Silly Marketing Gimmick

A lady from the cable tv (not the green one) just called and offered me three months of viewing of an additional TV (a demand channel for US variety programmes) FOC cuz of the current ‘package’ I was on – the cheena and angmo package @ $29+ a month. (Which I am bound by this for another year or so cuz of the first 6 months free promo.. but at least i do watch some of the channel..so not as bad..like the Korean channels.. and haha.. Taiwan entertainment channels and the mobtv and the angmo HD channels.. ) The caveat for the free extra channel for three months – I have to stay subscribed for the subsequent 9 months after the 'free three months trial'. But I get to enjoy 25% off this demand channel. (uhm, I am so bought over by it. NOPE!!)

The lady (aunty) sounded surprise that I rejected her ‘exclusive’ offer (cuz she highlighted that this offer was only available via this phone call..). Oh really.. but it's so not attractive at all..

Perhaps if I'm an airhead , I would have fall for it. But seriously, it's more costly than cost savings.. And I don’t watch that much TV anyway, just a couple of hour a nite and my folks are not interested in these channels.. . (And finally bro decide to hub.. cuz of the corporate rate and he just bought the hdtv..)


A simple cost-benefits analysis:

• Three months of free viewing of this channel costing $19.95 per month = ($59.85)
• Being bound contractually for another 9 months at the discounted rate = $134.66
• So called savings = Additional cost = $134.66 (because I wasn't subscribed to that new channel initially and I have no intention to subscribe to it!)
• Intangible cost = being bound by the contract for another 9 months for a channel I won’t be viewing that often.
• Total cost savings = Addtional cost + Intangible cost = $134.66 & 9 months contractually bound. :(

Is this a good deal? lalala. I like sheep but I'm not be be fleeced. okie. it peeved me cuz it's a time of bleeding love.. the dms.