Sunday, March 22, 2009

I'm not Payin!

Let's be honest. the North American and most of developed world's economy is based on consumerism. In fact it has recently been noticed that the economy is strongest when the population is in a state of hyper-consumerism. Conversely, when times are tough people don't buy as much and times get tougher. Therefore, we are encouraged to buy buy buy. Some businesses will capitalize on the notion that 'we are trained to pay'. Be aware of that and get comfortable with the phrase "I'm not payin'!"

Most people have the idea that the price is the price and would never argue. Don't be one of these. Obviously you stick to your agreements but upsells, add-ons, misleading offers... I'm not payin' for that!

Example- Out for lunch- Server asks would you like gravy on you fries? You agree that would be nice. It shows up on the bill for $1.19 plus tax. In that case I would end up paying but let the manager know it's bad business to make the offer sound like it's a freebie. The server should say "Would you like gravy for $1.19.

Here's an example where you should never pay. Our air conditioner was installed last summer. When the guys did it they screwed up something in our electrical that made out AC come on whenever we turned on our exhaust fans in the bathroom. So I called the AC people to come out and fix it. They did, promptly. Then presented me with a bill for $60. "I'm not paying.", I instinctively replied. The guy called his boss and they waived the fee. No problem.

I call this 'fishing'. Because many people just pay the bill without argument businesses may go fishing for extra revenue where it's not deserved. Beware.

Always pay your bills. Never pay for someones mistakes or dishonesty.

Next: The most controversial debate in frugality. Don't forget the Harvest!

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