You Paid How Much For That Phone Charger?
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I just renewed with Verizon at a local phone store. I got myself a new phone. Of course, it didn’t come with a car charger. The salesman reached for one hanging on the wall and handed it to me. The price said $35. What? $35 for what is basically a wire in a bag? I was frank with the salesman. I said that was too much and that I could get one for $15 at Target. He insisted that the brand he carried was quality and worth the $35. He also added that the ‘cheap’ chargers at Target might ‘blow up’ or short out my phone because they were poor quality. Whatever, I wasn’t falling for it.
I went home and researched the brand name of the charger the guy tried to sell me. It was available everywhere on Ebay for 99 cents. It amazed me that people on Ebay were able to profit from this item at 99 cents. I told this story to a friend of mine that works for Verizon. He tells me how I wouldn’t believe the markup on some of the phone accessories. He said my salesman likely paid about 40 cents for the charger that he was trying to resell to me for almost 100 times that amount.
Why do they sell these accessories for that much? Well it’s the same reason Best Buy sells HDMI cables for $50 along with a $1,000 TV. People want it now because they are impatient and lazy. They don’t want to bother to go down to Target or Radio Shack to get a cheaper item that will work just as good as the more expensive item.
My $15 car charger is working great by the way. So is the $10 HDMI cable I bought from Monoprice. Don’t be a fool. Order your accessories online. Be patient and wait for your item to come in the mail and don’t fall for the ‘premium’ products salesmen try to push.
9 Comments
Darrel Hutchins Sr.
February 5th, 2009
at 8:37am
Some cell phone companies have as part of their warranty that you are not covered if you use a charger that you did not purchase from them. I paid full Sprint price for a charger to protect my warranty. You may want to check your warranty.
the oracle
February 5th, 2009
at 9:27am
Don’t go to Radio Shack trying to get an inexpensive phone charger. It won’t happen.
I doubt that the exact same charger was available for 99 cents on ebay, unless the shipping was jacked up to compensate. While $35 is a bit much, usually a Verizon rep will cut it to $20, and for that you get a good quality piece and lifetime replacement (lifetime of the phone on a calling plan)
So you don’t think I am not talking off the top of my head, I managed several Radio Shacks, and sold Verizon phones during that time, which meant competing with Verizon branded stores.
Also, I still have Verizon phone service, and my wife has had her $20 car charger exchanged 3 times in 2 years, as the cable has a weak point, and breaks, but all it takes is a trip to the Verizon store, a quick check that she has the phone on a plan that corresponds to that adapter, and another one is handed over, without further question.
Jo L. Will
February 6th, 2009
at 7:41am
If you need any kind of cable: TV, audio, stereo, computer, speaker, or whatever, OR anything for your cell phone; you’re just wasting your time looking ANYWHERE but Ebay.
oztech
February 6th, 2009
at 8:08am
“I doubt that the exact same charger was available for 99 cents on ebay, unless the shipping was jacked up to compensate. While $35 is a bit much, usually a Verizon rep will cut it to $20″
See that was my problem. This was a third-party company selling Verizon stuff. Not an official Verizon-corporate owned store. I’m sure a Verizon rep would’ve been much better, even though I’m sure the markup is high with them as well.
Hanker P
February 7th, 2009
at 6:30am
I purchased my phone at the phone kiosk at Costco and they gave me the phone for free where the AT&T corporate store wanted to charge me. They gave me all the chargers, mobile and home for free. They also said if I ever had a problem with any charger, bring the old one back and they would give me a new one. They also allow you to try a phone for 30 days and if you don’t like it you can bring it back for another one. My wife did it to the first phone she had. Can’t beat those options.
Kat
February 7th, 2009
at 2:31pm
I get my chargers and BATTERIES! on eBay. Verizon wanted $40. to order a battery for my OLD prepaid phone. I got it on eBay with shipping for about $6.75. It worked great. It was the same brand battery I started with.
I work at Wallyworld and their chargers are around $10-$15., if you can’t wait for shipping. Don’t buy the B.S. The stuff is all the same. Just buy from a Powerseller, or at least someone with lots of excellent feedback.
Kevin
February 9th, 2009
at 7:01pm
If it’s a charger brand that’s available ANYWHERE at 0.99 I wouldn’t trust it. Corporate Verizon stores normally will sell a Verizon branded phone specific charger for $30.
At Radioshack there are 2 kinds of car chargers, 19.99 ones that are phone specific, and 29.99 iGo chargers, that come with 1 tip, replacement tips are around 10.99, and all you need to replace is the tip when you change phones. iGo has a 2 year manufacturers warranty. Even the cheaper chargers cost the store at least a couple dollars.
I have talked to people who have bought the cheap $1-5 “swap meet or dollar store” chargers enough times in a few months that they could have saved money by getting the iGo one, and then they do buy the iGo because they are tired of having to keep buying chargers.
Even the 19.99 ones at Radioshack cost the store 3-4 dollars.
If you think a markup of 3-4 dollars to $20 is too much, it’s that kind of thing that allows stores to operate, costs to run the store, and pay the employees, electric bills, even processing charges paid to credit card, atm and banks etc have to come from somewhere.
Ever think of the markups at fast food places? here’s a reason they try to add fries and drinks, the drinks cost them pennies.
Bradley Kirwan
February 27th, 2009
at 2:37am
Fabulous post. It’s easier said than done for some people, unfortunately. It’s the same as extended warranties in New Zealand. You don’t need them because the Consumer Guarantees Act covers them!
mikey
March 1st, 2009
at 1:53pm
Hey, I’ve never had a problem with the $4.99 mobile charger from Big Lots. This usually beats the S&H on e-bay items.