Getting It Together

onday, I took the plunge and went looking for a new car. Our
"Grand Am" was getting a bit "long in the tooth", and we felt it
was time for a change.

We went to a number of dealers, found a make and model we liked,
and started to shop price. We got so many conflicting prices, I
came home and felt like I had been put through a wringer.

But, after a bit, I settled down and decided to let the web do
some of the work for me. I called all the dealers and asked them
to fax me a copy of the window stickers of the make and model I
was interested in. Lo and Behold - all were exactly the same.
So why the big disparity in the offering prices?

Then I remembered - http://giggo.com/ - and immediately called it
up. I entered the make and model of the vehicle I was looking
for, and not only got the window sticker prices, but also what
the dealer paid for the vehicle and the accessory packages . One
dealer actually tried to charge us $5,000 over his cost.

I then looked up the resale value of the "Grand Am", and armed
with this information and the dealer cost, went back to bargain.
When all was said and done, I got $1,000 more for the "Grand Am"
than they were offering, and paid $100 over dealer cost for the
new one. Sure, I know they have dealer incentives and rebates.
The dealer couldn't stay in business very long only making $100
per sale. But I did know I was probably paying a fair price.

Flashback - Last fall, I needed new filters for our humidifier
and couldn't find them locally. Back to the web - after a bit of
searching I found the company that manufactured them. A quick
call to their "800" number and found a dealer that carried
them.

Many of us surf the web for many different reasons, but it is a
great resource as well. It is possible to research a company,
product or service.

Looking to relocate or buy a house? What better way to find out
about an area you are considering? Check out the web sites of
the local Chamber of Commerce or real estate agencies in the
area. You can get information about the taxes, the type of
community it is, the schools, the climate and all the other
things you need to know.

Want the honest truth about a business opportunity? Check out
some of the discussion groups under their name - you won't find
much "sugar coating" there.

The point I'm trying to make here is simplistic. The web
provides us with a great resource, and if you don't use it, you
are missing a good bet. But like anything else, you have to use
common sense. The "scamsters" have also found the web and all
the crooked deals they perpetrated before the web, are still
being done. The only difference is they are reaching a whole lot
more people, much faster.

Years ago, when someone got scammed they may have "fussed and
fumed" a bit, but times are a "changin". Now, many of these same
people who were scammed, figure if they get a few others to
"bite" on the same deal that bit them, maybe they can earn their
money back. Isn't it amazing that the anonymity of the web can
also cloud someone's judgement, and a person who is basically an
upright citizen in real life can suddenly become a scamster on
the net.

The Web is a great place for "Getting it Together", but remember
it is a resource, nothing more, nothing less. You have to use
the same care there as anyplace else - maybe more so.

About the Author

Bob publishes the free weekly "Your Business" Newsletter
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Larry Dotson, when you visit http://www.ldpublishing.com