Company Offers New Service To Warn Internet Shoppers

The dictum "caveat emptor" has never rung more true than when shoppers venture into the Internet with open wallets. The reason, experts says, is not to suggest that electronic merchants are less scrupulous than their brick-and-mortar counterparts, only that there are fewer shopper-comfort factors online: you can't look a salesman in the eye, you can't feel the merchandise and you can't walk around the store.

Now ShopAssured, a free Web browser plug-in, promises to alert shoppers almost instantly when they enter an e-commerce site that has a poor reputation. It is being offered by WebAssured, based in Indianapolis. Its president, Travis A. Morgan, described WebAssured as a consumer protection service that has been giving e-merchants with solid reputations a seal of approval since 1995.

Not only does the service alert shoppers, Mr. Morgan said, but it also offers reports on the business's performance and provides shoppers with a means to register complaints or praise for the e-commerce site. The site's background reports come by way of an alliance between WebAssured and Dun and Bradstreet, the commercial credit information company.

The ShopAssured plug-in requires shoppers to use Windows 95, 98, NT or 2000 and Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0. Mr. Morgan said the software would soon be compatible with Netscape Navigator. It can be downloaded at www.WebAssured.com. MICHEL MARRIOTT