TEXTBOOKS - AS IF STUDENT LOANS WEREN'T BAD ENOUGH

Don't get me started on student loans!  When I went to college back in the Stone Age, college tuition was cheap.  Even though I went to a private college, it did not break the bank for my parents and I had no student loans.  (And I didn't have any grants or scholarships.)  It is i ridiculous to me that my children, who I basically gave no alternative but to go to college, will be paying off the loans for years.  Yes, I will be happy when my second child has that piece of paper like my first does.  No, I am angry that they will both have a mountain of debt to pay off.

To add insult to injury, on top of tuition, housing, meal plans, and fee after fee after fee, there are the dreaded textbooks.  I have been racking my brain, trying to remember the bookstore at my college.  I know I bought textbooks, but that is all I can remember.  I should do not remember each one costing more than a car note!

Just about every class requires a textbook, some more than one.  Some require an additional workbook, or other required reading, or even worse - the dreaded online code!  If you see a code mentioned, prepare for at least $100 for that!  It's rare, yet wonderful, when your student can use the same textbook for two semesters, which is sometimes the case with a foreign language.  But even then, you probably won't get away without purchasing another workbook and/or a code.  I like to compare the college textbook industry to big pharm - you know you are paring WAY more that the true value!

If you buy your textbooks, at the end of the semester, don't expect to resell it to the bookstore and get much for it.  It's worse that a used car trade-in at the dealership!  If you decide to keep the textbook and try to sell it online (most colleges have Facebook pages devoted to reselling textbooks), you risk the likelihood that the class is now using a newer edition of the book.  Yep, that happens quite often.  What's the big difference between the 3rd edition and the 4th?  I don't think anyone knows.

When my son started college, my husband and I were ignorant.  He got the list of books he needed and he and my husband headed to the bookstore and bought them all.  Of course, the bill was $600 or more, and that didn't include notebooks, pens, scantrons, etc.  After shaking my head, whining, and complaining about this, the mother of his roommate let me in on something I knew nothing about - you can sometimes get your textbooks elsewhere!  I didn't have a clue!  First, there was a store in town that rented and sold textbooks to several area colleges at a lesser price.  Then I discovered the vast number of online sources where textbooks could be located - Amazon, Chegg, Alibris, etc., etc.  I became a whiz at taking ISBN numbers and Googling the heck out of them, making notes on who had which and for what price.

I was so happy to see that most colleges are making textbook rentals more accessible.  And at least one university in my state has a cap on textbook prices for each class.  The thought of paying no more than $75 per class is very appealing compared to the reality on most campuses.

Most of the online textbook services who rent books make it easy on you.  They supply the return label so you don't have to pay shipping.  But there are also things to be aware of.  My daughter has now learned to take a photo of the rental book when it arrives.  When Amazon attempted to charge her full price for a book she didn't even open, saying it had water damage, I was determined to do battle to get her money back.  In the end, Amazon not only credited back the price of the book, but shipped the book back to her to keep (not that she wanted it!). Also, be sure to get the book back on time!  Amazon emails reminders, but not all of the others do.  Also, be sure to keep a log as to where you rented each book from.

Next lesson: Never purchase a book before going to the class the first time.  I know, you saw in the syllabus that it was required.  And someone told you that you had better snatch one up before they are all gone,  Don't do it!  You can do your research beforehand, just in case.  There will be times when you get to class and the professor says not to bother purchasing the book because you really don't need it.  And guess what?  If you buy or rent the book and find you don't need it, you won't get a refund.  You just eat it.

So the theme for today is the textbooks are another expensive necessary evil.  Do your homework, not just in class, but in getting ready for class.  Shop well; shop wisely.  And speaking as a mother, actually crack open that textbook, and not just the night before the exam!

I AM THE SQUEAKY WHEEL

I am not going to say that it always gets the grease.  Sometimes it just annoys others intensely!  But you never know until you squeak!

I remember as a kid that my mother would many times question charges on her credit card or on various bills.  That was pre-online banking days, so she had to actually call or write letters or go in person to get to the bottom of a situation.  I learned from her to always scrutinize each bill, each explanation of benefits, each bank statement, each charge, to make sure that everything was in order.

One of my biggest complaints is the explanation of benefits from medical insurance companies.  I have always said that if I ran for office, the EOB would be at the root of my platform!  I have a college degree and I sometimes have trouble making heads or tails out of them!  Who truly understands all of the codes on those things?!

I spent over a year battling one company.  The insurance company was not covering a test I had done. They would refer me to the doctor's office because it could be a coding issue.  The doctor's office would in turn tell me it was coded correctly and that I needed to go to the facility where the test was done.  That facility told me no, that I needed to talk to the insurance company.  I felt like I was just beating my head against the wall!  But I can be like a dog with a bone - I don't give up that easily!  I finally got the billing person at the doctor's office to talk to the insurance company.  Lo and behold - it was covered and resolved.  But that made me think  - how many people would have looked at that EOB, said, "Darn! That test wasn't covered," and would have paid the ridiculously high amount.  I figure that millions, if not billions, of dollars are needlessly spent every year because people don't have the tools they need to understand these things or fight them.  And I am currently in a battle with an insurance company that has been going on for a year and a half!  I totally believe I am in the right, so it is in its third appeal.

One thing that is easy to keep tabs on - your bank account online.  My husband caught a suspicious $1.00 charge and called the bank immediately.  He was told that hackers will test the waters with a tiny charge.  If it goes undetected, they will go back in for a bigger hit.  Question any charge you see that you do not remember making.

With websites, email, and Facebook, it is easier to pursue issues with companies.  My daughter rented a textbook from Amazon, which she has done before.  (The racket of textbook costs might be another part of my political platform!  That will be a future blog entry!)  She was unhappy that she had spent the money because she wound up not even needing the book for her class. She asked me if I would sent the book back at the end of the semester, so I did.  She called me, angry and in tears, because Amazon hit her with the full charge to buy the textbook, saying that it was water-damaged.  I knew that wasn't true!  So I went to Amazon.com and spent quite a while going from page to page to figure out how to contact them.  Hallelujah - I found an online chat.  I explained the entire situation to the customer service rep, and once he understood the situation, he said Amazon would credit the amount back to her.  I feel that I received such good service is that I explained in detail...I did not get angry...I remained calm and patient...and I am a customer in good standing who rarely has a complaint.

The online chat can be a wonderful thing!  Last week, I had ordered three craft products from Walmart's website.  It was an online purchase only and had to be shipped to me.  The box that arrived looked like it had been run over by the truck that delivered it!  The top was partially open and there was a big gash in the side of the box.  When I opened it, two of the products that were bubble wrapped together were in perfect condition.  But the third one, which was bubble-wrapped by itself, was crushed.  As I opened it, pieces started falling out, and the top part of the piece was smashed in.  It was not an expensive item.  Again, I wondered how many people would just say, "Oh well," and go on with their day.  I searched Walmart's website and was caught in a vicious loop.  I couldn't return it to the store.  Since it came from a third party seller, I was having difficulty getting an answer as to what to do.  I finally found the online chat box.  Eureka!  The customer service rep was very polite and compassionate.  Within a couple of minutes, he had arranged for a new item to be shipped to me.  I did not have to return the damaged one or even send pictures to prove the condition.

The bottom line is to be vigilant and be proactive. Don't ever just assume that a charge is correct - if you are unsure, ask!  If it is a legitimate expense, at least you have your answer.  You won't have lost anything but a little time.  If you find out that there was a coding error or it was an incorrect charge, you may achieve the satisfaction of not only being right, but profiting financially, or at least being made whole.  As they said on Galaxy Quest, "Never give up - never surrender."

Also remember that being a squeaky wheel does not mean being a complaining nag....

THE SAGA OF THE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

I am somewhat of a superstitious person.  It's not to the point that it interferes with life in any way.  And it is very selective.  I am not scared to walk under a ladder - safety permitting!  I welcome a black cat to cross my path - I love them!  Unlike my mother-in-law, I am not afraid of sweeping out the door after dark or putting a hat on a bed.  But I was always a subscriber to eating lucky foods of New Year's Day.  From the time I was little, my mother always had cabbage and black-eyed peas - cabbage for the green money, and black-eyed peas for the coins.  I started added some form of pork because I heard that was lucky, too.  My husband and kids always fought me on it, mainly because they don't like those foods.  My husband thought it was just dumb and did not see any benefit from it, so starting last year, we abandoned the lucky foods.  And I have to admit that we did better monetarily last year.  So this January 1st, I made zoodles (zucchini noodles) with meatballs and spaghetti sauce.

The New Year's resolutions.... I used to make them.  For years it has been to finish my novel, which is still unfinished.  I have even resolved not to make resolutions.  Yeah, I think that's lame, too.  But I have never been the type who pledged to join a gym and work out every day.  I know that isn't happening!  I am not resolving to eat healthier - but I keep trying to get back on and stay on the low carb lifestyle.  I am not going to resolve to do anything more or better than I do now. 

 

To me, every day is a chance to learn, grow and improve.  In the same way that I have issues with people giving up things for Lent (if it's such a bad habit, give it up for good - and don't wait until Ash Wednesday!), why is January 1st the magical date for making changes. Yeah, I know: "New year, new you!"  I hate that term.  New year, same ole you. If you want to give up a bad habit on February 4th, do it.  If you want to quit smoking on March 5th, please do it.  If you want to learn a new skill on June 16th, go for it.  You have the same chance of success any day of the year.  Perhaps your chances are better since you are ready at that time and not relying on the calendar. So maybe just resolve to live your life as you see fit.

As for superstition, I take it back.  I don't think I am that superstitious.  But I do believe in karma.  And keep in mind that karma doesn't wait for New Year's Day either!