Many of us will take advantage of the Internet to avoid crowds and long lines when buying foam mattress

 Although online shopping for a foam mattress or an adjustable bed is very convenient. In order to make your shopping experience for foam mattress a positive one, the Attorney General recommends the following:

1. Always make sure that the website selling foam mattress is secure before providing any financial information, such
as credit card or a bank account number. Secured Web sites use encryption to scramble your information as it is
transmitted over the Internet.

How do you identify a secured Web site selling foam mattress?

Look for Web site addresses preceded by "https". For example,

1.Look for a yellow or golden closed lock or an unbroken key at the bottom of your browser window.

2. If you are still uncomfortable with providing your billing information through the Internet to but foam mattress, ask the company about alternate methods of ordering, such as the telephone.

3. Whenever possible, consider paying for your foam mattress by credit card, which offers additional protection in case of a dispute.

4. If paying by credit card is not an option, request that the foam mattress be sent C.O.D. and make payment by check or money order, which is easier to trace than cash.

5. Consider checking with the Better Business Bureau local to the business for a reliability report. Information in the report includes the length of time the company has been in business, the company's complaint history and whether the
business participates in BBB programs, such as dispute mediation.

6. While there is no denying the increasing popularity of online auctions for foam mattress, we must exercise the same caution that applies to physical world transactions.