« Are You Getting Tricked Into Credit? | Main | A Bank Reimbursing ATM Fees, Could it be? »
September 05, 2006
Save Money on Purchases
Don't buy extended warranties! By now you have been bombarded with those offers of extended warranties on just about every purchase you make. I just bought a telephone for a meager $20 and was asked if I wanted the extended warranty for $5. I declined the offer. I did take the opportunity to fire back on the salesperson who was pushing the offer as a great deal for peace of mind and that it is really worth getting. I said to the salesperson "Is the quality really that bad on this item that I need the warranty and if the quality is so poor, then why does your company sell it". This did lead to a bit of a flustered and red faced salesperson.
Some retailers make a big profit selling extended warranties on the products they offer. You're routinely asked if you want one when the purchase order is being prepared, usually with a warning that the standard manufacturer's warranty expires in 90 days, or one year, or whatever. These extended warranties are usually not good value. In fact, many people forget they even have them if something goes wrong with the product after two or three years. Some credit cards automatically give you an extended warranty if they are used for the purchase. If this added security is important to you, use one of them.
When asked if you want the extended warranty you are best to decline. Remember this is really a fictional product created only to squeeze every dime possible out of your wallet. Why not do what I do and put the sales staff on the spot by questioning the quality of the products they sell and why not use this line of thought to ask for a discount on the item since the company selling the product feels the quality is low enough to warrant the extended protection plan.
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.crediteria.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-t.cgi/118