There are a lot of financial predators out there. Companies everywhere are looking to balance out losses from the recession and figure a good way to do that is to bite off a few extra bucks from the consumer. They figure if it’s just a few bucks here and there nobody will mind or even notice.
Some are flat out scams while others are labeled as offers, upgrades and insurance which are offered supposedly for your benefit. If you’re not careful, you can end up being the victim of these casual and simple rip-offs. Here a few situations where you should put your guard up:
Cell phone warranties
The best example of how warranties drain you is cell phone insurance. Apple is the master of this. In order to insure your $500 iPhone you have to sign up for the Apple Care plan which usually ends up costing you extra money each month. Over the course of the year, it adds up to hundreds more dollars you’re spending just for the piece of mind that if you drop your cell phone you won’t be out half a grand. Bad deal.
Rent move out fees
A lot of apartment complexes now offer the the option of paying an upfront surety, a one time non-refundable fee, instead of paying the heftier deposit. What they don’t mention is that this surety doesn’t necessarily protect you from having to pay exorbitant cleaning move-out costs upon ending your lease. As with anything, be sure you read the fine print and understand your renter’s move-out policy. When you’re ready to drop the key off, you could find yourself staring at a bill with a list of carpet-cleaning, wall painting, and other fees that add up to hundreds of dollars. Usually, you can combat these charges, but you have no guarantee of escaping them.
The oil change up sell
It happens to all of us. You go into get a simple oil change and before you know it, the technicians are pointing out air filters, gauges, pumps, and spouting all kinds of words you don’t know. It’s called an upsell and most mainstream auto repair joints, like Jiffy Lube, specialize in it. Just remember, new air filters cost around $5 and can be installed manually. You best bet is to find a trustworthy mechanic who’s going to be straight with you about the other stuff. When you go in to get an oil change, you shouldn’t walk out $100 poorer.
These are just a few examples of ways you can get ripped off. There are hundreds more of these types of scams. You can get duped into long term bad deals like if what you thought was a solid fixed rate mortgage turns out to be a completely different adjustable rate type of scam. In general, it’s good to be on the safe side and read all relevant paperwork. Also, stick to your guns, if you came in expecting to pay a certain amount, don’t pay more than that amount.
Part of the Ethernity
