Comments on: Bundling: Paying Extra For Crap You Don’t Want

By: Sara

Sara — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:51:43 +0000

Cable TV bundles bug me. I don’t want to pay $50/month for cable TV when I would really only watch a few channels. If they allowed me to get specific channels a la carte, I probably would, but since it’s kind of all or nothing, I choose nothing. The premium channel bundles are just as bad. You can’t subscribe to just one premium channel; you have to get the whole bundle.

Car feature bundles are also annoying. If you want, say, heated seats, you have to buy a “weather package” or something, with headlight wipers and a heated steering wheel and mirrors.

By: uioped1

uioped1 — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:18:55 +0000

At the grocery store, the larger package is often MORE expensive per unit than the “regular” size.

The worst examples I’ve seen recently are in appliance parts. I just tried to fix a burner on my stove. The price of four burners is almost the same as the price of a new stove. I guess the oven isn’t a significant portion of the cost??

Not so long ago I was faced with the choice between buying a controller board bundle for a washing machine for half the price of the machine, when one small part broke.

Not only is bundling making us fat and broke, it’s destroying the planet!

By: Carnival of Personal Finance #243: Valentine’s Day Edition

Carnival of Personal Finance #243: Valentine’s Day Edition — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:26:37 +0000

[...] Weakonomist goes on a rant against bundling, the practice of making you pay extra for crap you don’t want by packaging a bunch of stuff together. I think he’s got a valid point, though his Microsoft [...]

By: AmandaLP

AmandaLP — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:42:11 +0000

Not that it supports your point, but Microsoft offers the “Ultimate Steal” for students, in which their entire office package is 59.95. You have to have an .edu address.

http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx

I think the real question is not that we get a discount, but *why* the discount is so appealing. If I just want a burger and a drink, but I get fries for free, why do I choose that option, and eat the fries that I don’t want?
AmandaLP´s last blog ..Turtle Chocolate Bars

By: Carnival of Personal Finance #243: Valentine’s Day Edition- Financial Eyes & Ears

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:57:47 +0000

By: nastij

nastij — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:05:21 +0000

I agree on most of the things mentioned – but hasten to add that many of my favorite songs by various artists are not the “hits” that I originally bought the album for, but little-known tracks I learned to love by listening to a broader range of their work.

njg

By: Kosmo @ The Casual Observer

Kosmo @ The Casual Observer — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:42:15 +0000

@ Keith – Heck, take it a step further – your cable package itself is a bundle. How many of those channels do you really need? Seriously, give me my Rockies games, NCIS, The Office, Forensic Files, and I’m completely set.

@ Mike – for whatever reason, my wife sees some inherent value in MS Office. (sigh). Persoanlly, I see it as that thing that sucks resources and makes everthing else slower. Luckily, she’s an employee of an educational institution.

My local Wendy’s has a rather bizarre bundling strategy. Depending on which sandwich you order, the combo costs anywhere from about $1.30 extra to $1.60 extra (I’m going off memory, so those numbers might not be exact – but there is a decent gap).

This seems rather absurd since the fries and Coke you get with a combo #1 are the exact same as the fries and Coke you get with a #2 …

I’ve noticed another local place (maybe Taco Bell, maybe not) that offers bundles, but there is no discount – the combo price is simply the cost of all the separate items added together.

I seriously think that some company are just trying to take advantage of the mathematically challenged.
Kosmo @ The Casual Observer´s last blog ..Kosmo’s Sports Wrap

By: Personal Finance Links 01-31-10

Personal Finance Links 01-31-10 — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:26:14 +0000

[...] investing they have also started running some of my articles as a contributor. Give them a look! Bundling: Paying Extra For Crap You Don’t Want at Weakonomi¢s E-File 101- Options for the Fast and Simple Way to Electronically File Your Taxes [...]

By: LeanLifeCoach

LeanLifeCoach — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:47:56 +0000

The other bundles that don’t pay are found at your local mechanic. They put together these “routine service packages” filled with all kinds of flushes to clean out your engine oil, coolant and brakes.

Just follow what’s in your owners manual and you will save a bundle!
LeanLifeCoach´s last blog ..How To File Taxes – Let Me Count The Ways

By: Wojciech Kulicki

Wojciech Kulicki — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 02:36:54 +0000

I do agree that in most cases, bundles suck and usually entice you to buy more! I’m with Keith, though–things like cable usually do get better in bundles.

I’m also seeing stores do it, too–like Walmart, where they will actually group products that makes sense together into discounted bundles–looking at getting a sewing table with a machine right now for my wife.

The Office/Word example just baffles me…then again my wife just got Windows Vista and Office 2007 for a grand total of $18 because she’s a student…go figure.
Wojciech Kulicki´s last blog ..Ron Insana Book Tour Stops Here