Black Friday deals, phones, and researching them.
Black Friday deals, phones, and researching them.
Things may not be all that they seem.
Thanksgiving Day this year was on October 9th. At least in Canada it was. For the our American neighbours to the south, Thanksgiving Day is this Thursday, November 23rd. The day is marked by many Americans both in the US and abroad as a tradition by having a meal with family and friends, watching football, and maybe watching a parade. At least that’s what my impression of it is. But that’s not what this post is about. This post is about the day after.
Black Friday.
Traditionally, I remember reading that it’s called that because it’s when most businesses financially start to turn a profit, turning their red ink (debt) into black ink (profit). In the US, this day is marked as the day when prices on items are marked down the most and, while there may be some good discounts to be found on many items, finding which items are good deals is often tricky and tiring.
Are they the same electronics?
Sometimes when shopping for an expensive electronic item, like a TV, Computer, or Stereo system, the store (or manufacturer) will have an item that looks similar but is made specifically for Black Friday. For example, a TV that the store normally sells for, say $1,000 outside of Black Friday, may feature something like 6 HDMI ports and have a model number STV3000 or something. On Black Friday, however, you may see one on display or advertised as looking the same, but labeled as STV3000a and have 4 HDMI ports and be made with different internal components, hoping people will just see the price for the similar model of say $749.99 and think it’s a good deal for the TV. This isn’t always the case, but it’s something to watch out for.
New Phones, Researching, and You.
In the days leading up to Black Friday, I’d been researching getting a new phone. I picked a few models that interested me and looked through forums to see how people liked them after owning them for several months. As stores and carriers released their Black Friday deals, I researched those too trying to suss out which would ultimately be the better deal for me.
Buy outright or go on a payment plan/tab?
When considering purchasing a new phone, you generally have 2 different options: Buying the phone outright or purchasing the phone through a deal from a carrier. Each deal has its own pros and cons.
Buying Outright: In this option, you buy the device itself, paying the full advertised price either upfront or with a payment plan. The device comes unlocked and you just have to put your current sim card into and continue on your current plan or swap to a different plan; both are managed independently, but you have to pay full price for the phone.
Buying on a plan: On this way the carrier will pay for all or part of the cost of the phone for you depending on the plan and the phone you’re interested in. This can be a great way to save money depending on your plan. The catch here is that you agree to be on the plan for a certain term, usually 24 months, with the same carrier. While there is a little bit of leeway with regards to plans, if you want to leave that carrier for a different one, there is often an early termination fee.
Is there such a thing as too much research?
My first instinct upon reading that question is to answer “no”, but upon further reflection, I think this question at least deserves some thought. When researching phones, I visited 3 different user forums and 9 different online store websites, comparing various deals and models. I read about user experiences and reviews.
What I found from the forums were people complaining about the problems they were having with their phones and the associated customer service issues. While there were some good reviews, the majority of the posts/replies were complaints.
It got me thinking. What if people only came to the forums to ask questions or complain or discuss their issues? In total, I think I encountered maybe a dozen or two complaints/questions. However, for a such popular phone models, I expect them to have thousands, if not millions of customers. Good or bad, dozens of complaints may not be an accurate representation of the userbase as a whole. In other words, the vast majority of the owners don’t take the time to write an honest review of their purchases. How often do you leave a review for the items you purchased on Amazon or elsewhere?
With that in mind, it’s important to note that online criticism in a public forum is just one facet of feedback one can gather information from to form opinions on things.
Hmm…maybe this doesn’t just apply to just physical things…