Don’t make this gym sign-up mistake
From gym sign-up traps to phone numbers on flight bookings, Wendy Knowler has five new Consumer Hacks for you.
1. Don’t make this gym sign-up mistake
For years I’ve been warning people not to fall for gym salesman’s pitch
- - sign up for three years, it’s cheaper! Well, not if you want to
cancel after the first few months, as most people do, because you’ll
be liable for a cancelation penalty based on all those remaining months.
And especially not if the gym closes down soon after you sign up. As they do,
from time to time.
As in Louis’s case: His gym closed down just three months after they sold him
and others a 36-month contract for R3500.
do??
Always sign up for the SHORTEST possible time.
2. The right way to burn a candle
Ever wondered why those pillar candles burn down in a tunnel, wasting
all that expensive wax around it?
It’s because you haven’t got the crucial first burn right.
By burning long enough to create a “melt pool” spreading evenly all the way to
the edges the candle during that first burn, you’ll prevent that tunnelling.
3. Impulse shopping is costly and wasteful but how can we stop doing it?
I found the answer in a book called The Brain Sell by David Newton:
Our conscious mind can only hold one major idea at a time. By giving your brain
something crazy and vivid to imagine, Newton says, you'll prevent it from
dwelling on anything else, including what’s screaming “BUY ME!” at you.
Just long enough to break the spell.
Psychologists often recommend imagining a pink elephant diving into a bowl of
blue custard.
Give it a go next time you're on the verge of buying your hundredth pair of
sneakers.
4. The store needs a copy of your ID - or do they?
A listener wrote to me, very concerned about what happened when she
asked for a pensioner’s discount at a shoe shop.
“They wanted to see my ID, which was fine, but then insisted on making a copy
"to show that they had followed procedures”.
Not fine - and not worth the discount, given the fraud risk.
Guard your ID, fiercely!
5. Make sure it’s your phone number on the flight booking
If someone else is making a flight booking for you - a travel agent, a
company or family - make sure to tell them to put YOUR cellphone number on the
booking.
That way you will get the SMS advising of any flight delays or new boarding
info when you need it, not them.
Listen to more Consumer Hacks below:
Contact Wendy Knowler:
Get in touch with Wendy via her website or her Facebook page. Please note that Wendy is not able to personally respond to every email she receives. If she is able to take up your case, she will contact you directly. Here are other avenues for you to consider.