Sunday, July 14, 2013

Always count the cost...and if it's too good to be true it usually is

The bible says to count the cost; and the reason for it is because it prepares us to expect the unexpected, to make sure we're able to afford whatever undertaking we might consider. Is the course we're going to take worth the risk, time, or the money? By taking this course it can and often does save us from regret or even heartache.

Then there's the saying if it's too good to be true then it usually is - and this is where I didn't consider the counsel of counting the cost which caused me to get something that was to good to be true - alas, I now have regret.

Now days you have so many avenues for television. There is cable TV, which I never really liked; one reason is that it always has been the most expensive option. There is satellite which I loved that every channel was digital, but any strong storms or heavy winds and you don't have service. Then there is the internet. I use U-Verse which is nice but unless you have at least 12Mbps than your picture isn't that good since it streams the signal - I tried 6Mbps and it was always breaking up and if you wanted to see a movie through your smart TV it would lag badly.

There is also Hulu and Netflix and their cost is not too high but you get what you pay for as well. You can't see live shows and why would you want to see a game that was on yesterday with the scores, highlights, interviews, and commentary on the same night? Or yesterday's news the next day, like CNN, MSNBC, HLN, and such being always a day behind?

I remember when satellite TV was 29.99 a month and you would get a decent amount of channels; nowadays these services cost so much and they tax you for this and that; services fees, HD fees, box fees, and before you know it you're paying more than what they originally said it would cost.

So while in CVS the other day I came across "As Seen On TV!" - my first mistake. Among the items they sale that make you believe you can't live without was one that caught my eye "Rabbit TV"; my second mistake. The price was 9.99 and it said for a year you could get over 500 channels on your computer and live programs to boot free! I was so excited like I hit the jackpot or something, like you want to pat yourself on the back and say good job, man. But that's not your brain waves making new connections, no those are brain cells dying and you don't realize it until much later. Here is where I didn't really count the cost; doing my research, checking reviews, and seeing if this item was worth the money; third mistake. So I bring it home and it's no more than a mini square stick with the word "rabbit TV" and a rabbit logo - genius. The instructions were close to nonexistent, but it made sure you immediately questioned your purchase with a paper in big bold red letters and a stop sign saying; "STOP! DO NOT RETURN RABBIT TV TO YOUR STORE". I was starting to feel bad about this. So I install it; it installed so fast it seemed like a virus or worm invaded your computer - I'll tell you why later. So anyway, once installed I clicked the desktop icon and it initiated the program and opened in Internet Explorer. I use Google Chrome so I grabbed the address and pasted it in the Google browser and opened it from there. I registered with a username, password and opened up to the unknown. I wish I hadn't. The site said you have all these choices of shows and even live sports, news, weather, and concerts - you guessed it - it didn't work. No live shows - everyone I clicked just kept in perpetual circles like it was trying to log on. The shows they said they had were in actuality links to the actual site. NBC, ABC, ESPN, and so on - and you don't need this device to do that. After my first try, I tried to log on again and now every time I do it says I'm logged on to another computer and I had to make sure I log out - oh, and it also says I have to unplug the device and plug it back again and re login. So I tried to uninstall and reinstall the program. Well, the icon and program shows on my desktop and start programs, but I can't find any trace of it on my hard drive. So now it's on there, but where I don't know and now I can't get it off my computer since I can't find it.

This is where the realization hit me of if it's too good to be true it usually is. I wasted 10 dollars and some change because I was too impulsive of a 47 year old man to logically and analytically reason out if this was all worth my money, time, and effort. If I can make myself a victim albeit it was a small one, let this blog teach you if anything this; don't believe everything you hear on TV or on the internet. Don't be impulsive, always count the cost and do the research to make sure it is what they say it is or does. You could be spending your money on something much more costly and much more damaging to your life.

So, always count the cost before doing anything that will take away from your finances,your time, and your intellect. If it's too good to be true, than it usually is.By the way, I don't recommend this product at all. Take it from me before they take it from you.


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