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Google’s Cell Phone: Double Early Termination Fees

You’ve heard of double coupons, right. And that’s a good thing. But you probably never heard of double terminations fees. And that’s a bad thing.

Google just introduced its first cell phone, the Nexus One. They sell for a lot of money: $529 if you just want to buy the phone, but only $179 if you buy it as part of a package deal with two years of service from T-Mobile.

If you cancel early, you would expect to pay an early termination fee to T-Mobile:

*MOUSE PRINT:

So, you would owe $200 to T-Mobile if you cancel within the first year and a half of your contract. What you might not expect is to pay a second early termination fee, this time to Google.

*MOUSE PRINT:

If you cancel your service within the first 120 days, you will owe Google an “equipment recovery fee.” That’s the difference between what you paid for the phone ($179) and the full retail price ($529). In other words, $350.

So let’s do the math. You pay $179 for the phone upfront. If you cancel, you pay T-Mobile $200 and Google $350. That totals $729 for a phone that would have cost you at most only $529. Seems like someone is profiting from your early cancellation.

And to add insult to injury, should you want to avail yourself of Google’s 14 day trial period where no early termination fees apply, you will have to pay a restocking fee of $45.

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Get TurboTax 50% Off by Outsmarting the Fine Print

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it is time to begin to think about doing your income taxes. For many people, that means looking for a deal on tax preparation software.

To get the best deal, you have to combine the various ways to save money: buy the item on sale, use a coupon, get a rebate, and do a price match. And that is exactly what you have to if you want to get a great price on TurboTax Deluxe (for federal and state returns, with “free” federal efiling).

TurboTax Deluxe is selling for $59.99 this year, but by using all the techniques mentioned above, you MAY be able to buy it for a net price of $29.99. We say “may” because doing a price match is always YMMV (your mileage may vary) depending on which store you go to and the temperament of the checkout person. And rebates can also be iffy.

This year, Costco is offering TT for $49.99 — a $10 savings to start with compared to most stores. But they just issued a $10 off coupon (good in-store or online until January 24, 2010) to bring down the price to $39.99. At the same time, Intuit has a $10 mail-in rebate on TT Deluxe which should bring the net price down to $29.99. [Rebate not valid in NY or ME retail locations.] But there is a catch on Intuit’s rebate site:

*MOUSE PRINT:

“TurboTax and Quicken products purchased at Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Costco or Target are not eligible for rebates, unless otherwise specified by Intuit.”

In addition, it is not currently good at Staples either because you must use their “easy rebate” website, and there are no rebates available for the purchase of TT alone.

So what’s a bargain hunter to do? Find a store that does price matches other than those stores excluded from the promotion above. So you well may be able to use Best Buy, OfficeMax or Office Depot. (Note some stores will balk at matching Costco’s prices because it is a “membership club”. So, you may have to fight a little. You can also ask if their computerized system for doing price matches has a list of stores for which they do honor price matches. If so, ask to see it. Costco may actually be listed!)

In a nutshell, here is how to get this deal: print the Costco webpage showing the $39.99 price (after the $10 coupon has been deducted). Bring along a copy of the $10 coupon (the link is above), just in case. Go to Best Buy or your favorite store that carries TT and has a price matching policy. Ask for the price match. Do the rebate. And if all goes well, you will have snared TurboTax Deluxe this year for just $29.99 net.

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Pizza Hut: Any* Pizza, $10*

Pizza Hut is kicking off the new year with a $10 deal: “Any Pizza, Any Size, Any Crust, any Toppings — $10”.

What isn’t obvious is the catch in the disclaimer:

*MOUSE PRINT:

*MOUSE PRINT: And in some ads, this disclaimer is used:

When “all” does not mean “all”, wouldn’t it be nice if advertisers didn’t use that term?  At least in Massachusetts, starting today (January 4, 2010), the Attorney General’s Retail Advertising regulations are changing to make illegal disclaimers that contradict the meaning of the primary claim:

“It shall be an unfair or deceptive act or practice for a seller to use a disclosure set apart from the primary claim to which it refers, such as by use of an asterisked footnote, if such disclosure imparts a meaning that contradicts or materially alters the meaning of the term, statement or claim to which it refers.” 940 CMR 6.01

Whether this advertisement’s disclaimer rises to the level of being illegal is an open question.

Thanks to Thomas G. and Lauren B. for the story idea.

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