Personal Finance Tip: Avoid the retail stores for cell phone accessories
Capture significant savings from buying cell-phone accessories on-line rather than the retail stores.
Just recently, I had to accelerate my decision on which phone to upgrade to on my existing wireless plan with Verizon. My existing contract was up for renewal and I was in the process of selecting a phone I wanted to buy with my “new in every two promotional plan”, a $100 savings on your next phone with Verizon. In the due diligence period, my phone decided to go for a swim with my dog in the local pond ….It wasn’t my dog’s fault, she just wanted to retrieve her prized tennis ball in the water and I forgot the phone was in my pocket.
The next day, I traveled to the local Verizon store to select the LG VX8700 
Phone Price:
Retail Price $209.99
Less: Promotional Discount: ($100.00)
Plus: Taxes 5.50
Less: Mail-in Rebate: ($50.00)
Net Price equals $65.49
As in all purchases, the sales rep asked to “up-sell” me with the purchase of some accessories for my new phone, specifically a car charger for $30. I was shocked to hear that a car charger costs this much…so I decided to pass on this “great” offer to do some comparative shopping. As you might expect, I ended up saving 49% when I purchased the car charger from Amazon.com
Prices for the LG VX Car Charger:
In-Store at time of purchase with my phone: $31.49 ($29.99 plus 5% tax)
On-Line Verizon store: $26.76 ($29.99 – 4.99 online discount plus 5% tax) 15% savings from Verizon retail store
Amazon.com: $15.97 ($9.99 plus $5.98 in shipping and handling) 49% savings from Verizon retail store
Next, I am in the market for a Bluetooth enabled hands-free set, since my new phone only accepts that format. Email me if you have a recommendation?
To my surprise, it appears cell phones are magnetically attracted to water…If you find yourself in the situation (this is the 3rd time this happened to me), here is a link with tips on saving a wet phone….link
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