Buying and Saving

About "Restocking Fees"

2011-01-28T23:32:00.000-08:00

I will try to keep this simple. Sometimes you take a risk, and it doesn't work out. I have a 42" DLP HD television. It has performed flawlessly since I have bought it around 5 years ago. When I bought it, I was told that there was a bulb inside that was user replaceable, and that it would last about 8,000 hours of use. The TV worked up until 3 weeks ago, when a loud buzzing noise came out of the set, along with a diminished picture. I thought one of the fans went out, so I pulled the lamp (which is in a plastic housing) out of the TV to check if I could see anything wrong. There were 4 screws to remove the cover, and one screw that retained the lamp housing. I slid out the lamp assembly. I saw nothing. I put the lamp back in, and the noise was still there. I checked it out on the internet and the consensus is that a moving part in the set, called the color wheel, had gone bad. This little unit spins at very high rpms (some said up to 11,000 rpms) and it had broken. There were tutorials on how to replace the wheel, but I saw various prices on the wheels, a couple of different types, and found that several manufacturers had made these sets, and . . . they were all constructed differently. So no tutorial was going to prepare me for what I would find if my set was different than the one I saw on youtube.

Then I saw the comments of those who were successful, and those who were not. There were more in the latter than the former, so I decided to call around and see who would repair my TV. I got prices high and low. I found a guy who does a lot of them as he is a warranty tech for these brands. He said it was a color wheel without seeing it, and it would cost $310.00, installed (+ tax). I asked him to order the wheel, and he said it would take a week. He came out and replaced the wheel, which had shrapnelled inside its little housing. He replaced it with a newer wheel with "air bearings" that is supposed to last a lot longer. However, when he put it back together, the wheel worked, but the lamp didn't. "How much for the lamp?" I asked, knowing the lamp had been living on borrowed time. He said $229.00, + tax. It would take another week to get an original equipment lamp. I knew I could change out the lamp myself, and he agreed. I used my Visa card and ordered what was supposed to be a genuine OEM lamp from an internet company for $179, including free 2-day air shipping with a one-year guarantee. What could be better? The lamp came when it was supposed to, and I carefully took it out of the package with rubber gloves on and inserted in the tv. I slid it in and pushed it home. I heard a click as I tightened the screw to lock it in place. I put on the cover, correctly tripping the safety switch, and put in the 4 retaining screws. I plugged in the TV and pressed the "on" button on the set. I looked and it was . . . dark. The bulb did not light. Fast forward to today. I called the repair guy who came back out and checked it out. It was the wrong lamp, not OEM, and that click I heard on installation was the lamp breaking the male plug from the ballast that fits into the mating socket in the bulb. The ballast is $150.00, the bulb is wrong and has to go back, and the repair guy can get the right bulb for $229.00 plus tax, in another week or two. I called the lamp outfit and told them the story. They said they will take the lamp back and refund my money, but there is a 15% restocking fee. I told them I ordered the right bulb for my set by model number, and I didn't get a bulb that fit. The representative said that there was still a restocking fee. I said, OK, let's play it this way. I will keep the lamp until they give me a full refund, and I will call Visa and put a stop on their payment until this is straightened out. "There is no need to do that, sir," he said. "I will talk to my boss and see what can be done." He came back and said that I should repackage the lamp in the original box and they would credit me for the full amount and they would pay for the shipping. I just saved about $40.00 through negotiation and the power of a credit card. Whoopee! The repair guy took pity on me and said he had a ballast that he wasn't going to charge me for (to replace the one I broke), so I saved $150 there. On the downside, I took a gamble and opted to fix a 42" 5-year-old obsolete TV, and let's total what it cost me: around $336 for the color wheel (with tax), and around $249 for the lamp and I have close to $585 in my old set. If I added about $15, I could have gotten a new 42" LCD set with a one-year guarantee. I also have been without my TV for 3 weeks, and it still isn't working yet. I have learned a lesson here. I hope I am smarter and luckier next time.

I leased a new car today!

2010-12-05T00:42:00.000-08:00

I promised to update the quest for a new car, and here it is. I think I made a good deal. Time will tell.

I had decided to look at other makes and models besides the VW GTI. I even looked at a 2011 VW CC. I liked it among the best of the cars I drove. It was close to my 2007 Passat in size, and features. I liked it a lot, except I couldn't wrap myself around the price. The best deal I could get on it was $359 per month plus tax on a 3-year lease. That would put it really close to $390/mo. It gets great mileage, too, but calls for premium fuel, adding 20¢ per gallon to the mix (just like my Passat). That same dealer offered me a 4-door GTI with auto trans (the awesome DSG) for around $349 per month. GTIs are in short supply, and are really popular.

I decided to look at several other options: The V6 Nissan Altima, the new Chevy Cruze, the Nissan Juke, and the Hyundai Sonata/Kia Optima Turbo models. I didn't look at the Subaru WRX, as it is stick-shift only, and the gas mileage is not so ay-ay-ay.

I decided to drive each turbo model and see how they performed. I went to a Nissan dealer and looked at the Juke. It just didn't fit my other needs for room, etc., so I just passed on it. I looked at the Altima, but the trunk opening looked a bit tight to get my work equipment into, even with a fair sized trunk. Also, the Passat I had was the champ at putting my equipment through the hole from the trunk to the passenger compartment, with the seat folded down. Everything else with the exception of the CC has a tighter orifice in the rear seat bulkhead. Makes it tough to put in the 6-ft ladder.

Anyway, I got a quote on the V6 Altima of $300 plus tax, no down payment. I then went and drove the Hyundai Turbo Sonata at an out-of-town dealership. It had more advertised horsepower than any of the other cars (274-hp) and the best mileage (33mpg hwy on regular fuel). While it felt strong, it was wet out and the roads crowded, so I didn't know if I was that impressed. The dealer only had the one turbo, and told me I couldn't order a car from Hyundai. I didn't want that one as it had a sunroof and my wife's head sticks into the opening. I usually look for cars with no sunroof. I hardly used the only one I ever had (and I lived in So Cal), she doesn't quite fit, and I hate paying extra for something I don't want or need. Also, I live in Washington State, where the only requirement to be a weather predictor is to say rain or chance of rain. It even rains here when it is not supposed to.

I told the dealer to call me if he gets a turbo in without a sunroof. I then went and looked at the Hyundai's sibling, the Kia Optima. The dealer didn't have many, and the turbos aren't available yet. The Kia Optima is one sharp car. And if I wasn't so bent on a turbo, it would have been on the short list of winners.

I went and drove a turbo Chevy Cruze. A nice, well-built little car. The turbo in this car was unimpressive. The salesman pretty much indicated the lease deals would not be that impressive, either.

I was pretty much on board with getting the GTI, being one of the most impressive vehicles, along with that German car feel. I had called all over and called the local dealer for Hyundai and told them if they got any turbos in, to give me a call. I got a call a few nights ago, and they said they got in 3 Sonata Turbos, and one of them had no sunroof! I went over to the dealer that night. Unfortunately, the car had just been unloaded from the truck, and as a result, hadn't been safety-checked and we weren't allowed to drive it. My wife was a little put out as she went with me to test-drive it, and we weren't told that till we got there. I called my buddy and asked if he would like to go with me for a test-drive the next day. He said yes, and he is a dyed-in-the-wool GTI fan.

They had prepped the car and washed it, etc. The salesman handed us the key and asked that we not try out the airbag operation and asked us not to put more than 20 miles on the car. We took it to the freeway. It is undoubtedly the fastest car I have driven in a long time, at least since I got rid of my 2005 Altima V6. It is a screamer. It handles quite well, with taut suspension and 18-inch tires.  It rides solid, though with quite a bit of tire noise, something I had noted during the times I had driven the GTI. But the Hyundai Sonata SE Turbo is quite a car. I determined I would lease it if I can get a real deal. Even my buddy was impressed.

I went back today to talk turkey. My wife came along and drove it.  They gave me a quote of $367/mo including tax on a 3-year lease. This car has a generous warranty, with 5-year coverage on almost everything. I would have taken a 4-year lease, but it is not offered. I told them that was out of my range. They wanted to know what I wanted to pay. They usually play quite a game with you. They want you to bond with the car so you'll jump at the chance to drive it away, at any price. They also want you to invest time so you'll be more amenable. I turn the tables on them. I make 'em come back a few more times with quotes. Finally, I told them I would take the car if I could have it for $300 + tax/mo. The sales manager comes back with something like $308 + tax. I said no. He almost threw a conniption. He crushed the paper in his hands, and asked me to reconsider. I sat there mulling it over. Now, my leased Passat plays into this. They have already determined they want it. It has only 21,000 miles on it, and it is immaculate.  This actually gives me equity in a leased car. Because I got such a low price on it when I leased it, it has a plus value for me. He came back and said to me that he would see if he could squeeze another couple of hundred dollars out of the Passat. A little while later, he came back and told me that I had a deal. $299 + tax, and I had to make the first month's payment now. I said yes. I took my stuff out of the Passat, and transferred it to my new Hyundai, and I drove it home tonight.

I had saved something like $41/month by not taking the first quote they offered. I saved $492 per year, and $1,476 over the lease term. That is the fruit of negotiation. Being willing to walk away if you don't get what you reasonably want.

To sum it up: If you have good credit, paid a low price on your previous ride, take good care of it, and keep the mileage low, you, too, can get a hell of a deal. I just got a very rare car, and got it at a run-of-the-mill price. It is a great-looking car with mag wheels, and a top of the model car at that. And, I leased it cheap enough to make it easier again next time. I hope you can get a good deal, too.

Here we go again - It's time for the same old dance, with a new twist.

2010-09-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it is that time again. My current lease on my 2007 VW Passat sedan will be coming to an end in May. New cars are starting to roll out, and not all of them fill my needs. Most either don't have a big enough trunk or don't have a big enough opening from the trunk into the passenger compartment to accommodate my equipment for my work. My current vehicle filled that very well as I could load a 6-ft ladder and the rest of my equipment and it would fit. The Passat gave me great handling, seating, carrying capacity, and the turbo 4 had great gas mileage and power. Alas, in 2011, the Passat will no longer be offered. Volkswagen will offer an enlarged Jetta to replace the Passat. It will come out at the end of September, but no turbo is offered at this writing. It is supposed to be offered next spring, and I will be out of my current lease by then, so the 2011 Jetta won't be considered at this time.

So, I am forced to adapt to something else. I went to the VW dealer in my town, not known for stellar deals and talked to a salesman there. He did not show me any other models. He had no 2010 Passats on the lot, and I probably won't get as good a deal on them if he did. Current year leases, under normal circumstances will get the best prices.

I went to the dealer in the next town over and started the dance anew. I started by looking at the 2010 Tiguan. It had a $40K sticker price and would not fit the bill of a sub-$300 lease payment. Also, the high mileage rating is 24 mpg, way below my current Passat at 30. So, an automatic pass.

I then thought about either the current Jetta (2010) or a GTI (2010 or 2011) with a Turbo and DSG Auto stick shift trans. We sat in a current Jetta and although my wife fits in the front seats, she hits her head on the ceiling in the back seats. We took a 2011 GTI for a ride and it handles great, and has lots of power. My wife fits front and back. It is offered in both a two- and four-door configuration. Even though the length of the car is the same for both models, the four-door will work better for me. However, that adds $2k to the price of the car, and cuts one mile off the higher mileage (increased weight). I will not be able to put a 6-ft ladder in this car. I also sometimes use a 4-ft ladder, and that will fit. It looks to have a great deal of carrying capacity, and although it is hard to hide my equipment in the car, it offers a much larger opening to put things in.

I told the salesperson I would buy (lease) the four-door GTI, either 2010 or 2011 (really the same car), for a maximum of $250/mo on a 36 mo lease before taxes with no down payment. My wife leased a 2008 Passat from them in Nov 2007 for $247! The salesperson did the old dance of going to her manager and coming back with a price of $357/mo + tax. I told her no, and said it was $250 or less per month, or no sale. She came back and said no deal. We left.

I have an 8-month window. A long time-frame. Lots of dealers to choose from. I will keep you posted as I work to get the car I want for the price I want to pay.

A 20,000-mile service for How Much?

2010-04-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

One of our cars got serviced yesterday. That in itself is not noteworthy, except that I had to go back to the dealership, for the umpteenth time to get something taken care of that was missed on the original appointment.

I called the dealership. I asked for a certain service writer. (Always make friends with your service writer, service manager, and/or technician. It helps when you want to fudge a bit.) I asked about a 20,000-mile service. First, the dealership service and the factory book are different in their interpretation of these maintenance services. The dealership needs to make money, so they tack on some extras that boost the cost of the service. My guy at the dealership knows that I am cheap, and that my background is in auto repair. He told me that their 20,000-mile service is around $300.00. I told him that wasn't going to happen. First, I lease my car, so I don't care what happens to it once I turn my key in at the end of the lease. According to the factory, I only need to maintain the car to what their book says. It called for an oil and filter change, tire rotation, and replacing the air filter. I went for the oil and filter part, the tire rotation, and asked that the air filter be blown out and reinstalled, as long as it wasn't wasted. My guy wrote it up as a 20K service and stamped the book, but I didn't get the full service. A lot of it is inspect this and inspect that. It fixes nothing and if any of those things are wrong, warranty will probably cover it. Besides, what is an inspection? It is usually a visual scan of a part or fluid. To be truthful, even the most diligent mechanics know it is the factory's way of covering their butt if something fails and somebody winds up injured or dead, so that's why they say to check the brake fluid, or even replace it at this low mileage. To make a long story short, I brought my own synthetic oil. The dealership charges around $10 per quart, and I have found a place to buy synthetic oil that meets the car manufacturer's specs exactly, for $5.19 per quart. So I got an oil filter from the dealership, service, and a tire rotation. They did not replace the air filter, saving me $20.00. Total cost on a $300.00 service was around $62.00 (plus what I paid for the oil at the parts store bringing it to less than $85.00 + tax).

Now, you may ask, why did I have to take the car back to the dealership? Because the tech who rotated the tires did not count the plastic plugs that fit over the lug bolts when he removed them, and only put 19 of the 20 back on. One of them got lost. I went to a tire garage after the service was done as one of my tires had a nail in it, and while that was getting repaired, one of the tire guys pointed out the plastic plug was missing on the other side of the car. I called my friend, the service writer, and he told the tech to look for it. They found it outside.

Sometimes you gotta put up with some aggravation to get a good price.

Saving Moola on a Computer Purchase

2009-12-23T10:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't written to this blog in a while, so it is time for an update. Also, I have made a major purchase, and saved some money using my own methods, so they still work.

I have been using the same computer for the last 7 years, and it was time for a change. The reasons were many. Last year we switched from 12-bit, 10.2-megapixel cameras to 14-bit, 12.3-megapixel cameras. The resulting compressed raw file size went up another 50% with this change from around 10 megabytes to around 15 megabytes. That means that every two images we shoot now are as big as three images from our old cameras, and that two images take as long to process in my raw editor, Nikon Capture NX2 and also Photoshop, as did 3 images from the old cameras. Pair that with the fact that my version of Windows XP Home Edition could not use more than 3-gigabytes of ram, and you have a recipe for slow running and the "Sorry, but there is not enough memory to save the image" message coming up quite frequently on the screen. That means a 4-minute reboot to clear the memory.

My clients are almost invariably telling me that I should take my time working on their images, but in a parallel universe from two weeks ago, as they not only needed it yesterday, they needed it before yesterday! Many times we have come back from a shoot and have to process 300 or more images over the weekend to be uploaded on Monday. Admittedly, there are duplicate images, but I have to open all the images in case one is better than another. I have one client who needs all the images to be completely finished (including retouching) before they peruse them - all images are to be vertical and in black and white. This means that each and every image is processed twice: first in color to get a great color image (sometimes for later use for stock) and then in Photoshop in black and white and some retouching and tweaking.

I have to buy a new camera, software, or computer equipment prior to the time I need it as there is setup time, familiarization time, and testing to be done before I feel comfortable with the equipment, and can make it work efficiently.

And so, with mild trepidation, my partner and I decided it was time to bite the bullet and buy a new computer. Now, what to buy? I haven't bought a new computer in 7 years. I bought one of the most powerful computers I could find back around 2003, because it has to not be considered obsolete for at least 3 - 4 years. Programs and operating systems get bigger and fatter and do more with every new iteration. The system has to be powerful enough to last that long to justify what is paid for it. I want to be the slowest part of my system, instead of waiting interminable times to open, edit, render, and save those big image files. I need something of a powerful gaming computer to do what I think it should do.

And so, I came to read a lot online about the most powerful processors, system busses, available memory, and so forth. Now, I have a 3.06 GHZ Pentium 4 processor in my current computer with a total of 4-gigs of memory (of which XP only sees 3 gigs). I need something way faster as this unit ain't cuttin' it. I settle on the Intel i7-950 processor and 12 gigs of ram, with two 1-terrabyte hard drives. I look around and price several units, both from name-brand suppliers and boutique outfits. I look at HP, and they pretty much have what I am looking for. They are priced around $2K without a monitor. I then go to Dell's site (where I bought my last 4 computers), and they start at a lower base price. The base processor in this class is the Intel i7-920. Dell doesn't offer the the i7-950 at all. They only offer two i7 processors: the 920, and the 975 Extreme. But on the website, it says that if you want the 975, add $1,035 to the base price. With HP, who also starts with the 920, for $300 more you can get the 950 and for $300 additional, you can get the 975! They only have a $600 spread between the least expensive and the most expensive at HP. Also, further pricing on Dell's unit adds about $500 to bring it in parity with the HP unit.

Boutique outfits are no better and, in some instances, way more expensive than Dell. Admittedly, these are generally considered gamer's units, and can have overclocked processors, lights in the chassis with a clear window to see the inner workings, and great looking cases. I just need something fast, quiet, and powerful that can process images quickly, and will be reliable for the long haul. Flashiness isn't needed here. I don't play games with my computer.

I called my local computer boutique. I hoped they could build me a box that would be comparable to the HP unit and not cost as much. I called them several times on a Saturday. I got voicemail messages that sales wasn't there, and I should leave a message. I knew they were open on Saturday. If anyone should be there it should be the sales people, or how would they make any money? After many tries, someone finally answered the phone. He was in sales. He asked me to wait while he went to his computer to figure out a price. He didn't pick up after that. I called back, doing the voicemail game again. Finally, I hit the button for tech support, and got a real live human being. He said he could get me a price. I gave him the parameters from the HP printout. He took my number and a little later he got back to me. I had told him what I would get from HP and how much it cost. He said they were prepared to match the price of HP, but only if I would take the i7-920 processor instead of the 950. He said there wasn't much difference. Well, there is a $300 difference at HP and it isn't the fastest processor they make. I was not convinced. I told him I didn't want them to vary from the specs I gave him. He went to talk to his manager. Now, HP offered 3-year in-home repair for $112.00 on this unit, a great price, and also free 2-day shipping. He got back to me. He was $25.00 less than HP, but I had to bring the computer in for repairs, and I would be picking it up as they are 5 miles away from me. With HP, I get a 21-day, no questions asked return for full refund policy, plus a guarantee of partial refund should they price this same unit cheaper in the next 21 days. I still felt the HP deal was better, and my partner concurred. I called HP and asked them if they could lower the price further, and they said there was a coupon they could use, and lowered the price a further $50.00! I purchased the unit from HP.

One other note: The local boutique did not answer the phone due to a poor phone system, and not enough personnel on hand to handle sales. How easy do you think it will be to get someone on the phone, let alone a warranty repair done after the buying part is over? HP had a human answer the phone each time I called (twice). The local boutique made me wait through a message each time that they had changed locations - something that happened months ago.

My gut told me that HP was a better deal. I still think so.

Text messaging or how to let your cell phone company take a lot of your money.

2008-01-06T23:41:00.000-08:00

Want to save some bucks? If you do, why the *.!#@ do you still have text messaging working on your phone? Do we really need text messaging?

A while back, I started getting what amounted to spam on my Verizon phone. It was from people I don't know. Some was in Spanish - I only speak English. I thought if I don't open it and just erase it, there was no charge. I was wrong! It started to show up on my bill. I was billed $1.15 for text messaging, even though I sent no messages, and didn't even read any messages. I called Verizon. They said they would remove the charges if I wanted to block text messaging and sending pictures. I told them that not only would I do that, but so would my wife. Why do I (or most people) really need text messaging? Especially if I have to pay for the spam I get? I got a cell phone to make voice calls. To call a client and tell him I am lost and can't find the coffee shop where I was supposed to meet him. To call my wife if I am late, and don't want her to worry about me. I don't need the damn thing to be my entertainment system!

If I want to send an email, I have a computer. Email is free, it comes with my Internet Access. At least I don't have to pay for the spam I get. If I want to send an image, I can send a proper, large-sized image over my computer. Do my friends really need to see that strange car right after I do? I can take the image with my phone, and then take it home. My friends can wait until I get home and use my computer. I can send the picture for free on my computer. Wise up everybody. We aren't all twelve years old anymore. I wouldn't text my stock broker and say BY SBUX @ 18! I would call and say, "Buy Starbucks at $18.00." At least I know who is getting the call, and they know who is calling them with our voices. Or I can go to my broker's website and do it online. Typing with my thumbs is not productive for me.

Figure out how much texting is costing you, and extrapolate what it will cost you in the long run. It is more expensive than you think. Get rid of it.

Car leases, and what about those gift cards?

2007-12-27T08:40:00.000-08:00

It is the end of the year, and I haven't posted for a while. I have leased 2 new cars in the months since my last post, and I think it is time to share a little knowledge. I got the first deal on "my" car. I jumped out of my lease on my 2005 Nissan Altima V6 about 4 months early, as I got a deal on a new 2007 VW Passat I could not pass up. First off, for most leases, the dealers add a payment on the end of the lease for those who turn in their cars and walk away. This is usually to the tune of $350.00. The idea is that if you don't lease another car from them, buy your car, or another from them, they will be able to make a parting gift to themselves of your money. You don't have to pay this amount by trading the car to another dealer of another brand of car, it turns out. The VW dealer in this case was more than happy to take the Nissan in trade, as the car had only 13,000 miles on it, was in perfect condition, and I actually had "equity" in a leased car, as I owed less than it was worth. It didn't cost me anything to trade it in, and enhanced my position in the deal to get the new car. I won't go into it now how to negotiate the best deal on a lease, but VW had something called "Loyalty Cash" going on at the time, which means that if you have a VW in the immediate family (in this case, my wife's leased 2004 Passat), I qualified for $1,500.00 cash toward the purchase, or lease of my new car. On a lease, that means that about $45.00 less per month, in payments on the lease. I negotiated the lease down to an amazing total payment of $287.00 per month, including state tax, with nothing down, for the next 4 years (the length of VW's warranty). The deal included the first payment on the lease! This is not a stripped-down model. It is silver with a black leatherette interior, radio and CD player, Tiptronic auto trans, 200-hp turbo 4, mag wheels, A.C. and "bun warmers." Though not as fast as the Nissan V6, the turbo 4 is no slouch.

Well, even though I thought I got a fantastic deal, last month I got my wife to trade out of her beloved 2004 Passat, for an even better deal on a new white 2008 Passat. It has the same equipment (and more additional equipment) as my car does, but we got it for even less than I am paying. VW had the loyalty cash available again, only this time, it was for $2,000.00. Her payments are $269.00 per month for 4 years, nothing down, and the first payment is made for us.

If you would like to know how I negotiated such good deals on these cars, email me at mercsuv@hotmail.com. I am selling this information as it will save you big bucks on your next car lease or purchase. Each of the above cars had an MSRP of over $25,000.

Some words on car leasing:

If you have a business, you can write off the car lease against your federal taxes to the percentage that you use the car in your business. This allows me to have a better car than I can possibly afford if I purchased it.

I haven't paid for a car repair since 1999. I haven't put enough miles on any of the cars to need tires or brakes. All the cars have been in warranty as long as the lease term. Gasoline, tires, maintenance, brakes, and wipers are all that I have to pay for on these cars besides the payments. So all I have paid for is the payments, gas, maintenance, and the occasional wiper blade. Everything else has been covered. No surprises. If the transmission or engine blows up, I can take it to the dealer, and say "Fix it!" I don't care what it costs, as it is on warranty. And if they keep the car too long, I can usually get them to throw in a free loaner or rental car, until my car is ready.

Lastly, let me say a word about gift cards: WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Why give someone a gift card? Cash does the same thing, never expires or loses value the way the cards do. Cash doesn't lock someone into a particular store, or have time limits. Do you think the person you are giving it to thinks you thought more of them than if you gave them cash? You didn't even need to go to the store, you could have ordered it online. What if the person you gave that Sears card to needs cash to buy food? What good is a gift card to that person. I can't understand the idea that I need to entrust Sears or another huge retailer with my money, in the hope you will use the card I gave you before it expires. The other thing the retailer hopes is the card is not enough money to buy something and your recipient needs to pony up extra money to purchase something. The retailer doesn't even list the card as a sale, but rather waits until the card is spent to show that as a sale. You and I couldn't even get away with that. They get all the money spent on the card. If the card expires, or isn't used, don't they get to keep all that as profit, or money they are holding? It is already out of your pocket! If you want to give me present, give me CASH.

Have a Happy New Year.

Watching those ads!

2007-06-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

Well, kids, it seems that my luck is still holding out. I recently bought a Memorex 10.2-inch portable DVD player to show off the slide-show videos I am now doing with my clients' still photos. The slide shows are burned to a DVD and when played on a wide-screen HDTV are very impressive. I found it to be difficult to carry around a huge, expensive flat screen TV to meetings, plus a DVD player, so I opted for the smaller portable, battery-powered unit to carry around. The color and clarity of the screen, plus the competitive price made this the best unit for me. I found it at Target for around $179. I got it home and it played nicely, but I noticed something wrong. Any vibration on the surface it was sitting on, or movement of the unit itself would cause the video to stop and the machine to say "loading DVD" on the screen! I found that the switch that tells the machine the lid is closed was too sensitive and was on the edge of saying it was open all the time. I took it back to Target immediately. The woman behind the counter at "returns" was happy to either refund the money or give me an exchange. One secret is to always take the refund. Exchanging the unit means that the time limit on returns stays with the original receipt which may cut off days you can still return the unit to Target. Getting a refund resets that clock if you rebuy the same unit. I opted for the refund. I then went into the store and bought another. (This is another reason to use credit cards, as the refund is really easy.) I'm glad I did get the same one. A week later, I was perusing the Sunday Times ads, and lo and behold, there was the same DVD player on one of the pages of the Target ad insert for around $159. I took the receipt back to Target along with the ad, and they adjusted my cost on the unit. I saved over $21, if you include the tax.
Moral to the story: keep your eyes on the ads to see if you can get a post discount!

An apology is in order!

2007-03-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

In my January 18th post, I erroneously gave Rhapsody a bad rap. My bad! I thought that after the free trial period, I would have to pay $9.99 per month just to have the service available. I did call them to cancel my free trial subscription, and got to an outsourced customer rep, who sounded either Pakistani or Indian. He told me that as long as I listen to no more than the free 25-song download limit each month, my only charges would be the $0.99 per song I actually purchased for use. For me, this sounds like the best deal on the 'net for music.

I just thought I'd set the record straight.

The Cordless Phone Saga!

2007-03-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

Buying a cordless phone has become an experience. So many to experience, so little time.... About three or four weeks ago, my wife and I decided that we would like a new cordless phone. The 900 mhz unit we had been using for quite a while was noisy to listen to, especially when talking with my mother-in-law, who live out in the country. So we decided to get the latest technology (5.8 Ghz), and we found that there were a lot of units out there with multiple handsets, so we decided to get a two handset system. This way, we won't have to carry the home phone into our home office. We could have a unit there. We went to Target (one of our favorite places to buy things), and looked at their selection. There were Panasonics, Motorolas, Unidens, and others. My wife has a color preference, and it goes to silvers and grays. I liked the Panasonics, as I have had good luck with Panasonic cordless phones in the past. My wife favored the smaller Motorolas. We got the Motorolas. There was no answering machine built in. Cost was $89.99.

Of course, when we got them home, we couldn't use them right away. They had to be charged for so many hours. This put their debut into the next day. First, the pluses. They came with belt clips. They are square and will stand on end. They had speaker phones in each handset. They had sufficient volume for me to hear. The speaker phone worked quite well - a boon to those who call businesses and are left dangling on hold for great periods of time, while listening to messages saying how important our call is to them (not). Anyway, outside of the fact that they were a little hard for me to hold on to, they worked well.

Now, the big minus: We have lots of static electricity buildup here, especially in the wintertime. The phone rings during prime time one night. I get up off the couch and run across the room to answer it. On one side of the phone is a small headphone jack socket, covered by a rubber cover. When I grab for the phone, a spark occurs between my hand and the headphone jack cover. I take the call. When the call is over, I look at the LCD readout on the phone, and it has disappeared! I turn the phone on again. No readout. I grab the book and it says to unplug the base unit and remove the battery from the phone for a time period to get it to basically reboot. I follow the instructions, and voila! The phone is showing the readout. Problem solved.

The next night, the same thing happens, and I figure that the same fix is necessary. Wrong. The readout now comes on, but is scrambled, scrolling, and nonsense. This won't fly. You need the readout to display when you are inputting phone numbers, when you are inputting auto-dial addresses and names, etc. It even tells you whether you are using handset one or two, and which hand set you are trying to contact.

I call the 800 number in the manual and they say to send in the entire unit and they will either repair it, or replace it, - or - I can give them my credit card number, and they will send me a new one, and I can then return the original unit to them for credit on my credit card. Neither is acceptable to me. I can't be without a phone, and I don't like the fact that the returned unit could get lost, and I wind up paying for two units.

Fortunately, there is a two-week period where you can return the product to Target with no questions asked. I opt for this.

My wife wants another Motorola system. I reason that another Motorola will be just as susceptible to static sparks as the last one and a brand change is imperative.

We got the Panasonics for $99.99. (See the post below this one) Of course, we had to charge them overnight. They did not come with belt clips, but these could be ordered for extra expense (plus shipping). I decided to wait on the belt clips. The Panasonics fit my hand better. I had them two days and discovered a Target ad showing the phone we just bought for $68.00. I took my receipt over to Target and got an adjustment. We got lousy reception to my in-law's home. The sound quality was poor. We needed a different phone system.

We went to Office Depot, and got a GE 6.0 phone system for $99.99. I didn't like how it felt in my hand, but it promised to have sharp and clear sound on the box. I kept the Panasonics hooked up as I already knew the drill. I needed a phone on the line, and until the batteries were charged, we now had two systems we had paid for.

I hooked up the GE 6.0s and they were worse than the Panasonics for sound quality. On speaker phone, everyone sounded garbled. I had to ask people (especially women) to repeat what they said (I can't hear some octaves).

I took the Panasonics back to Target and got a refund. We went to Circuit City found a small different 5.8 Ghz Motorola (than the first one), with an answering machine listed for $99.99. We went across the street to Best Buy. Best Buy had them listed for $89.99, but didn't have any in stock. We went back to Circuit City and they matched the price of Best Buy. We got the Motorolas home and (you guessed it) charged them overnight. I hooked them up. Terrible sound quality.

I took the GE 6.0s back to Office Depot for a full refund, leaving the Motorolas hooked up. My wife wanted to buy two different units and bring them home to save time.

We purchased a different GE system (5.8 Ghz), with an answering machine from Fred Meyer for $49.99. It felt hefty. It fit my hand. It had belt clips. I just knew it was the right one. It wasn't. The sound wasn't good. It wasn't anywhere near loud enough at the highest setting. You couldn't do conference calling, only transfer the call to the other handset.

Finally, in desperation, ready to throw up my hands, I noticed that Office Max was selling a similar Motorola to the first one we had. The one with the best sound quality. Only there were three phones in the set, and an answering machine. And the whole thing was $49.99. I figured that even if I eventually zapped one unit, I would still have two. I covered the headset rubber covers with black electrical tape. Maybe that will keep me from zapping them. I can only hope. I have taken back all the other phones. I will keep my fingers crossed. At least the price was the best!

Advertisements, After the Fact

2007-03-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

I got lucky yesterday. No, I am not talking about getting physical, but rather getting a nice "adjustment." I opened up my copy of the Seattle Times, and started going through the ads to sort out the keepers from the non-keepers. Normally, I don't look at the store ads, unless I am interested in buying something before looking at the ads. It keeps me from buying compulsively. But yesterday, something told me to go through Target's ad supplement in the Sunday Times. Right in the middle of the pamphlet, I spied something that had a familiar look. It was a two-phone cordless system from Panasonic. And it looked familiar because my wife and I had bought one just like it at Target about a week ago. I took a good look and it was the same item. It also was advertised at $68.00. We had paid $99.99 + tax, eight days before. I rounded up the sales slip and headed for my local Target. I walked into "Returns," and went up to the counter. I produced the sales slip and asked for a refund. The woman behind the counter said that what I was requesting was an adjustment. I said OK (Who am I to argue?). She exclaimed, "And what an adjustment!" I got back $34.68 on my purchase, over 30% of my expenditure. I asked what the time limit on the policy was, and she replied, "Fourteen days." I was happy I spotted it.

Moral: Look at ads from retailers, even after buying something. You may be able to parlay it into real money!

Want Music? Get Spam!

2007-01-18T10:12:00.000-08:00

I recently got a new LG 8300 cell phone from Verizon. I decided to get a phone that plays music, as I cannot bring myself to part with money to get a music player. I have to carry a phone anyway, and it means that I have one less device to carry with me, if all the stuff is integrated into my phone. Now, in light of saving money, there were some things I had to buy to play music on the phone. I went to eBay and purchased a music essentials kit, the same kit, at half the price, that the Verizon store sells. I also purchased another music essentials kit, which was information on how to configure the phone to make better use of it. I also ordered a 1GB micro-SD card so that I could use the extra memory to hold songs, pix, etc. I purchased the information from evolutionxiii(191) , and I purchased the micro-SD card from http://www.dz-tech.com for about a fourth of what Verizon wanted. This is actually the third purchase I have made from DZ-tech, and I have not been disappointed.

Anyway, I now had to get a provider of music. My tastes are not the standard hip-hop, etc. I wanted music like a "Theme to a Summer's Place," the theme to "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly," etc. I also did not want to pay a subscription to a music service. I just wanted to download some music at $.99 each and be done with it. I found some services that seemed to do that, but they all looked the same, and when I started to register, a box appeared with an instant message from "Steve," who started to offer me extra-cost add-ons. Since this was similar on several services, I figured that all these sites were owned by the same company. My advice is don't sign up. Actually, these sites promised free downloads with a subscription, and they would give me a grace period to unsubscribe. They feel like scams. I finally went to Rhapsody, which gave a 14-day free period to unsubscribe and charges $.99 for a download. Rhapsody is from Real Networks. Real Networks has been around for a long time, so I felt better about joining. I have an aversion to giving out my regular email address to commercial entities, so I used a free hotmail address which I have decided to abandon after I unsubscribe. I currently have 3 hotmail addresses, in addition to 3 regular email addresses. I also already get 200-300 spams a day on the regular addresses, and don't need any more. Amazingly, I never used to get any email on this particular hotmail address that I am going to abandon. Since signing up with Rhapsody, I got 4 spams on that address. Interesting. Here's the kicker: I have to call Rhapsody to cancel. I can't do it online. The joke's on them. I just bought new phones that each have a speaker function. I don't care if I'm on hold. I will just carry the phone around and set it down wherever I am at. Further kicker: I download 15 songs, go through all to download them to my new phone, and find that the file format is incompatible with my phone. Now, my phone can play mp3s. This is the best format as they take up the least room. I call tech support at Rhapsody, and they tell me my phone is not on the list. So I can burn a CD from Rhapsody music, put it back into the computer and use a program called Switch to convert it to MP3s, and take the micro-SD card and download them through my card reader. I can now listen to music on my phone. I can also use the CD in my cars, and living room.

Moral: There is no free lunch. Be prepared for everyone to stick their hand in your pocket. Don't sign up for services without using subterfuge (i.e. a disposable email account) as they will sell your info to everyone. At least that way you can avoid the extra spam.

What to watch for in a car lease

2007-01-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

Some years ago, we leased an SUV on a thirty month term, when we lived in California. It was our first lease, and we didn't think ahead. In California, you are charged a percentage of your car's value when you register your car, or renew your registration. That covers you for one year. That one year starts on the purchase date. The lease on the car was up after thirty months, or at the half-year point. There are no refunds on the registration. We had to also buy a full registration on the replacement automobile.

Moral to the story: Be aware that you may wind up paying for two registrations in the same year, if your lease isn't in full year increments. It is not so bad in our present home state of Washington. I believe the registration in Washington for a passenger car is something like $30-$40. In California, and some other states, it can get quite pricey.

Things Don't Always Work Out As Planned!

2006-12-12T11:05:00.000-08:00

Office Max gets my vote as the nice people business this year! Those DVD+Rs that I purchased on my last post turned up to be duds, and I was unable to burn any of them that were more than coasters when I finished. They were 1x to 16x disks. My internal burner in my Dell computer is an older model that burns 4x. I have been having trouble lately with any disk that wasn't the Maxell brand. So, what should I do? I decided that since I am a pro photographer by trade, and put lots of images on CD and DVD, I should get a newer and faster drive to burn the images. For one, I had a folder with 70 GB of images in it from a job I did recently. That's right, seventy gigabytes. And most of it has to be put on DVDs to clear my 3 hard drives for the next jobs. The real job here is the time it takes to burn a DVD (around 24 to 31 minutes on my old drive) and the time it takes to visually verify that all of the images can be brought up from the DVD before I can delete those images from the hard drive. If even one of them can't be brought up, it may mean scrapping the DVD and starting over. It can take several hours to bring up all the images on a DVD as some are rather large tiff files, like 28 to 38 megabytes each, or the raw images, where I have taken 10 different exposures of the same image to get all the latitude available in a scene.

Well, all of the Magnavox DVDs I recently bought (see my previous post) never made it to a failure of one or more images. After I burned them, my finicky reader drive didn't even recognize it had a disk in it! This was a quicker way to know I had a failure, but it was taking over 20 minutes and a DVD to know I had a failure. After burning 3 failures in a row, I knew this was going to take a long time, and a lot of DVDs. I decided to buy a new burner. I researched lots of different ones from Office Max, Office Depot, and Staples . It was confusing as hell. Who knows what will be important later? Is DVD-Ram something I am interested in? What speeds are attainable? Is 40x that much slower than a 48x burn? I received an email from Circuit City, that showed they are having a sale. I went to their web site, and found an external HP DVD 840 unit that burns every kind of disk you can imagine. It burns DVD +R, DVD -R, dual-sided disks, CD -R, and even DVD-Ram. It also has Lightscribe, a laser operation that allows you to turn Lightscribe media upside down and laser label the media. (I haven't tried this yet!)

Anyway, I buy the unit online from Circuit City and pick it up at the store. There is no shipping charge. I get the unit home, hook it up, and still can't burn one of the Magnavox DVD +Rs to work in my finicky reader drive. Now, why don't I get a new reader drive - maybe that's the problem? Well, I like having a reader drive that is so hard to burn for. I use the burner to burn for the clients, too. If I burn a DVD (or CD, for that matter), and they have an older drive that won't read the media, then I have to get them one that does. Most of the time, they need it "yesterday," and that was a week ago. The first media I send them has to work! If my finicky drive likes it, then probably theirs will, too.

So, to get back to the story, I take the DVDs back to where I bought them, Office Max. I bring the receipt and I take it to the clerk at the checkout aisle. She happily takes my receipt and enters the info into their system, and tells me that she needs to call the manager. It seems the system only wants to give me a refund of $19.00 and change on a $24.99 purchase. I had used a discount card to buy the DVDs and other items on that receipt and it was pro-rating the refund by deducting part of the discount. The manager came, and she explained her problem to him. She felt I should get a full refund of $24.99 on the DVDs and the manager agreed! He keyed in something on the register and it gave me a credit for the full amount. I hadn't even asked for it. I thanked them and went over to their shelves to see if there were any other DVDs I could purchase that would work in my new drive. The manager followed me over to the DVD aisle and suggested the HP DVD +R 16x disks, which were now on sale, 100 for $24.99. They are a funny light orange color, but they will be easy to read the facing, when using a black Sharpie marker. I also hoped that since the drive was made by HP, and the new disks were from HP, I would have fewer failures. So far, so good. I have burned 10 DVDs from that stack and I am 10 for 10. And, it takes around 6 minutes to burn a whole DVD now, so it helped timewise. Time will tell. At least I am off to a good start.

Two Clerks Saved Me Money Today!

2006-12-03T00:42:00.000-08:00

I needed some office supplies today. I needed some inkjet cartridges and some DVD +Rs. I went to one big chain office supply, and saw DVD +Rs there, 20 for 19.99. I was going to another big chain office supply store in the area, as well, because they had sent me some of those discount cards: $10.00 off if you buy $50.00 worth, etc. I actually had 3 of them that had not expired. Two had the same expiration date, 12/16/06, and one had a date in January, 2007. Anyway, something told me not to buy the DVD +Rs at the first store. I went to the second store, and asked one clerk where the DVD media was. He walked me over there and we both looked at the shelf. I spied a large spindle package of DVD +Rs made by Magnavox that was on sale for half-price - 100 disks for $24.99. This meant that they were around 25 cents each. Now, I go through a lot of DVDs in my business. They don't spoil, so buying a quantity is not a problem, but on the other hand, I make a lot of drink coasters out of them due to media failures. Quality is even more important than price. I asked the clerk if they were any good. He said he hasn't seen anybody bring them back. That is good enough for me to give them a try. This chain will take them back if they have a high failure rate. Let's see, I would have to spend around $100.00 to buy 100 disks at the other store, 20 at a time, and I spent around $25.00 to get the same amount. I saved $75.00 just on that tip. Here is the rest:

I went up to the counter to pay the cashier for my $78.00 worth of inkjet cartridges, and the $25.00 for the disks. I had the $10.00 discount cards, and was looking at them to see if it was more advantageous to use one instead of another. The clerk asked me if I would like to use two of them. I said that I thought you could only use one. She said she would split my order, and asked if I would mind paying separately for each. Of course, I was happy to do that. I couldn't believe it. She offered! I did them both on the same credit card, needing to sign for each. I saved close to 20%. I still have the last card which expires in January, but that is for a $10.00 discount, if I spend $20.00 or more. I will be back before it expires. The moral to the story is that I won't be afraid to ask if I can split the order, and won't assume that I can't.

Packaging materials

2006-11-28T12:01:00.000-08:00

Do you sell on eBay? Send out packages? Do you buy packing materials? Stop! I have sold lots of expensive, delicate items on eBay, and have never bought packing materials, like bubble-wrap. I have not had a single item that was damaged due to dropping or hitting other objects. The answer is old newspapers. A single or a double sheet of newspaper can be crushed or compressed down by hand to a small, springy, ball-like amount and a bunch of them can add cushioning to any package.

I was at a carrier's package drop depot once and watched the clerk put one of my packages (containing a camera lens) on a high stool. When he let go of it, it fell over 3 feet to the concrete floor. I let the clerk know I saw it happen. I saw the package was undamaged by the fall, so I let it go through. The new owner wrote to say how perfect the lens was and how well it worked. I, of course, would have given a refund to the buyer if he had said there was some damage, as I saw the package drop, and I usually insure expensive items that are sent by any carrier because such things happen. (I would have also asked the carrier to cover the lens if it had suffered damage.) I was confident there was no damage because I cushioned the item with newspaper balls, all the way around.

Put balled-up newspaper in the bottom of the package prior to inserting the item. Put the item in a plastic bag or other clean covering material if you are concerned with newsprint damaging or soiling the item. Insert the item in the middle of the package, and fill all sides tight enough with newpaper balls to keep the item from moving, but not enough to completely compress the newspaper balls. Put more in until the lid can be pushed shut with a little resistance. When the box is completely closed, you should be able to shake the package and not hear anything rattle around. And, for goodness sake, please be neat, but use generous amounts of packaging tape. It makes a much more solid package and less prone to crushing by having a lot of packages laid on top of it.

Newspaper packing is free for those of us who get a daily paper - we just have to remember to save it for packaging. If you don't get a paper, ask a neighbor, or raid neighborhood trash to get some. You can't beat free, and it is recyclable once it makes its destination.

The Drug Trade

2006-11-26T09:51:00.000-08:00

Chalk one up for Wal-Mart! By lowering the price on a list of generic drugs to $4.00 on a 30-day supply, they may have made a real difference for you and me. For me, they saved me some money, even though I do not normally shop there.

We have a Wal-Mart in our town, several miles from where I live. I do have a Target, K-Mart, several supermarkets, and a Fred Meyer much closer to where I live. We have determined that for most things, we either go to Target or Fred Meyer. Sometimes the price on an item is better at one store than the other. For prescriptions, I go to Fred Meyer. I have medical coverage that includes prescriptions. I have been paying $10.00 each for a 30-day supply of two generic drugs I have to take daily, through my health insurance. Wal-Mart announced its plans to charge only $4 each, as these two drugs are on their list. I had just visited my doctor to get new prescriptions, and made a deal with him. One of the pills I take has to be cut in half so I get the correct amount. The medical insurance company insists that I am only allowed a 30-day supply at any given time. I guess that they are worried that if I get a 90-day supply at a time, I may sell the drugs to someone else, at more than I pay. I don't know anyone who would want these two drugs besides me, but I have to run to Fred Meyer once a month to get my pills. If my doctor writes a 90-day prescription for the drug, I get it doled out to me over three months. The deal I made with my doctor was to prescribe a whole pill a day, while I know to cut up the pills and only take half. The same $10.00 I was spending on 15 pills (which, cut in half, was a 30-day supply), I am now spending on 30 pills. This tactic would save me $60.00 for the year and cut use of my car for this purpose by half. Then Wal-Mart lowered the prices. I called Fred Meyer and asked if they would sell me the drugs at the same price Wal-Mart was selling them - $4.00 for a 30-day supply. They said they would. So I went to Fred Meyer with a fresh prescription for 90 whole pills, and told them I wanted to buy the 90-day supply without putting it through my insurance. I bought what looks like a 90-day supply for all of $12.00, while it is actually a 180-day supply, as the pills are to be cut in half for my consumption. Instead of these pills costing me $120.00 per year, plus gas and wear and tear on my car, these same pills cost me $24.00 for the year and only around trips to the store for that purpose. A savings of $96.00 for the year on just one drug. Next month I will get a large supply of the other drug.

I hope that Wal-Mart with their huge pricing clout has started something to start lowering the cost of health-care in this country. Wal-Mart has everything to gain from this: It gets people into their stores, it lowers the cost of drugs to their own employees, it forces other companies to pressure the drug manufacturers to lower their prices, and it is better for you and me!

Complaints can be good!

2006-11-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

I just have a little time to add a new way to save money. Complain when you don't get what you want.

We went to the local Olive Garden Restaurant the other night, and we ordered two dinners with one of those $4-off coupons. My wife ordered the five-cheese ziti, and I ordered a chicken dish. My wife first ordered the five-cheese ziti a few months ago and it was "wonderful." The 2nd time she ordered it, it wasn't wonderful, and did not seem the same. This last time she ordered it, she told the waitress the story when she ordered it, asking for it to be made with sort of a crunchy top or crisp top. Well, they burnt the top, instead. The waitress brought our meals, and checked back with us several times to see if the meals were satisfactory. Mine was OK, but my wife was unhappy with hers and told the waitress. And when I asked the waitress for a box to take my left-overs home, my wife refused one for herself, as she didn't like the meal enough to want to take it home. My spouse wanted to return to shopping and left early, leaving me to pay for the meals. When the waitress brought the check, it was only for around $8.00! The waitress said that she had gone to management, and that my wife's meal was comped, as she was unhappy with it, and we had gotten to use the $4 coupon to boot. Needless to say, I gave the waitress extra on her tip for taking our cue and acting on it without us asking her to.

Several years ago, I went with my family to dinner in LA at the Red Lobster. Due to kitchen mixups, we got our dinners very late (we were seated for almost 45 minutes before getting our meals). We complained. The manager came over and apologized, and comped all of our meals, and told us to have dessert on them.

The moral to the story is that if you have a legitimate complaint at most large chain restaurants, the last thing they want to do is antagonize you into never coming back. Complain if you don't like the meal or the service. You may get your cake, and eat it, too. Even if it does arrive late. And by all means complain if your meal is not to your liking. My advice is to tell them when there is still a lot on your plate. Don't try to finish it. Most good restaurants will replace the meal for you with another, or give you a discount.

Sorry for no new entries - very busy!

2006-10-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry. I probably won't be able to add to this blog until some time next month as I have been really busy.

The Television Tuner Story

2006-09-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

The last post got me to remember how much leverage a credit card can give you.

Many years ago, I had a TV that had a mechanical tuner. For those of you who are too young to remember that, years ago TV sets had tuners that had moving parts. Mine had seemed to get so badly worn that the TV no longer worked.

I took the TV to a local repair facility about 2 blocks from where I lived and gave them instructions to check out the TV, and let me know how much it would cost to repair it. The man behind the counter quoted me $65.00 to check it out, and said that if I decided to repair the set, the $65.00 would count against the repair. "Fair enough," I told him. I also told him to go ahead with the repair if it was $150.00 or less. I told him that if it was to be more than $150.00, he should call for an OK, as I would probably buy a new TV. I then gave him a credit card to pay for the deposit.

He calls me back later in the afternoon, and tells me that the set needed a new tuner, that they were hard to get, and that (hooray) they were able to find one. And, "Oh, by the way, we already installed the tuner, and the bill is $225.00, including the tax." I was incredulous. I knew the law in the state of California. It was pretty much the same as that governing auto repair, and I was a mechanic. You cannot make a repair costing more than the estimate, without first calling the customer, and getting authorization. He said that was tough, and I should come and pick up my set. I countered with, "Well, I don't have to pay for it, according to state law. I gave you a deposit with a credit card, so I will request that the credit card company stop payment, and, by the way, keep the set as a rather large paperweight to remind you not to do this again. I am going out to buy a new TV." He says to me that the joke is on me, they have already put the credit card payment through. I told him he obviously doesn't know how credit cards work. The credit card company will charge it back to him, and refund the money to me. It doesn't matter that they may have even received the money for the transaction, the credit card company will take it out of a future transaction.

He hung up. He called back about 20 minutes later. He said the boss told him to bill me $150.00 for the repair, and that I could pick up my set. He said he wanted cash for the full amount, and he would refund all the credit card charges. I told him I would accept that, as long as I got the standard warranty, in writing, from them. I went and got my set. It lasted for several more years. I guess they did a good repair, even though they tried to screw me financially.

Moral: Credit cards give you a power that can't be matched by checks or cash. The only ways to get cash or a check back from a merchant who doesn't want to give it back, is violence (not recommended) or to use the legal system. Good luck with that - it can take years before getting into court. Credit cards put the credit card companies in the position of arbitrator, and I hear they side with the customer most of the time. If a merchant won't take your credit card, (or something like PayPal), maybe you should go to another merchant who will. Credit cards and PayPal enforce guarantees, and give the customer lots of power.

It Doesn't Always Work, Part II

2006-09-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

A short time back - August 22 of this year to be exact, I posted in this blog that I would be buying a SanDisk 1-gb secure digital card for our Canon A620 camera from an outfit called dz-tech, and that it would be coming by mail. Well, I waited, and waited. It failed to show up. I wrote to dz-tech through pricegrabbers.com, and wondered where it was. It was supposed to arrive by 1st class mail, and usually took 5 days (or less). It was now 4 days overdue. It was, however, insured. I paid enough for the shipping, handling, and mandatory insurance. I didn't mind paying over $9.00 for shipping, since, coupled with the price, it was only $23.90 for the whole thing, cheaper than I could buy the memory card anywhere else. The only caveat here is if I don't receive it at all.

I didn't hear from dz-tech the first time I wrote, so I emailed them again, only this time, I said that I would like them to send out another unit, at no charge, as the original was insured, and would obviously eventually be paid for by the USPS. I also said that if I didn't receive one soon, I would have to cancel payment through PayPal. The next day I got a phone call from dz-tech. They said they would send out another unit, and I guaranteed them that if both of the memory cards finally showed up, I would mail back the second one I received. Well, the one they sent out 2nd, showed up first, and the one they sent out first arrived a few days later. I knew they told the truth, because the postmark verified they had.

I decided to keep both cards, and contacted them and asked if they would accept a PayPal payment for another $23.90 for the second card, rather than mail it back to them. I reasoned that I would have to package the card in another envelope, drive it to the post office, insure it, and mail it back. Then I would have to hope that it arrived or I would be on the other end of the stick. Besides, it is a great price on this card, and two of my pro cameras can utilize this type of card, as well as compact flash cards. It was a win-win deal: they were happy to oblige. They were honest. I was honest. And we both got what we wanted. I was happy to leave positive feedback for them on pricegrabber.com.

Moral: Don't be afraid to contact a company if you think things aren't working, and use credit cards, or PayPal to make payments. These are your leverage to get what you want. They are not payment - they are a promise to allow payment. You'd be surprised what you can do with that leverage.

Ah, Guilt

2006-09-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

Make 'em feel guilty. Make 'em feel like they owe ya somethin'.

About 6 months ago, I took our leased EC (European Cruiser) into the dealer for an oil change (service). A normal oil change on our car cost something like $27.00. The service writer showed me a factory bulletin that stated that our model car had a problem with sludging oil (including engine destruction), and to make it harder for that to happen, synthetic oil should be used instead of regular oil. This upped the cost substantially to over $60.00. On the one hand, I didn't want to pay this increase, as this is a leased car, and I intend to hand over the keys once the lease is up. On the other hand, if the engine did sludge up, they might try to deny warranty to repair this. Coupled with the fact that we would be without the car for a while, I finally gave in, and let them change the oil with the synthetic kind.

About 3,000 miles later, we had to take the car back in for another oil change. I got a new service writer, one who I had not seen there before. He gave me an estimate for the oil change of about $27.00. I didn't let on that it was supposed to get the more expensive oil. I went back later in the day, and he apologized to me. He said the car needed the more expensive oil for the oil change, so he took it upon himself to have the more expensive oil used. Now, I know the law in this matter. He had my phone number, and he never called to get my OK. In my state, I don't have to pay more than 10% over the written estimate, unless he calls me to get a verbal OK, and I give it to him. I didn't want to screw him and have him lose his job, but I thought I'd see where it went, so I informed him I didn't have to pay for the increase. He said to me, "Listen, if you pay for it now, I will give you a free oil change next time, with the synthetic oil." This was too good to pass up. I agreed. He gave me one of his business cards and put on the back, "This entitles the holder of this card to one free oil & filter change, using synthetic oil." He then signed it.

I went back last time for an oil change. I asked if that service writer was around. He was no longer with the company, I was informed. I said, "Too bad, I have this card he gave me last time." I presented the card to the present service writer. He accepted it, and put "No Charge" on my work order.

I feel that the service writer possibly knew he would not be there when I returned, so he gave me his card, not knowing that I would indeed receive a free oil change. He didn't care. He wasn't giving away his money. He was covering his butt. I, on the other hand, had nothing to do with his leaving (as no one at the time knew that he was cutting me a deal for the next time), and I benefitted from his mistake.

Moral: Knowing when to keep your mouth shut can sometimes benefit you.

Standing behind a product with Vigor - o

2006-09-08T01:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a product doesn't live up to its promise. I had a bad case of the weeds. Not just those broad-leaf nuisances that grow in a lawn, but the ones that huge stalks grow from, quicker and higher than your lawn could ever grow. These buggers would have stalks a foot tall with flowers or dandelion balls within 3 to 4 days after cutting them down. Now, admittedly, I am the world's worst lawn maintenance guy. I would tear out the lawn, and cover the ground with green-colored gravel if I could. I rent a property with about 10,000 square-feet of lawn, and even a pesky mole to tunnel under it. If I could only get that pest to eat the weeds only....

Anyway, I go to Home Depot and tell the clerk in the aisle that I need some kind of weed controller. She points to Vigoro Weed and Feed. I really don't want the lawn to grow too well (that means I have to cut it too much), but I want to kill off the weeds, and this stuff is supposed to do it. I buy 2 bags - supposed to be good for 5,000 sq. ft. each. Total with tax costs me over $20.00.

I cut the lawn, and water it, as per instructions on the bag. I use my Father-in-law's push spreader, and as I pass over each weed, give it a little twice-over to cover the weed better. It barely covers the entire lawn.

I then wait for the weeds to die. Two days become three, and then four. A few weeds turn dark. The rest seem to benefit from what I did, and the stalks are starting to grow again. I feel the bags should say Feed The Weeds, instead.

I, being the man of action that I am, decided that I have been had. I find Vigoro's web site. I find the link that says, "contact us." I fill out an email form. The weekend passes. I get an email from a woman who says that if I am dissatisfied, I have to send in the original sales slip, and the UPC bar codes from the bags, plus a letter stating that I am dissatisfied. I have thrown the bags out! I know this is not good. Then I remember: In my backward little town, they pick up the garbage one week and the recyclables the next week. Last pick-up was recyclables. That means the bags are at the bottom of my garbage bin. Sure enough, there they are, covered with rotting food. Frankly Charlotte, I didn't give a damn. I pulled out the bags and cut the odoriferous bar codes out. I emailed the lady at Vigoro, and told her I had all the stuff to send back, but asked if it was possible to send in a copy of the sales receipt. I remembered that there was another item I had to take back to Home Depot, and I needed the receipt. She said that the refund department insists on the original receipt or they won't make a refund.

I had to travel over to Home Depot to return the merchandise, but Home Depot will give you back the original receipt, so I was covered.

I sent the original receipt, the UPC symbols, and a letter stating that I was dissatisfied and wanted a refund of the whole amount, with tax. I waited about four weeks, and an envelope came from Vigoro. They refunded only the money that I spent on the product, sticking me for the tax. The letter in the envelope said they hoped I would still buy their products. Yeah, right. Maybe in my next life.

I then bought Scott's competing product, but more than I thought I needed. I followed the instructions on the bag (pretty much the same as Vigoro's). I stopped and took a handful and sprinkled it on each weed that I could see. Within four days, each weed looked like it had been nuked. I know I have enough lawn food on my lawn to make it green and grow like the dickens. The good thing for me is that we have had a particularly dry summer and the lawn doesn't grow much if you don't water it. I know it will become real green and grow like crazy once the rainy season starts. Hopefully, the first frost will soon follow, and it won't grow much. If only I could invent a lawn that was green, and didn't grow, and didn't have any weeds. I could make a fortune. But for now, I am ecstatic that my lawn is yellow, not very high, and has big brown-black holes where the weeds used to grow.

Moral: If you buy Vigoro Weed and Feed, don't throw out the bags, buy it by itself, so you don't need the receipt to return another item to the store, and be prepared to absorb the sales tax. Or just go out and get the Scott's product to begin with, and save yourself time, aggravation, gasoline, and money.

The Question of Rebates

2006-09-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

Did you ever buy something because it had a rebate? I assume many people do. It actually looks like a discount. Do you ever ask yourself why a company would offer a rebate, and just not discount the merchandise? I would guess that is because it is a promise to return money to a customer, as long as the customer will jump through certain hoops. I feel the idea behind it is that most buyers will find it too hard to request their rebate, and will procrastinate away their chance to get it. It works almost as well as a discount, with a lot less impact to the bottom line. Of course, the company has to have a department to deal with the rebate fulfillment, and that costs capital. It also gives the company information on the individual who purchased the item, something they get first-hand from the customer himself/herself. They also sell this information.

I do take them up on rebates. I calendar when I have to respond, and send in all the things they ask for. The good news is that some of the companies are now doing rebates on-line. In this case, you do not have to send in the UPC Bar Code, but sometimes the actual number that is part of the code.

In the last year, I bought several Nikon items from buydig.com. A camera body ($100 rebate), a lens ($100 rebate), and a dedicated flash ($25 rebate). All had rebates to send in by mail. I sent in all the rebate offers. I made copies of everything I sent on my scanner. I received two rebate checks, but not the one for the flash. I contacted buydig.com and they put me in contact with a woman with Nikon. I explained to her that I had already sent in the UPC codes from the box, and that I no longer possessed them. She said they never received them. We went back and forth over the phone, and by email. At one point, I sent her jpegs from the scans of the paperwork, plus the scan of the bar code. I finally received my $25.00 rebate check, and was finally happy.

Yeah, rebates are a pain in the butt. But, by not procrastinating, by sticking to my guns, I got back rebates totalling $225.00 (in this instance). It can add up over a year's time. If you buy something, and you reason to buy it because it looks like it is inexpensive due to a rebate, send that rebate in. Don't tarry. Remember, it is your money they are holding. Don't let 'em keep it. They are counting on your laziness.

If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck ......

2006-08-31T23:22:00.000-07:00

Blogspam! I monitor the comments on this blog, because there is blogspam. What is blogspam? Someone gives you a compliment on your blog, and suggests a product or service you can use (or not). This is an underhanded attempt to get free advertising on someone else's blog. Today, I received this comment to moderate:

"Hello I really enjoyed reading your blog. I spend a lot of time reading blogs and I thought this blog was done very well. In fact if I were you I would go to autosurfmonster dot com and submit this blog so thousands of others can see it for free. Well , I look forward to all the updates, thanks again!!Jessica"

So then I went to the touted website, and it looked harmless enough. But who knows? In the movie, "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer," a vampire begs to be invited into a house, because the rules say that he can't come in unless invited. So I resisted clicking on the link to join. It might be the equivalent of inviting the vampire in. I once clicked on a malicious website, and in an instant, there were so many viruses and trojans infecting my computer, that even my keyboard became inoperative. It cost me time, money, and a lot of aggravation to get it straightened out. So I held back on clicking.

Then, I looked the website up on Google. I got a few blogs that had mentioned it. One touted it, then retracted it, saying that autosurfmonster dot com was not what it was cracked up to be, and that the blogger was retracting his recommendation. Then I found another blog with the website mentioned on it. The blog was called "Ain't Chicken." And, I'll be damned, but the wording was so similar, and the blogger reasoned that anyone can see his blog for free, even if they haven't registered with auto surf monster. I concur.

Another thing, the comment was put on by someone calling herself/himself Jessica, but signed it anonymous. Who, or what is Jessica, anyway?

Moral: Be cynical, and trust very little on the 'net. The computer you save could be your own.

Two Areas To Save Big - Stop With The Ringtones and Movies

2006-08-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

I know I am going to incur the wrath of many viewers when I introduce two practical ideas for saving a buck: Stop with the ringtones for one, and stop buying movies.

For what real pragmatic reason does someone have to have a special ringtone? The young will give their rationale for purchasing, and sometimes renting special ring-tones. They will pay more for a part of a song than a whole song. Think ahead 5 years, look at what you are spending on this, and see if it will make a whole bunch of sense to purchase a jingle at $2.50, or worse, rent it for a limited time. Are you trying to impress your friends? They already know who and what you are. Are you trying to impress strangers? Will it matter 10 minutes after they are out of sight? So, a ringtone will alert you if a certain friend is calling, but so will the caller ID on the phone. It isn't cool if you have to pay for it. It isn't even bright.

The second idea to save is not to buy mainstream movies. Movies are archived everywhere. How many times are you going to watch any movie? I know people with extensive collections of movies on DVDs. Even if they got a buy at $10.00, you can rent that movie a lot of times for $2.00 each time. Unless you have to watch the Wizard of Oz every time you feel blue, why the hell do you need to own it? If you own a collection, you are always adding to it, and don't have time to watch any movie over again, anyway. If I want to see a movie over again, I can rent it. Blockbuster and Netflix offer deals all the time, anyway. I got a free month of all the movies I can watch in a month from Blockbuster recently. I will cancel before the month is out. I will bet that Blockbuster will offer me the same deal again in the near future. While you spend $50 buying movies you may never get around to watching again, I saved enough to go to the Red Lobster for dinner and I saw just as many movies as you did.

Here's another thought. If you haven't noticed, it is hard to buy a new stand-alone VHS tape deck at this time. The VHS technology is being phased out. How do you know DVDs won't be replaced in 10 years with something better, and you won't be able to buy a replacement player to see all your movies? You say you can copy all your stuff to new media? Well, do you have time for that, now? I doubt it will be something you will do in the future, with many more movies to copy. Thousands of DVDs will be left for the ages, monuments to your need to own them, and the movie industry's need to make money.

Add up what you spend for this stuff, and see if it is all really worth it to you. As Garfield, the cartoon cat, once remarked, "It's amazing what people would really rather have than money."

Telephones Sometimes Give Better Deals Than The 'Net

2006-08-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

I decided to make the plunge the other day, and buy a large external hard drive for my 'puter. I already have an 80-gig internal drive on my Dell, and a 200-gig external USB Maxtor drive, but the internal is filled with large photographs, and the 200-gig is the back-up. I want to clear the 80-gig internal of almost all photos, and use the 200-gig as the main photo repository. After looking at many of these drives, and realizing that whatever I buy will eventually fill up with my work, I wanted to get a drive from 500-gigs to 1-terabyte. Now, prices for these things vary. 1-tb drives are no less than around $700.00 and I have seen some over $1K. That's a lot of scratch. One-half a terabyte (500-gigs) prices are dropping, and I decided to go that route. Currently, I could buy two half-tb drives for much less than a 1-tb drive. I researched the price and found Office Depot would sell one: A 500-gb, 7200 rpm, USB 2.0, external Western Digital hard drive for $279.00.

My wife had an "anniversary card" from Dell that ballyhooed their "copper anniversary," and offered a 15-percent discount with a coupon number input to their website. I didn't think of Dell, because I thought they'd be too expensive. I looked up their drives, and to my surprise, they were selling almost exactly the same drive for $10.00 less than Office Depot. If worse came to worse, I could use that price to get the same pricing from Office Depot. Then the 15% came back into focus. I would have to pay shipping and tax with Dell, but the 15% would mean a savings of over $35.00! I put one in my Dell online shopping cart to see what the shipping would be. I had to put in the coupon number to get the discount. It refused my coupon number. I tried again. Same result. There was a phone number on the card. I called and got a great salesman on the line. He was able to bring up the coupon and the drive in my shopping cart. He tried the coupon number, and same result. The salesman then asked me to wait while he checked with his supervisor. He came back and said, "Success." I asked how much the drive was going to cost. He said $229.49. I asked about the shipping. He said Free! The total with tax was $248.77. I figured I saved over $50.00 on the drive, after taxes were added. I asked how his supervisor was able to get the 15%. He stated that he couldn't do it either, but they wanted to make a sale and make me a happy Dell customer, so they discounted it anyway. The website would never have done this. Moral: If there is a phone number, call it. You may get a better deal than dealing with a computer.

It Doesn't Always Work!

2006-08-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

I wanted to buy a 1-gigabyte SanDisk Secure Digital Card for our new Canon A620 camera. Almost everybody and their brother sells this particular card. Sears, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, etc., all sell the SDSD1024A10 flash memory card. Prices are also all over the board. Office Max sells it for $49.98. Office Depot for $29.99. Staples for $24.98 after $16.00 in-store discount and $15.00 mail-in rebate. I found a place online called dz-tech storefront on pricegrabber.com that was selling it for $14.45! But they charge $9.45 shipping and insurance to deliver it, bringing the total to $23.90. All the other stores, being local, charge 8.4% sales tax on the out-the-door price. No tax on the out of state online storefront.

I called Sears to see if they would match the price of the online store. They would not. They will only compete with other bricks-and-mortar stores. Then I remembered that the camera I recently purchased was being sold online by a bricks-and-mortar store called Norman Camera. That's possibly why there was no argument. I could have called some more places, and they may have told me that they would honor that price, but I felt they probably would not, once I got there. I ordered it from dz-tech and we'll see if that was the best way to go. Their price was much better than the other outfits, when you factored in the sales tax. And I didn't have to burn $3.00 per gallon gas to get it. I'll be getting it by first-class mail.

Getting My Cable Bill Reduced With No Loss Of Service

2006-08-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

Ah! Competition. Ya gotta love it. Use one company to get concessions from another. My wife has been after me to change to DSL from cable, because of the cost of Internet access. Qwest has been bombarding us to change all of our services to them: phones, cell phones, television, and internet access. We have Qwest as our phone company. We get a nice deal from them, including long distance. I don't know how they would be at the other things. They keep marketing that they will give us DSL for something like $29.99 per month. Now, I have had DSL in the past, and it was fast. But I gotta tell you, I have had cable with Comcast for almost 2 years now, and cable is faster. But, I am paying $45.95 per month for it. I don't want to change to DSL for a number of reasons. I would have to get new equipment. I would have to set it up. I would have to get a new personal email address. I would be unable to access the net for a time. And, DSL is slowwwer!

So I decided to call Comcast, and negotiate. I figure that some of their customers have gone to DSL because of the price. I keep getting adverts from Comcast telling me that if I am a new customer, they will give me 4 months of cable internet for $24.95, but it will go up to the regular price after that. I call and tell the guy at the other end that I am constantly getting pitched by Qwest, at quite a reduction in price, and isn't there anything he can do for me so I can tell my wife that it pays to stick with Comcast. He says that he knows Qwest is trying to pull me away, but that cable is way faster. I tell him that the blazing speed of cable, while nice, isn't absolutely necessary for me (whether true or not), and that I need a break in the price. He says the best he can do is reduce the price to $29.99 per month for the next six months. He can't do any more than that. At this point, this is sufficient. I am saving $15.95 per month, almost $96 for that period of time. To me, that is the equivalent of 2 tankfulls of gas, or couple of nice dinners at the Olive Garden. I'll take it. And, it only cost me a 7-minute phone call. Remember, you only get benefits when you ask for them.

Dealing with Dell

2006-08-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

My last four computers have been purchased from Dell. I have always been plagued by my own definition of Moore's Law: something like, that computers will do twice as much, for half the price, within 18 months. I feel that whatever I buy, I will be looking at something better within one month. Either the new contraption will be more powerful for roughly the same expenditure, or what I am buying will go down in price in a short time period. Dell has, in the past, had a 30-day refund policy, in that if you buy something, and they lower the price on it within 30 days of your purchase, they will give it to you at a lower price - but only if you call them on it!! All four of my Dell boxes were purchased in this way. Each has yielded about $100.00 credited to my credit card at about the 28-day mark. I make a note to call them within 28 days of my purchase. Since all of the Dell units was custom-built, I cannot cite a competitor selling the same one for less. Only Dell can compete with Dell in this respect. They have always honored their price guarantee, at least with me. Look for similar deals from similar sellers.

Sears Television Refund

2006-08-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, I wanted to purchase a high-definition wide-screen television. You may not agree with my choice, but I decided I wanted a DLP 42" Samsung. Now, I had to decide where to buy it. I went to Circuit City, Best Buy, Sears, and a few other stores, to get an idea of whom to buy from. The price was better in some stores than from others. Sears was the closest store to me, and they had the lowest-price + 10% guarantee, as well (some of the others did, too). I brought in a newspaper ad from Circuit City (who had the lowest price at the time), and the salesman at Sears sold it to me at that price minus 10%. At the time, the set cost me around $2,000.00 + tax. He also told me that if I found a lower published advertised price within 30 days, I would get a refund of the difference, + 10% (+ the tax difference).

Two weeks later, I got a bunch of ads with the Sunday newspaper, and lo and behold, the set was advertised by Best Buy at around $1,800.00. I promptly took the ad to Sears, and they credited my credit card the difference + 10%. About 28 days after my purchase, another merchant in town was selling the same set for the unbelievably low price of $1,600.00! I again went to Sears, and produced the ad. You guessed it - they ponied up again + 10% (+ tax difference).

While it is true that if you wait long enough to buy something, you can probably get a reduced price, I was watching the NFL for a whole month in HD, and got it for the price I would have paid, had I bought it a month later.

By the way, I haven't purchased any of the additional warranties offered from these stores. The TV came with a one-year factory warranty. If any electronic product lasts out that first year, it generally has been my experience that it will outlast the additional policy. They wouldn't be offering it if it wasn't a safe bet for them, for the most part.

Using your computer and internet to save big!

2006-08-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

I decided to start this blog the other day, when I wanted to buy a new digital point-and-shoot camera for my wife and business partner. She and I are pro photographers (see my photography blog at http://learnarchitecturalphotography.blogspot.com/ and see our website at http://weshoot.com/ ). She had always carried a point-and-shoot film camera in her purse, and the other day, the battery died. It takes a special lithium battery, which is not cheap. Since digital pretty much has taken over, costs less to operate (no film), and the cameras are now very cheap (relatively), I felt going digital here was a good investment. First lesson: If you don't already have film cameras, don't invest in them.

Now, my first requisite was finding a camera that had two attributes: It would have to be 6 megapixels or larger (so the photographic stock agencies will accept the images), and that the monitor screen and the lens were covered or protected in her purse. Her old camera spent many years in her purse, and rubbed up against everything in there. It was covered with scratches. I found a supposedly discontinued camera called a Canon Powershot A620 (See photos) that would fill the bill nicely. I looked it up on the Internet and got prices all over the board from $215.95 to over $300.00 (same camera, same accessories)

Now, there are cameras out there with less megapixels that cost more, but this one fits our needs. Its screen closes and protects the monitor from scratches, the lens closes up when the camera is not switched on, and it is a 7.1 megapixel camera.

I actually hate buyinng an expensive item like a camera online. I don't have to pay sales tax online, but I usually have to pay shipping. If it is damaged when I receive it, I have to go through steps to send it back, sometimes waiting on the phone, or finding out how to do that on a company's website. Then I may have to pay for shipping to send it back. I would have to package, and label it. Then it needs to be shipped.

Fortunately, I found this same camera at OfficeMax. It was selling for $249.95 + tax ($270.95) there. Remember, I found this camera online at Norman Camera (through PriceGrabber.com) for $215.95 + shipping. Solution: OfficeMax will sell you any item at any other real company's advertised published price. Even if it is published on the web! I printed out the sale price at Norman Camera, along with the accessories list of what came with the camera on the front and back of one sheet of paper.

I took it with me to Office Max and the lady who waited on me was happy to accommodate me. She accepted the published price from Norman Camera, and at my partner's urging, looked to see if there was some other discounts she could give. She complied, and we walked out the door with our new camera priced at $200.95 + tax for a total of $217.83, beating the price from Norman Camera, if you include the shipping. I had saved $53.12 at Office Max with a little homework!

I was going to buy a 1-gigabyte card while I was there, but decided to see what the brands and models they had there went for online first. Who knows, I might just do well there, too.

Preface

2006-08-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

First, let me say that I am a proponent of not spending money, at all. I don't have much of it, and need as much of it as I can get just to keep my head above water. I am not cheap, and like to eat well (includes going to restaurants), drive a nice car that isn't breaking down all the time, and live in a house, rather than an apartment. At the moment, I have achieved that. I want to help others achieve what they want, and this blog may facilitate that. It takes work to save money when you are spending it. Some of it is relatively easy. Some takes some planning. Some will take steady nerves. Sometimes it involves negotiating, or haggling. Sometimes it involves being willing to get up and walk away from a deal.

Some of you already are using tactics to save lots of cash. If you have something to add, post a comment, I will evaluate it, and publish it in this blog with appropriate credit to you. I will not allow comments to go in without vetting them. There are already too many "blog spammers" out there. Have fun, and save!