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SEEMS like manufacturers are determined to make you spend this festival season. Open any newspaper and you will see a number of highly tempting offers by manufacturers of household appliances. They are so alluring that even if you never thought of buying an LCD TV, or changing your washing machine, you will start thinking along those lines. Well, that’s the power of advertising, I guess. Usually, I find manufacturers using five kinds of inducements. The most popular of them is to offer a free gift along with a product — the free gift is pre-determined. The other is to offer a chance to all those who buy the product to participate in a lucky draw, and the prizes could be a car, or a flat, or some jewellery. The third is the scratch- a- card scheme, and get an assured prize offer. The fourth is to offer goods on interest-free instalments. In most of these cases, you pay 50 per cent of the cost and the rest in four or five instalments. Then there is the fifth variety, where the manufacturer is just offering a cut on the price. Now, let us discuss the merits and de-merits of each one of them. As far as free gift offer goes, one is never sure whether the gift is really and completely free. Second, you may not be interested in that gadget that is being offered as a free gift. I would certainly not think of a lucky draw offer as attractive because one is never so lucky as to get it. Also, in such schemes, only one or two consumers, who win the draw benefit, and not everyone. The scratch-a-card scheme is also usually misleading — most gifts that one gets are worthless, and you have no use for them. The interest-free instalments are good, provided they really are interest free, and there are no hidden charges. In these schemes, one also needs to check whether the manufacturer has increased the price prior to the offer, or whether the offer is on some old models. Some of these instalment schemes are worked out in collaboration with credit card companies, and the instalment is deducted from your card every month, so you do not even have to issue post-dated cheques, or issue cheques every month. A simple offer of a reduction in price is equally good. But here again, one needs to make sure that the price was not increased sometime prior to this, so as to give an impression of a price cut. However, a note of warning here. Do not allow free gifts and other allurements to determine your choice. Make an informed decision based on the quality, performance, safety and after-sales service of the product, and then look at the festival offers available on it. Given the rising cost of electricity and also the increasing concern about environment, you also need to look for products that are energy efficient. So check on how much power the product consumes. Another important aspect of good buying is to check and compare the warranty offered by different manufacturers. Don’t be misled by promotional blurbs that promise long warranty periods. Look at the small print, too, and see what the warranty really covers. Make enquiries about the after-sales service, too. Is there a service centre near where you live? Does the manufacturer give a 24-hour toll-free help line? What is the response time of the service centre in case of a complaint? Besides friends and relatives who have purchased the product, dealers will also be able to give you some information on the after-sales service. The Internet is also a
good source when it comes to product information. Sitting in the
comfort of your home, you can look at the entire product range,
compare features and prices. You can also look at sites where clients
complain about products — they give you an indication of the quality
and after-sales service of different products. Once you have made up
your mind and the transaction is complete, collect the cash receipt.
Insist on the dealer putting his seal, signature and date on the
warranty card. If, soon after purchase, you find some problem with
your product, insist on a replacement. Do not agree to repairs.
Remember, a new product should give you trouble-free service.
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