How I saved my sister $595 at Circuit City

My sister called me from a Circuit City store last week. She was ready to buy a brand new laptop computer and wanted to know whether or not it was a good deal. I asked her to read the configuration and price to me from the product card and quickly determined that she was staring down a pretty good deal.

My sister then explained to me what else the sales representative at Circuit City wanted her to purchase. This included:

• Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007, with installation
• Complete security protection including anti-virus and firewall, with installation
• Laptop case (free after rebate)
• Printer (free after rebate)
• Extended warranty protection

All of this added up to about $700. Technically, the laptop case and printer were free after rebate but the cash out-of-pocket was still $700.

My instructions to my sister were simple. Do not under any circumstances purchase anything else besides the laptop. No software. No laptop case. No printer. No extended warranty. Nothing.

Saying no isn't easy

This was a bit of a challenge for my sister as the sales representative was not pleased with her pre-purchase conversation with her techie brother. He worked my sister pretty hard (even acting offended at one point that she wouldn't take the free laptop case and printer) but in the end, my sister prevailed and walked out of the store with nothing but the laptop.

A few minutes later I jumped on Amazon.com and had both Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 and Windows Live OneCare shipped directly to my sister's work address. I told her that installing the software was a snap and that she could do it herself. Total cost for both pieces of software: $105. That still put my sister $595 ahead of the game.

As for the laptop case, my sister already had a laptop case and didn't need another one. And she was better off without the printer. It was a less-than-ideal printer and I knew that with my help she could get a much nicer one at a decent price on her own.

That leaves us with the extended warranty. My wife once taught me the most powerful ammunition to use against someone pushing an extended warranty down your throat. Simply ask them the question, "Are you telling me you are selling me a piece of junk?" Then just sit back and watch them back pedal.

Lesson learned

What's the lesson learned here? Don't ever think you have to get all of the bundled extras that come with a computer. I'm not saying that they are all a rip off but I will say that many times the person selling you the extras has ulterior motives. Don't be afraid to stick to your guns and walk out with only the items you went in to the store to get.