Everyone seems to want to offer you something for free, but choose wisely. Many products that are offered to you as “wonderful free things” actually end up costing a lot of money and taking ample time to terminate. A few of these free but costly things include: free credit reports, and opinions or advice.
Free Things
One of the many supposed free things is credit scores.
Let’s face it, at some point in time you will need to look up your credit score and obtain a tangible report. Finding a good website in which to do this is where it gets tricky. There are various websites that offer this service. Many of them offer a free credit report, and all is well for a while. You get your report; it’s accurate, and you are satisfied. However, when in haste, many don’t read the fine print below and do not know to cancel their service premium and consequently get charged a quite hefty fee. You can avoid this by always reading the terms and conditions to not only credit reports but any free things you sign up for.
The two most common free things known to man:
Opinions and advice will always be the top two most commonly used free things. Although both are free to give, they can still have a nasty bite. Opinions, although supposedly free to give, can now end up costing you. The best example I have found of this comes from having opinions about a certain company, product, or, in some cases high role citizen. Sometimes, when voiced, these opinions can strike at raw nerves of other individuals, and at times, that can end up costing you. The best way to dodge this bullet is by backing any high risk opinion with facts. If done correctly, you will have solid proof to back your opinions, and no one can really say too much to you. So, if you ever find yourself complaining about something or someone bigger than yourself to more than your neighbor or childhood friend, it is always a good idea to do your research first, get the facts, and then spread your opinions to the world.
Managing your money, and keeping your “free things” free:
There are many websites that offer you free things only for a trial period before you are charged. This is a great marketing tool because it lets users try out a product or service and get a general idea of how it works and if they like it or not. Netflix is a great example of this. They offer free one month trials. Personally, I think it is a wonderful tool for them because it is one of the many free things that most people end up gladly paying for. Many other businesses do this as well, but some aren’t as clear and if you don’t read carefully, you could end up getting slammed with a surprise bill for something you thought was free. One of the best ways to avoid this is to always read the fine print and your terms and conditions before agreeing or signing up for anything.
To sum it up, there are many free things out there that can end up hurting your bank or even your reputation. It is always a good idea to read all the information you can about a product or service before agreeing to anything, and the same goes with sharing your opinions; you should always have the facts to back it up. So read cautiously and never let your free things turn around and take a bite out of your bank account or your life for that matter.