Last week when I was bowling on the Thursday night league, a couple of the guys from the opposing team were talking. I wasn't really trying to listen in on their conversation, but they were right there next to my team and it was hard NOT to listen. I didn't hear all of the conversation, but I heard enough of it to get the idea of what they were talking about.
It seems one of the guys bought a new car, and he wasn't real happy because he wanted an option (not sure which one, it was my turn to bowl at the time) and he couldn't get that option without taking a complete option package. Just suppose that the option he was talking about was instead of a CD player he wanted a MP3 player. But to get the MP3 player he had to take an option package that included power windows, power door locks, power seats, rear window defogger and an MP3 player. Let's also suppose this option package was an extra $750. But all he really wanted was the MP3 player which would normally cost, let's just say $50 more than a regular CD player. So he had to pay an extra $700 just to get the $50 extra MP3 player. I can see it if you were to buy a vehicle that was on the dealers lot, you would have to take whatever options were on that vehicle. But this guy ordered the vehicle because they didn't have what he wanted on their lot.
What I am trying to get at is, why do we have to pay for several things we don't want, just to get the one thing we do want? This is true not just about vehicles, it is true about all sorts of things. Take for instance Satellite TV. We had Dish Network for many years. One day the wife wanted to watch a particular show that was only on some channel from Atlanta. So I called Dish Network and told them we would like to be able to get that channel. They said it wasn't a problem, but we had to take a package deal in order to get that channel and it would cost an extra $9.95 per month. I explained that we only wanted the one channel and would not be watching the other channels, but they would not activate just the one channel, we had to take the whole package. Not wanting to upset the wife too much, I said we would take the package, but once again the consumer gets bent over. But it isn't any different with cable TV, they have the same type thing where you have to take a package deal if you want certain channels. I hate paying for several channels I don't watch just so I can get the one or two channels that I do watch.
Why do we accept this from vehicle manufacturers, satellite TV providers and Cable Companies, but we do not accept it from other places? I mean, suppose the wife sends you to the supermarket to pick up a gallon of milk. You get to the supermarket, go to the dairy cooler, grab the gallon of milk and head to the checker lady. Suppose the checker lady says that you can't just buy a gallon of milk, the milk comes as a package deal. Along with a gallon of milk you also have to buy two pounds of ground beef, some hamburger buns, a bottle of Dijon mustard and a jar of pickles. I am quite certain you would tell that checker lady where she could stick that gallon milk, although I don't really think it would be medically possible.
Same thing goes for the hardware store. I can go in and buy three 1/4 in bolts 2 inches long. They don't tell me I also have to buy a pound of nails, 3 wrenches and a jug of weed killer.
Anyway, my whole point is that we don't accept paying for things we don't want to get the one thing we do want in some purchases, but we just take this crap for granted when it comes to other purchases. Why is that?
It seems one of the guys bought a new car, and he wasn't real happy because he wanted an option (not sure which one, it was my turn to bowl at the time) and he couldn't get that option without taking a complete option package. Just suppose that the option he was talking about was instead of a CD player he wanted a MP3 player. But to get the MP3 player he had to take an option package that included power windows, power door locks, power seats, rear window defogger and an MP3 player. Let's also suppose this option package was an extra $750. But all he really wanted was the MP3 player which would normally cost, let's just say $50 more than a regular CD player. So he had to pay an extra $700 just to get the $50 extra MP3 player. I can see it if you were to buy a vehicle that was on the dealers lot, you would have to take whatever options were on that vehicle. But this guy ordered the vehicle because they didn't have what he wanted on their lot.
What I am trying to get at is, why do we have to pay for several things we don't want, just to get the one thing we do want? This is true not just about vehicles, it is true about all sorts of things. Take for instance Satellite TV. We had Dish Network for many years. One day the wife wanted to watch a particular show that was only on some channel from Atlanta. So I called Dish Network and told them we would like to be able to get that channel. They said it wasn't a problem, but we had to take a package deal in order to get that channel and it would cost an extra $9.95 per month. I explained that we only wanted the one channel and would not be watching the other channels, but they would not activate just the one channel, we had to take the whole package. Not wanting to upset the wife too much, I said we would take the package, but once again the consumer gets bent over. But it isn't any different with cable TV, they have the same type thing where you have to take a package deal if you want certain channels. I hate paying for several channels I don't watch just so I can get the one or two channels that I do watch.
Why do we accept this from vehicle manufacturers, satellite TV providers and Cable Companies, but we do not accept it from other places? I mean, suppose the wife sends you to the supermarket to pick up a gallon of milk. You get to the supermarket, go to the dairy cooler, grab the gallon of milk and head to the checker lady. Suppose the checker lady says that you can't just buy a gallon of milk, the milk comes as a package deal. Along with a gallon of milk you also have to buy two pounds of ground beef, some hamburger buns, a bottle of Dijon mustard and a jar of pickles. I am quite certain you would tell that checker lady where she could stick that gallon milk, although I don't really think it would be medically possible.
Same thing goes for the hardware store. I can go in and buy three 1/4 in bolts 2 inches long. They don't tell me I also have to buy a pound of nails, 3 wrenches and a jug of weed killer.
Anyway, my whole point is that we don't accept paying for things we don't want to get the one thing we do want in some purchases, but we just take this crap for granted when it comes to other purchases. Why is that?
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