Don’t make these costly shopping mistakes "As seen on tv" Products
Perhaps you have succumbed to the temptation to buy any “Seen on TV” item? If that’s the case, you are not the only one. It doesn’t matter if it’s the half-hour TV infomercials or the shorter direct marketing commercials, DRTV (as it’s labeled in the industry) generates over $ 150 billion in orders every year.
However, no matter how many quantities of these products are sold, television infomercials have an undesirable image among a considerable percentage of the public. Most of this stems from their puzzling or misleading offer terms. Search the message boards and you will find countless complaints from outraged shoppers who called on the phone or went online to buy a product they saw on TV and found that this product they thought was $ 19.95 ended up costing more than $ 100.
However, you can avoid a nasty expense on your credit card bill by learning specific mistakes to avoid when getting any “As Seen on TV” item.
Error n. # 1: Forget to include the total number of payments
High-priced items “as seen on television” usually show their cost as a series of “easy payments” to cushion the impact of the total price. Therefore, you should definitely add the number of bills and the amount to get the actual amount that you will pay. If you don’t have a calculator nearby, round the total amount to the nearest dollar and figure it out in your mind.
Error n. # 2: not realizing shipping and processing fees
Handling charges (also known as S&H or P&H) often cost up to 70% of the object’s expense. You can even be hit with different shipping and delivery charges. Most “Buy One Get 1 Free” offers often hit you with extra S&H for your extra “free” product, and sometimes include it for any kind of “free” bonus items.
Error n. 3: choose any upsell
A familiar method advertisers use to get more funds from buyers is to display multiple “upsells” each time people place an order. “Upsell” is the term for additional products that an individual will be informed about when purchasing the product over the phone or on the web. Obviously, each additional sale you accept increases the total amount of the order. Additionally, each different upsell usually comes with an additional shipping and handling charge. Therefore, please decline to collect any additional items with your purchase.
Error n. # 4: believe that a “free” or “risk-free” trial is really free
A different way that television infomercials go to great lengths to disguise the cost of an expensive unit is by offering a “Free Trial” or “Risk-Free Trial.” These types of tests require processing and handling fees to be paid immediately. A “risk-free” trial will not be free, but it will charge you for testing the merchandise for the duration of the trial, and then you will be stuck with the full cost of the merchandise. “Risk-free” simply indicates that you can return the merchandise and receive the funds you gave for the “test” (shipping and handling charges are not usually refunded).
Error n. # 5: do not write down where you purchased the item
It is recommended that you write down the contact number or Internet location where you purchased the product to ensure that you can reach the company in the event of a problem with the shipment or merchandise. Be sure to write down the exact contact number or website! The website may not send these records to your email, so be sure to keep the purchase number, phone number, postal address and any other contact information and keep it in a very safe place.
You can avoid virtually all of these problems by shopping through an online or offline retailer rather than directly from the phone number used in the TV ad. However, if the item is absolutely new, it may not be available anywhere else and many products may never be available in stores.
If you stay away from the mistakes mentioned in this article, you will be given the opportunity to enjoy your infomercial product without receiving a costly surprise when the charges arrive.