I went shopping for a new laptop today. I was looking for a small laptop to fit easily into my bag and use whilst I was on the go. Nothing too fancy required.
After settling on the make and model I wanted, the sales guy said that I could pay to have a replacement computer in a few years, all for an additional fee. I am usually suspicious of the "do you want fries with that" offers when buying computers. You will always end up with an extended warranty that you can never claim because there is some clause in the fine print that excludes the reasonable claim you might make.
Now, I don't usually engage with the salesman on these matters, I politely say no and move on. But it was how he presented the offer that attracted my attention. He promoted it as if I would never have to pay for a computer ever again. "Just pay the fee and come back in three to four years and we will give a new computer", he said.
After a short inquisition, I determined that what he was selling was an extended warranty, ladened with conditions. I didn't have the time to read the fine print before finalising the purchase, so I again politely said, no thanks. I didn't need the fries.
If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
After settling on the make and model I wanted, the sales guy said that I could pay to have a replacement computer in a few years, all for an additional fee. I am usually suspicious of the "do you want fries with that" offers when buying computers. You will always end up with an extended warranty that you can never claim because there is some clause in the fine print that excludes the reasonable claim you might make.
Now, I don't usually engage with the salesman on these matters, I politely say no and move on. But it was how he presented the offer that attracted my attention. He promoted it as if I would never have to pay for a computer ever again. "Just pay the fee and come back in three to four years and we will give a new computer", he said.
After a short inquisition, I determined that what he was selling was an extended warranty, ladened with conditions. I didn't have the time to read the fine print before finalising the purchase, so I again politely said, no thanks. I didn't need the fries.
If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
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In this I love how Peter highlights the fact that most of these 'do you want fries with that offer' are simply the company trying to get you to pay for something that they won't honor later. They just want the money upfront to pad their books and their whole intention is to fulfill only a subset of these 'fries'.