Perhaps you have succumbed to the urge to buy any “Seen on TV” item? If that’s the case, you’re not alone. It doesn’t matter if it’s half-hour TV infomercials or shorter direct marketing commercials, DRTV (as it’s called in the industry) creates more than $150 billion in orders each year.
However, as much as these products are sold, television advertorials have an undesirable image among a significant percentage of the public. Most of this stems from their baffling or misleading offer terms. Peruse message boards and you’ll find countless complaints from outraged shoppers who called or went online to buy a product they saw on TV only to discover that this product they thought was $19.95 ended up costing more than $100.
However, you can avoid an unpleasant expense on your credit card bill by learning specific mistakes to avoid when purchasing any “As Seen On TV” item.
Mistake #1: Forgetting to include the total number of payments
High-priced “As Seen On TV” items typically display their cost as a series of “easy payments” to cushion the impact of the total price. So you definitely need to add up the number of bills and the amount to get the actual amount you will pay. If you don’t have a calculator nearby, round the total amount to the nearest dollar and do the math in your head.
Bluder #2: Not realizing shipping and processing fees
Handling charges (also known as S&H or P&H) often cost up to 70% of the item’s cost! You may even receive many different charges from S&H. Most “Buy One, Get 1 Free” deals frequently hit you with additional shipping charges for your additional “free” product, and sometimes include you for any sort of “free” bonus items.
Bluder #3: Pick Any Upsell
A familiar method advertisers use to get more funds from buyers is to display multiple “upsells” each time people place an order. “Upsell” is the term for additional products that will be disclosed to a person when they purchase the product by phone or website. Obviously, each additional sale you accept increases the total sum of the order. Also, each additional sale usually comes with an additional shipping and handling charge. Therefore, please decline to collect any additional items with your purchase.
Bluder #4: Believing a “Free” or “Risk-Free” Trial Is Really Free
A different way that TV infomercials go to great lengths to disguise the cost of an expensive unit is by providing a “Free Trial” or “Risk-Free Trial.” These types of lawsuits require that processing and handling fees be paid immediately. A “risk-free” trial will not be free, but you will be charged to try the merchandise for the duration of the trial, and then you will have to pay the full cost of the merchandise. “Risk-Free” simply indicates that you can return the merchandise and receive the funds you provided for the “proof” (S&H charges are typically not refundable).
Mistake #5: Not Writing Where You Purchased The Item
It is a good idea to make a note of the contact number or internet location where you purchased the product to ensure that you would be able to contact the company in the event of a problem with the shipment or the products. Make sure to write down the exact contact number or website! The website may not send these records to your email, so be sure to save your purchase number, phone number, address, and any other contact information and keep it in a safe place.
You can avoid virtually all of these problems by shopping through an online or offline retailer rather than directly from the phone number used in the TV ad. However, if the item is brand new, it may not be available anywhere else and many products will never be available in stores.
By avoiding the mistakes mentioned in this article, you’ll have a chance to enjoy your infomercial product without getting an expensive surprise when the charges roll in.