How to become a 'defensive' consumer

Herb Weisbaum • Profile • E-mail

We are all consumers. We make a lot of decisions throughout the year that can affect us in negative ways.

Sometimes the outcome is beyond our control. But all too often, these self-made problems could have been avoided if we had done something differently. Remember, once the damage is done you may be out of luck. Life doesn’t come with an “undo” switch.

Here — on National Consumer Protection Week —are my six tips for being a smarter consumer. These are based on 30 years of covering consumer issues and talking to thousands of people who have been conned, scammed, or ripped-off.         

1. Question all offers
The world is filled with people and companies who don’t play by the rules. They are willing to lie and cheat in order to get your money. You need to be skeptical of everything — unknown Web sites, telemarketing calls, mail solicitations, e-mail offers, and all advertisements.

Blatantly deceptive ads are all over radio and TV. Every day, I see and hear commercials for bogus weight loss products, moneymaking opportunities, and debt-counseling services. Don’t assume anyone at the stations has verified the claims. In most cases, they have not. Caveat emptor — let the buyer beware!

2.  Don’t be fooled by ‘no-risk’ offers
Free trial offers and money-back guarantees are confidence builders designed to keep you from seriously evaluating the product or service before you buy. “I don’t have anything to worry about,” you tell yourself. “If I don’t like it, I can just send it back.” Maybe. Maybe not.

With most free trial offers you pay the shipping, which often turns out to be more than the product is worth. And once they have your credit card number, some companies sign you up for future purchases — whether you realize it or not — which can be hard to stop.

A money-back guarantee is only as good as the company that offers it. Sometimes the rules are so restrictive that there’s no way anyone could get a refund. I’ve seen cases where merely opening the package voids the offer.

Don’t let your guard down. If you’re not confident in the offer or the company, don’t let a money-back guarantee or free trial offer convince you to buy.

3. Get it in writing
Verbal promises don’t count. It’s as simple as that. I don’t care what the salesperson tells you, the only thing that matters is what’s written down.

If the friendly sales associate tells you the extended warranty covers any mechanical problem and the contract says it doesn’t cover the transmission — you are out of luck if the transmission needs repair. Trust me on this.

You can go back and argue, “But the sales guy told me it was covered! My wife heard it, too!” and it won’t make any difference.

That’s why you need to read, understand, and agree to the terms before you sign.

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