works and all the promised parts are included.

4. New Mexico State University Things to do before you buy things with the procurement card Add your physical address as an alternate address to your card. –Call the card customer service number on the back of the card and ask to have a shipping address added to your card. –If you don’t choose to do this, many vendors will delay your order and want additional information or simply not choose to deal with you. Know where to find your credit card security number –Many vendors ask for this.

5. New Mexico State University Finding the right thing to purchase… Slim down your choices based on features, price range, and reliability. You may need to do some research to figure out what you are really after. What you think is important to have may not be. Beware marketing hype. Be more concerned with the end result of using a product rather than “good numbers.” Don’t spend tons of time researching the features of cheap, disposable items. Consult experts that you trust: Local photographers for cameras. Any random sixteen-year-old male for sound equipment. Your egg-head computer specialist for computers and peripherals. Get lots of opinions off the Internet. Type the product name and model number in a search engine. Beware of “moles,” who are people that are paid to talk up products. They try to look like regular people just rating things and giving opinions. If it sounds like an advertising pitch, it probably is and should not be trusted as being objective.

6. New Mexico State University Places to compare tech toys http://www.consumersearch.com/ –Hey, not just for Tech stuff! My favorite. I found my last crock pot here. http://reviews.cnet.com/ –This is the king of electronics stuff reviews. http://www.consumerreports.org/ –Yes, that Consumer Reports. The web version of the magazine. You may have to pay though.

7. New Mexico State University Finding the right place to purchase something from… Use local sources first. –It is very easy to exchange if you don’t like it or to return if it is broken. –Support your local economy if you can afford to. Don’t forget hidden costs. –Shipping is a big factor in mail-order or Internet purchases. Some vendors charge excessive shipping fees so their base item prices looks attractive. –“Handling” charges vary among vendors. Don’t expect these charges to be about the same for all vendors – some business basically make their profit off excess shipping and handling charges alone. Weigh the importance of “extras.” –Expensive items often have a warranty. –Some vendors offer “package deals” that may include consumables that you will ultimately be purchasing anyway. –Be wary of “mail-in rebates.” Some rebate procedures are obnoxious and take months to pay you back, if they ultimately do at all. I avoid them. Compare the total cost of something rather than just the base price. Remember, you have already decided what exactly you want. –You are just shopping for that one item right now. Don’t be swayed by “bait and switch” tactics to buy something other than what you are really after. This is called “up-selling.” Always make sure you can live with whatever return policy your chosen vendor has. –There are no standards with return policies, so check it out.

8. New Mexico State University Internet Price Comparison Sites Have your brand and model number ready and these sites can be helpful. –These sites only list vendors they have contracts with. You can get more results by typing the brand and model into a regular search engine. The Big Three –http://www.nextag.comhttp://www.nextag.com –http://www.pricegrabber.comhttp://www.pricegrabber.com –http://www.bizrate.comhttp://www.bizrate.com

9. New Mexico State University Paying your vendor… Shop high-tech, pay low-tech. –Use the Internet to find the product and vendor you want to use, then use the phone to make the purchase. It is just safer. More reputable vendors will have phone order lines. If you pay over the Internet, only use secure servers. –A secure server will have a https:// or shttp:// in front of their address, instead of just http://.https://

10. New Mexico State University Paying your vendor… Use a proper shipping address for your shipper –Most vendors will want your billing address to ensure that you are a legitimate customer. It often must be exactly what is on your bill. –Most vendors prefer that you use your billing address as your shipping address. You may have your bills sent to a Post Office box, which most shippers cannot use. You can either choose to use USPS (Postal Service) as your shipper or ship to the alternative address you established with the credit card company previously. Print out anything that looks like a reciept. –Most vendors will send an email receipt after you are done paying, but a few don’t. Print out whatever confirmation page you are presented with when they say your order is completed.

11. New Mexico State University Finishing the job… When is the transaction over? –The exciting p-card paperwork is done. –You have the item in your hands and working the way you want it to. Never delete correspondence between yourself and the vendor and the shipper. Archive it in case you need it later when problems crop up.

12. New Mexico State University Outlook Signatures Working with Signatures –In Outlook, click on the Tools menu, select Options… –At the Options window, click the Mail Format tab. –In the Signature Section Choose your account (you likely only have one account) here. Chose the signatures to use for the selected account here. If you want to change how a signature looks or if you want to create a new one, click on this button.

13. New Mexico State University Outlook Signatures When you click the Signature button, you get the Create Signature window. –You can edit an existing signature by highlighting its name and clicking here. –You create a new signature by clicking here. The Edit Signature window appears! –This box is where you type in your signature text. You can change fonts and such with the buttons just below. –The Advanced Edit… button opens Microsoft Word and your signature can have many elements that Word can produce. –Click the OK button in both windows when you are done. Make sure you select the signature you want to use on emails at the Options window!

14. New Mexico State University CAHE Technology Help Desk Do you need help right now, especially with software or “How do I do this?” concerns? MAKE THE CALL!! (505) 646-3305 If they don’t already know the answer, They will GET the answer!