Using Time Wisely

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Roadside Assistance: Are You Overprotected?

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

When I earned my driver’s license at the age of 16, my parents gave me two items: an emergency $20 bill and my own AAA card.

If I got stuck in traffic with a low gas gauge, then I was to use the $20 bill to get gas and go home. My parents took care of filling up the gas tank. (I appreciate it more now than I did then.) 😉

The AAA card provided roadside assistance. If I had a flat tire, locked the keys in the car, or the car would not start, I was to call AAA for help. Though I did not need the services of AAA, I proudly carried my card through high school, college, and into marriage.

Fast-forward a few years into our marriage when Paul and I purchased our first new vehicle. As a perk, our vehicle came with a 5-year roadside assistance package. Since our AAA membership was up for renewal and we did not need the roadside assistance, I counted the cost of keeping or losing these AAA benefits:

Maps

When we traveled, we requested the maps from AAA. With the easy to follow directions, we enjoyed our commutes to and from our destinations. Without AAA, we would not have this access. But, I could find this information within a few minutes through the Internet.

State Guides

In planning our stays, we found the state guides so helpful. With admission times and prices, we could design a trip that fit within our time frame and budget. If we dropped AAA, then we would miss the new additions to these books. With or without AAA, I could search online for entertainment in that area and find the same information, but AAA would save me time.

Discounts

By showing my AAA card, I received discounts at lots of establishments. Without my card, I would lose these savings. Though I would have to plan ahead, daily deal sites (i.e., Groupon, LivingSocial, etc.) offer savings of 50% or more which are better than the 10-20% discounts received with my AAA card.

Notary Services

With free notary services for legal or official documents, AAA signed and sealed those documents without charge for members. Though I did not use this option often, I needed it for authorizing an insurance change, selling a vehicle, and submitting a court affidavit. At the time of our decision, I was not sure if other providers we used had this service.

One day when I stopped by our State Farm insurance office, I asked our agent if they had notary services. To my surprise, they offered free notary services to their customers. Yeah! I had every area covered for which I needed AAA.

Roadside Assistance

Upon hearing that I was considering dropping AAA, our State Farm agent offered to add roadside assistance to our policy.  Though I did not need it, I wanted to know more and asked for details. Discovering that this option was less than $10 annually, I filed this information away for future use.

When we purchased our second vehicle, we added the roadside assistance to that policy. We then waited to add this coverage to the new vehicle until our 5-year roadside assistance ended through the dealership. Now both of our vehicles have roadside assistance coverage through our insurance company.

Though each insurance company is different, our roadside assistance option works this way:

1. Need assistance

2. Get the help you need – call a tow truck, pay him, and get the receipt

3. Submit the receipt to my insurance agent, who immediately writes a check for the service amount

Cons

    • Find your own help
    • Pay up-front
    • Visit the insurance office

Pros

    • Get help sooner than 45 minutes to an hour
    • Quick reimbursement
    • Receive temporary AAA cards to entice me back into a membership

With our decision upon us, we weighed the pros and cons of our AAA membership. Realizing we could stretch our dollars further and gain similar benefits through other means, we allowed our AAA membership to lapse and did not renew. That decision occurred almost 7 years ago, and we have not regretted our decision.

Now, some insurance companies automatically offer each customer roadside assistance. If you hold a AAA card just for the roadside assistance, then check your insurance policy. You may be overprotected. In using time wisely and stretching your dollars, you might save $50-$100 by adding a roadside assistance option to your auto insurance policy and dropping your AAA membership. You have a choice.

A simple question about notary services ended up saving our family around $60. If you are looking to tighten your budget to reach your financial goals, then check your insurance policy. You might be overprotected. Happy savings!

Question: Does your auto insurance company offer a roadside assistance option?

Medical Benefits: Are You Using All Your Resources?

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Medical insurance is not cheap. With the different plans and policy riders, you may have extra benefits available to you.

Though it will take some time, reviewing your medical coverage might save you money in the long run.

Paul and I hold a Cancer and Critical Illness policy. One of the riders for this policy will reimburse us $100 for our annual physical exams. Since this policy covers each member of our family, we are eligible for $500 in reimbursement.

Even though our major medical coverage pays 100% for our children’s well-child visits, Paul and I end up paying $200-$300 each for our annual visits since preventive care is not a covered cost through our policy.

Without getting on my soap box about the lack of preventive care through our major medical policy, I am thankful for the added benefits through this cancer policy to off-set the price of our preventive care.

To get our reimbursement, I have found the following system beneficial:

1. Make and keep the doctor’s appointment,

2. Within 48-hours of the visit, I contact the doctor for an itemized statement of the charges including the codes for the annual visit,

3. Write a short letter to the insurance company requesting the $100 reimbursement,

4. Fax the letter with the itemized statement, and

5. Wait for the check to arrive in the mail

By reviewing our medical benefits and policy riders, I have saved my family $500 in benefits. Taking the time to read and understand our insurance policies and riders was using time wisely and helps in stretching our dollars every year.

As you continue organizing your important documents, read your policies. You may have other resources through policy riders that will save your family money. In stretching your dollars, remember to use all your resources through your insurance policies. You already pay for the benefits, so don’t miss out. Happy savings!

Questions: How do your insurance policies help you in stretching your dollars?

2012 Quick Tip Week: Subscribe to Daily Deal Sites

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Mike Lewis)

Today concludes this quick tip week. It has been a catch-up week, and I’m still a little behind. But in moving forward, I am making progress. Yeah! 🙂

If you have missed any of quick tips this week, click on these links to each tip:

The last quick tip this week looks ahead for your travel plans to help in stretching your dollars.

Quick Tip #7: Subscribe to Daily Deal Sites

The value found at daily deal sites is far better than using a coupon. Almost all daily deals are 50% or more off from the regular price.

If you are planning a family vacation or will be traveling for a wedding or anniversary, then subscribe to those destinations at your favorite daily deal sites. For our family, I subscribe to the main cities in South Carolina and then certain cities in Florida, where we plan to spend our vacation with my extended family. As I see deals for activities that fit within our budget, I snag them.

Since the daily deal sites send an e-mail daily with the new deal, I choose to subscribe using my junk e-mail account. I then check my e-mail every other day to view the deals. Usually, the daily deals have a 48 to 72-hour time limit. By checking my junk e-mail account every other day, I can still snag a day-old deal.

My favorite daily deal sites are Groupon and LivingSocial. With so many deal sites popping up, I know of no exhaustive list. However, Biz Tech Day listed the Top 50 Daily Deal Sites as of June 2011.

In using time wisely, I subscribe to my two favorites and one local daily deal site. For these sites, the e-mail subject line identifies the type of deal. If you are not interested, you can just delete it without wasting time checking each e-mail.

As you prepare for your summer travels, use the deals at your favorite daily deal sites to stretch your dollars. By subscribing, I found an annual membership to a garden near a children’s museum that we plan to activate on our trip this summer.

I continue to watch for deals and plan to have a great family vacation while stretching our dollars. Continue using time wisely by subscribing to one or more deal sites. By doing so, the deals will come to you. Happy savings!

Question: What are your favorite daily deal sites?

How to Address Pricing Discrepancies – Part 1 of 2

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (James Brooks)

As you check your receipt from a purchase, does your face change when you find a discrepancy? Obviously mine does.

My son enjoys watching my face as I scan receipts after a transaction. He likes to forecast whether we will leave the store or head to customer service. 🙂

In part 1 of this short series, I will share how I address pricing discrepancies before leaving the store.

Next week, I will share how I handle these issues when I discover the discrepancy after leaving the store.

Using this five-step plan makes this process relaxed without aggravating or aggressively attacking the customer service representative.

STEP ONE: Identify the Problem

If you notice that you paid more than you calculated, then find where the error occurred before heading to customer service. Were all your coupons deducted? Did the item ring up incorrectly? Did you get the wrong item?

Going to customer service stating, “My total was incorrect; It should have been $50, not $70” does not help the customer service representative solve the issue.

On the other hand, going to the representative stating, “These frozen vegetables are in the weekly advertisement as buy one, get one free, but they rang up full price,” will point the employee to the problem to solve. Knowing where the error occurred helps the representative solve the issue.

STEP TWO: Greet the Customer Service Representative

This employee is at work. He or she has family and friends. This person probably had nothing to do with your problem. By beginning your conversation with a friendly, soft-spoken, non-confrontational greeting will set the atmosphere for solving the problem. Kindness goes a long way, and there is no need to get nasty or furious.

STEP THREE: Wait for a Solution

Present your problem and wait. Giving the representative time to think, check the weekly sales advertisement, or call a manager will aid in his or her response. Stepping back to let them work gives you both space to assess the issue.

STEP FOUR: Listen to the Solution

Allow the representative to give you the solution or the options before responding. If you need an option clarified, then repeat what you understand and ask any questions.

STEP FIVE: Choose a Solution

If you agree with a solution offered by the representative, then take it. If you disagree, then ask to speak to a manager. If you do not get the solution you want, then you still have these options:

1. Leave the store

2. Ask for the district manager’s contact information

3. Request the company’s corporate customer service number

When you notice and address a pricing discrepancy, identify the problem, kindly greet the customer service representative, wait for a solution, listen to the solution, and choose a solution. Throughout the process, be kind, direct, and professional.

You may or may not solve the problem at that time. If the problem gets solved, then thank the representative and leave. If not, then you have more options. You can leave and address your concerns with a district manager or the corporate office. Whatever the outcome, be polite and firm and continue stretching your dollars while using time wisely.

Question: Do you find customer service representatives helpful with your concerns?

How to Address Pricing Discrepancies – Part 2 of 2

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (James Brooks)

No matter where I shop, I always check the receipt for pricing discrepancies. My mom taught me to live frugally, and she always checks the receipts.

Following in her footsteps, I usually check the receipt before leaving the store. However, there are times when I have my hands full and need to take a look at another time.

Last week in part 1, I shared how I address pricing discrepancies before leaving the store. This week, I will continue with addressing pricing discrepancies after leaving the store.

To illustrate how I handle these pricing errors, I will share two examples: one when I found the error after leaving the store, and the other when I addressed the issue at the store and had to contact the corporate office.

Finding the Error after Leaving the Store

On one of my trips to Papa Murphy’s Pizza, our family’s favorite pizza place, I paid, picked up our order, and left. I had used a coupon and assumed I received the standard 2 for $6 deal on the side items. When I entered the receipt into my spreadsheet, I noticed that I was over charged for the sides.

Addressing the Error

After identifying the error, I called Papa Murphy’s Pizza and spoke to an assistant manager. Upon explaining my order, she apologized and gave me two options:

1. Refund the difference, or

2. Give a free side item.

Choosing the Solution

The savings snob within me weighed the options – the refund of $1.98 or the free side valued at $3.99. I chose the free side item – the better savings. Though I have not picked up the free side yet, I know that this Papa Murphy’s Pizza location appreciates my business and cares enough about me as a customer to correct this error.

By addressing the pricing discrepancy, I became a more loyal customer to Papa Murphy’s Pizza by their response to the error.

Addressing the Pricing Discrepancies after Leaving the Store

Before I share the next example, I want to say that I love CVS. My CVS store is awesome, and any problem I catch gets solved immediately and professionally which is why I shop at my CVS.

On the day of this incident, I stopped at another CVS. I had a short list and a few minutes between appointments, so this CVS example is not a typical experience for me.

On that morning, I shopped with my list, coupons, and Extra Bucks. The girls and I gathered the items and checked out. The employee requested all my coupons at once. I indicated that I may not need to use all my Extra Bucks, but he took them all anyway.

Addressing the Problem at the Store

I had the coupons in order, and he rearranged them taking the Extra Bucks off before the manufacturer coupons. As he ended the transaction, he rounded down a manufacturer’s coupon resulting in a total of $0.

Instead of being excited, I was upset. I had lost almost $2 in savings because he took the Extra Bucks (store credit) before the manufacturer’s coupons. I immediately addressed this discrepancy which he agreed to void and re-ring.

But when he re-rang the merchandise and took the coupons and all the Extra Bucks, the remaining balance was over $1. I indicated that something was wrong and referred to the previous transaction. By this time he did not care. I was not happy, so I asked to speak to the manager. Well, he was the manager, so I left.

Addressing the Problem with the Corporate Office

After cooling down since my blood was boiling over the incident, I went home and contacted customer service via telephone. I explained the incident, and my complaint escalated to the district manager. Within a day, the district manager called me back. He was extremely polite and apologetic.

Realizing that I was a loyal CVS customer, the district manager asked me to return to that store (which I. did. not. want. to. do.), where the store manager would apologize and give me a $10 CVS gift card for the lack of customer service.

Accepting the Offered Solution

After a few hours of stalling, I went back. The store manager was the same manager. Staying calm, I told him that I was there on the district manager’s request. Though I did not get an apology, I received a $10 gift card which I used at my favorite CVS store.

By addressing the pricing discrepancy, I received a gift card, but that CVS lost my business permanently.

Whether you find the pricing error later or address the error after attempting a resolution, you can get the issue solved after leaving the store. Sometimes employees have a bad day and make mistakes.

Give the store the opportunity to correct the error. But in those situations where even the manager refuses to help, keep moving up the chain of command until you reach an acceptable resolution.

In using time wisely addressing a $2-3 pricing difference was time well-spent. In stretching your dollars, check your receipt for pricing errors. When you find them, address pricing discrepancies while staying firm, kind, and professional. Happy savings!

Question: How do you handle pricing discrepancies?