If you have been following The Psychology of Free Series, I thank you. I have learned so much over the past week regarding companies offering freebies that I want to throw up. In order to prevent any potential projectile vomit, the series comes to a conclusion today. How’s that for a fancy finale?
A few days ago I asked: What if something we expected to be free suddenly wasn’t? Would we continue using that good or service or would we stop? I put together a list of things I would continue to use even if I had to pay for it. I see a lot of value in the following things:
Checking Accounts
I know we have all gotten used to free checking (until recently). If you’re paying a fee for your checking account, you shouldn’t be. There are plenty of accounts at regional banks and credit unions where you will not be charged for minimum balances or inactivity.
Having said that, IF every checking account had fees attached to it, I would think everyone would still use them. The convenience of having your check directly deposited and easy withdrawal via debit card; I would actually pay a lot of money for this convenience.
As I mentioned in this earlier series, technology is deflationary. The costs of providing email storage is next to nothing.
IF google and yahoo decided to charge for email services, I would gladly pay. My life has become so reliant on email, I’m not sure I could survive without it.
Credit Reports
The government has come in recently and allowed consumers to view their credit reports free of charge. This can be done at www.annualcreditreport.com. No need to pay the $14.95 for the credit monitoring service of the free credit report websites anymore.
IF the government no longer sponsored the above website, and we were required to pay to view our credit reports, I would. The minimal charge would be nothing compared to the potential headaches inaccurate information could cause.
Water
There are plenty of water fountains placed in businesses and cities throughout for no charge. I’m not a bottle drinking snob; but IF I had to pay for water, I would.
When I sat down to write this post, I thought I would be able to think of many things I value but do not currently pay for, but I stalled at four. Can you all think of anything I left off the list?
