Motor oil is designed to serve many different purposes within a cars engine. While the primary function is to simply lubricate all the moving parts and provide protection from wear and corrosion, it also is intended to keep the engine cool and free from small pieces of debris.
Conventional motor oils are made from crude oil which has been is pumped from the ground and then processed in a refinery to create a base oil. Additives are then mixed into the base oil to change the viscosity, protection properties and heat breakdown levels of the oil.
Synthetic oil is also created in a similar manner to a conventional engine oil, using a base oil combined with a series of additives. The difference lies in the fact that synthetic motor oils are created utilizing a specially "synthesized" base oil where the size of the oil molecules are all of an ideal weight and of a consistent size. While a conventional motor oil, despite the refining processes, is made up of different molecule sizes which are mixed together, along with various waxes and impurities, a fully synthetic oil is made to provide a much purer base oil, with less waxes and with a uniform ideal particle size to help increase the oils viscosity level. A new report from the European Consumer Centres reveals that complaints from online shoppers regarding satisfaction with transaction online has increased by 74% in the last year. The body, which includes the Citizens' Advice Bureau in the UK, identify the main reasons for the increase as accountability, faulty or damaged goods, late or non-delivery of items and paying too much for products as being the primary criteria for complaint.
As shopping online has grown exponentially in recent years. With online sores such as Loot selling everything, customer choice has increased in parallel. With increased customer choice come the difficulties of finding the right product at the right price. Paying for an item which is later found cheaper elsewhere is a main bugbear of the recent report. With so many competitors, particularly in the online retail sector, all vying for your custom, finding the deal that suits you best can be difficult.
One type of retailer that escapes criticism in the report is the online product comparison site. Comparison sites and resellers escape many of the main criticisms levelled at the online retailers. The relative impartiality of the sites and their dealings with any number of primary suppliers mean that comparison sites can provide a one-stop shop for product research and information. This puts the customer in a more informed position and perhaps less susceptible to the direct marketing of the suppliers and retailers.
Looking at specific markets, personal finance is a minefield and the online competition is fierce with credit cards and loans providers competing individually in a crowded online marketplace. Comparison sites such as Moneynet financial comparison allow customers to view different products from various online suppliers and make an informed choice. Products such as mobile phones and consumer items are similarly competitive. Sites such as Dial-a-Phone allow customers to view and compare product information and deals from various network providers before committing to a specific contract.
With the CAB calling for more stringent consumer laws regarding internet purchases, retail and service providers are going to have to apply more investment and resource into communicating with customers online. Perhaps they will be looking to comparison site for learning or alternatively as the new competition in the online marketplace.
