Price Increase Survival Guide
Are you still moaning of the price increase of your favorite Maggie mee? Or are you frustrated that the government is not doing enough to keep inflation on check?
Wake-up, stop the crying and grumbling. Things are costing more than there were and your pay is not, so it is time to become an active and assertive consumer!
Becoming one smart consumer is more than finding the best deal, or be a deal hunter. It is about doing your homework to get the high quality goods or services at the best possible price, and speak up if you find yourself being short changed, or were given a sub-standard service.
Walk the store
Thinking back, how often something were you were “sold” to you rather than you actually buying it? Like that free-mileage credit card? And do you ask the sales person to recommend a product to you without knowing what exactly you are looking for – say a health supplement product?
“Buy, don’t be sold,” this is the most important survival golden rule number one. Always do some pricing research before buying something. Do extra research on the products – frequently this mean window shopping and web surfing. You will be surprise with the amount of information you can find from Google. You might also want to further confirm the information that passes to you, or through words of mouth.
Screen the numbers
Whenever you received your phone, utility, credit-card, insurance bills, bank statements, always screen the numbers. Raise the red flag if you see “miscellaneous” fees and make sure you take the efforts to clarify them. I was once ignored the RM5.00 fee charge on my current account for a good 10 months and when I find out what it was for failing to meet the monthly minimum balance requirement, I can only scream at myself.
Voice up
If with good reasons, you are not happy with the service or goods that you received, or see something amiss in your bills, or find the item you bought failed to live up to it promise. Waste no time by calling the company immediately and state you case. Do this sternly but reasonably, and document all interactions made. While doing this, do not get upset or throw you anger to the person on the other end of the phone line. If you still can’t get the answer you want, you can log a consumer complain with either an NGO or Domestic Trade Department. In addition, you can exercise your consumer power by tapping the power of internet to share your case or experience.
I seem to notice that as I “age”, I tend to be more critical in the things which I say and especially so on the things which affects me. In M’sia, there’s the well known saying “Malaysia Boleh” and it also tells that in fact, you can get away with anything in M’sia cos of the very sentence above.
I routinely scrutinise my bills and make an effort to _know_ what is happening with my bills and ensure that I’m not billed in error or etc.
Blogs like this is good and perhaps even better if there’s an enterprising someone (hint.. hint) who would compile a list of affordable prices of essential goods from the few superstores for people to see (and to update) so that consumers can be in the know and then will be hard pressed to raise prices.
Times are tough and we must be tough with our money. It’s OUR money right?
BTW, I note that comments in this blog are _never_ published?
Talking about price comparison, me & my wife was shopping in a hyper market, we picked up a item and ‘think’ the other hyper market is cheaper but not sure. I then jokingly said to her that next time it is better we both shop at the same time but at different locations so that we can have a real-time price comparison.
Bad or good, I published comments I received. Keep them coming