Mod parent up!

This is certainly something to think about. I wish I had mod points today!

I remember going to one of these big box retailers - I vaguely remember it to be The Wiz (sometime known as Nobody beats The Wiz) and buying a VCR or a DVD payer (I forget which). The salesman told me about the extended service plan. I told him that I don't need one. He said, 'Sir, it is simple. Please buy the extended service plan. It will cost you $45.00. But you have 3 days within which you can come back to the store and cancel it. Please do it for my sake'

I did buy the extended service plan and then canceled it a couple of days later.

One other time, when I was buying one of those ultra-cheap DVD players ($20 or so) from Circuit City (I think - it could have Best Buy too) and the sales guy tried to foist a $25 extended waranty on me). When I told him that it would be cheaper for me to buy 2 of the players, instead of his warranty, he didn't know where to look.

All in all, pretty sad the way they catch unwary customers.

I can attest to this. I have received a similar snail mail letter from First Union. I had opened an account many moons ago - when they were still called First Fidelity. I changed my bank for unrelated reasons and closed my account, my overdraft account, my business' account and my safe deposit account. All fine.

Suddenly they decided to charge me fees for the overdraft account - about 8 years after I had closed it.

I called them and they found that internally, they had just moved their data from an old system to a new system.

Initially I was absolutely petrified that someone had stolen my identity. Fortunately, the phone call proved that my concerns, although valid, were unnecessary.

The reason for the problem was that the integration of First Fidelity's accounts into the new system.

I would hazard that something similar may have happened - some bank acquired by BofA had data that got onto the new BofA system and triggered the alert.

Isn't it possible that the only reason they have these 'low' prices is because they are ripping off customers by bidding against them?

So you save with one hand, and pay for it with the other.

Dubious savings.