How Much is In-store 'Insurance' costing You?

Insurance News:

Car Insurance
Advertise with Us
Insurance Blog
Link to Us

Informative Articles

Business Insurance � And What You Need To Know
Getting your business up and running is exciting, challenging and hard work. You�re finally making money � and you are the driving force that is making your business grow. But have you taken care of the �What ifs�. Like � �What if I get sick, how do...

Car insurance
Driving without car insurance is illegal in most parts of the world! Car insurance is one of the most important types of insurance that you can get. If you are going to drive anywhere, then you are most likely required by law to have at least a...

Facts about Renters Insurance
If you rent an apartment or house, you might consider purchasing renters insurance. Renters insurance provides coverage for damage or loss of personal property for people in rental housing. It's to insure the renter's belongings from theft or...

Life Insurance Fears Following The London Bombings Tragedy
Following on from the tube train and bus bomb attacks in London there was a move from several UK insurance companies to reassure victims that claims would be processed �quickly and sympathetically�. This need for reassurance came in light of...

Understanding Insurance Fraud
Insurance fraud is the second costliest white-collar crime in America, after tax evasion. It is estimated that $80 billion is paid out each year in fraudulent insurance claims. It is estimated by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud that...

How Much is In-store 'Insurance' costing You?

REPRINT GUIDELINES: Please feel free to reprint this
article in your ezine or on your site, as long as you leave
all links in place and include the resource box as listed
above. A quick email to inform me would also be
appreciated. Thanks.

TITLE: How Much is In-store 'Insurance' costing You?

AUTHOR: Colin Mc Caig

EMAIL: mailto:colin@cmcaig.com

AUTORESPONDER: mailto:warranties@demandmail.com

WORD COUNT: 475

KEY WORDS: Extended warranties, bad deal, shop around

DESCRIPTION: Extended warranties may seem a great deal, but
frequently turn out to be a costly luxury.

'How Much is In-store "insurance" Costing You?'

by Colin mc Caig

I saw it coming, but many of us still don't.

No sooner had I handed my card over to pay for my new DVD,
than I was hit with that famous question that meets the
unwary at the point of sale...

'Would Sir care to insure his purchase against breakage...'

It's a fact that high-street outlets still sell millions of
this 'insurance' each year.

Unfortunately, for Joe Public, though, they're rarely worth
the paper they're written on.

Indeed, in the majority of cases, it's generally cheaper to
pay for breakage as you go, particularly as many extended
warranties can come to more than *half* the cost of your
actual purchase.

Add to this, that we live in a competitive world with goods
bought today far more reliable than 10-20 years ago, you
really have to question who's getting the best deal here.

In fact, I can still think of a cheap video recorder I
bought 4 years ago. It came with a 1-year guarantee and
it's still going strong today.

So how do you make sure you're not caught out?

Well, here are a few pointers:

1. Don't fall for the standard 'hard sell' techniques until
you have all the facts up front. These are frequently
employed to foist unwanted warranties on the unwary.

2. How open is the retailer about the cost of their
insurance? Is the cost of the

warranty displayed alongside
the goods?

3. Does the warranty include a 1-2 month money-back
guarantee if you don't make a claim in that period? And
after this, would you be entitled to a pro rata refund?

4. Is there an information booklet explaining your
statutory rights? This should state that you have the
right to cancel and that warranties are available
elsewhere.

On that last point, did you know that warranties bought
in-store can be up to 40% more expensive than those
available from other insurers and outlets?

And if you're a credit card holder, many cards now cover
your goods for a year beyond the retailer's offer.

Mmm...suddenly that 'insurance' isn't looking so great a
deal after all.

So, next time, don't feel pushed into an immediate
decision.

One final tip: If you have cash to pay, then why not make
the sales assistant work for the sale? You'll often find
their commission has already been 'priced in' to the item
they're trying to sell you.

Haggling is common practice in many countries, so don't feel
embarrassed! You'll find many stores prepared to do so to
win business - particularly if surrounded by a lot of
competitors!

So, There you have it...the next time you go shopping for
that new washing machine, try shopping around a little
first. That way, you can stop your 'insurance' becoming a
costly luxury.

� 2004 Colin Mc Caig

RESOURCE BOX:
============================================================
Want to know how some beat the debt trap and master their
money with ease? You can find out by grabbing Colin's
'Debt-Busting Secrets' mini-course. Send a blank email to:
=======>>>> mailto:colind@demandmail.com
============================================================

About the Author

Want to know how some beat the debt trap and master their
money with ease? You can find out by grabbing Colin's
'Debt-Busting Secrets' mini-course. Send a blank email to:
=======>>>> mailto:colind@demandmail.com

Hot Topics:

pet insurance

farmers insurance

homeowners insurance

term life insurance

cheap auto insurance

travel insurance

cheap car insurance

medical insurance

car insurance quotes

cheap insurance

motorcycle insurance