The Chronic Consumer

My husband and I purchased an expensive (close to $600) Dyson vacuum cleaner in April of 2006. Since we have two dogs in the house, both of whom shed pretty heavily in the summer months, we have to vacuum every single day otherwise the floors get disgusting. So needless to say, our Dyson has gotten plenty of use in the past 2+ years.

Then last week, the cord unexpectedly shorted out. I was using the vacuum and the thing just suddenly died. I checked the cord and discovered the short, which resulted in part of the plastic coating melting to expose the wires. The vacuum was still under warranty, so we took it back to the store we bought it from, and they packed it off to Dyson for us. We were told that it could take up to 10 business days to get it back.

Well, we got it back yesterday (after 6 business days) and the thing is as good as new — probably because it mostly IS new! Not only did Dyson replace the broken cord, but they also replaced just about everything else!

We have a canister-style DC11 model, and the only original part that we got back was the canister that houses the motor. According to the work order (and verified by my personal inspection), Dyson replaced the head, hoses, motor, and telescoping handle. We didn’t request any of these replacements, Dyson just did it on their own!

I have to say that in a time where customer service is sorely lacking just about everywhere, Dyson really came through. I am completely satisfied with their products and the way they honor their warranties. I think it’s safe to say that I’ll be a Dyson customer for life!

With Father’s Day coming up this Sunday, there’s not a whole lot of time left to find a great gift for Dad. Since my father is retired now, the old standby presents of neckties, pen sets, and desk accessories are pretty much out of the question, but all of those things are boring anyway. I’d much rather get him something that he would actually enjoy owning and using, like a new watch.

As I was browsing around the Internet today, I came across some fantastic deals on Seiko watches over at BlueDial.com. For example, BlueDial has this Seiko SPC031 Men’s Advanced Alarm Chronograph Timer (pictured above) on sale for just $257.40, which is nearly $500 off the retail price of $725. This watch comes with a bunch of features that I know my dad would find useful, such as preset countdown timers, luminous hands and markers, alarm functions, a chronograph, push-button deployment clasp, and more. Plus, the brushed and polished black anodized stainless steel case and bracelet help make this watch look very stylish.

I’ve checked at other discount sites as well, but BlueDial has the best deal by far. What’s more, they also offer free 2nd Day shipping to the continental U.S. and a free gift message card, meaning that I can still get the watch in time for Father’s Day. Perfect!

A couple months ago, I mentioned that my husband was interested in buying this 2008 Rockstar Pipestar Hoody from One Industries. We hesitated back then because of the price ($58), but since Father’s Day is coming up anyway, I figured this would be as good a time as any to splurge a bit. Yes, I consider this particular $58 purchase a splurge — because normally, we’d never dream of paying that much for a sweatshirt!

Fortunately, this Pipestar hoody is of surprisingly good quality. The fleece is thick enough to provide warmth on cool days and nights, but not so thick that it makes the sweatshirt big and bulky. The design is great, as the red piping around the hood and shoulders provides a nice contrast to the black and yellow elsewhere in the material. And the embroidered logos ensure that the sweatshirt will retain its sharp looks no matter how many times it goes through the washer and dryer.

Other noticeable features include rivets at the ends of the hood drawstrings to prevent unraveling; a leather “One” logo tag on the left pocket; zip-up front with “One” logo on the zipper pull; and ribbed cuffs and waist to provide a better fit.

Overall, the 2008 Rockstar Pipestar Hoody is one of the best sweatshirts I’ve ever purchased. Yes, it’s expensive, but I have the feeling my husband will get our money’s worth out of this product. Check it out for yourself!

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My mom is as much of a bargain hunter as I am, and one of her favorite money-saving strategies is to buy clothes out of season. As a result, she recently purchased a fall/early winter/spring jacket for my son to wear a few months from now. It’s called the Zero Xposur Midweight Hooded Jacket, and though it lists for $36, my mom got it for a mere $14.40 — a great price for a jacket like this!

The Zero Xposur Midweight Hooded Jacket is a very cool looking piece that my son immediately fell in love with. It’s reversible, with one side being a nylon weather-repellent shell, and the other being soft fleece.

With the nylon on the outside, the jacket is perfect for cool or cold inclement days. There are plenty of Velcro closures around the wrists and down the front zipper area, making it easy to keep out the cold, wind, and rain. There are also elasticized inserts in the hood and cuffs, which allows for a better fit in those places.

With the fleece side out, the jacket is perfect for spring or fall. There’s a fantastic design patch featuring motocross and skateboarding action, as well as a stitched logo at the left chest.

Kids love pockets, and the Zero Xposur Midweight Hooded Jacket has plenty of them. In addition to two slash pockets on the front, the jacket also has a pocket for an MP3 player (complete with headphone port), as well as a cell phone pocket — both of which close securely with Velcro.

Moreover, the jacket features a D-ring at the lower right side that can be used for attaching gloves.

As I said, my son fell in love with this jacket immediately. He usually doesn’t like the cold weather, but he’s already looking forward to the end of summer so he can start wearing his brand-new Zero Xposur jacket. This garment seems to be made of quality materials, has an awesome design and sweet features, and is ultimately a great buy at $14.40. Highly recommended!

How diligent are you about returning or exchanging products that you’re not satisfied with? For example, what if you come across a bunch of duds while searching for a diet pill that works? Would you take (or send) the duds back in order to get a refund, or do you just keep all of the half-empty bottles in your medicine chest for years?

How about if you simply change your mind about a top or a pair of shoes? Do you make an extra trip back to the store to return the items, or do you simply let your closet fill up with unworn clothing?

The obvious answer here is to return or exchange everything that you possibly can, but you’d be surprised at just how many people simply are not vigilant about getting their money’s worth. I have several friends who don’t feel right about returning items that aren’t patently defective, so they choose not to take advantage of liberal manufacturer or store policies.

But that’s such a waste! Personally, I keep all of my receipts for at least one year (longer on more expensive items), which gives me an opportunity to make returns within the 30-, 60-, or 90-day periods that most stores offer. As a result, I never get “stuck” with a product I don’t use or enjoy, and my shopping dollars go a heck of a lot farther!

I like to be “connected” at all times, even when I’m away from home. Although my cell phone comes with a web browser that allows me to check emails, it doesn’t have a full QWERTY keyboard, making any real tasks next to impossible to complete. So I end up taking my PDA with me just about everywhere.

The problem with this method is that I never know if there’s a WiFi hotspot nearby. That’s why I thought the Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter (HS-20) would be a good investment. This is a compact device (it’s smaller than a pack of cigarettes) that quickly scans the immediate area to detect hotspots. The Digital Hotspotter also lets me know the name of the access point (AP), how strong the network’s signal is, whether the AP is secure or unlocked,

I’ve been using the Digital Hotspotter for about a week now, and am completely in love with it! This device has truly made getting online a lot easier when I’m away from home. I’ve found the Hotspotter to be accurate, fast, and efficient — everything I could possibly expect from it! The best feature has to be the portability, as I can simply slip the Hotspotter into my pocket, purse, or laptop bag without even noticing the addition.

Overall, though the product is a bit pricey at $70, I would gladly have paid twice that. The Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter is a must for anyone looking to connect to the Internet while out and about.

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I just learned of a great special offer from Alden Grace that you might want to take advantage of. Between now and June 8, you can receive 50 free personalized note cards plus 50 unprinted envelopes when you order anything else from the online store! That’s an $81 value, which is obviously pretty sweet. There are several different styles to choose from, and you can select the text, font, and ink color as well.

To get your free gift of 50 personalized note cards and unprinted envelopes, simply enter the word NOTECARDS during checkout.

Remember, you only have until June 8, so get shopping!

I recently upgraded my 2G iPod Nano for a 3G version, and since the sizes and shapes of the two models are completely different, I had to purchase all new accessories for my new MP3 player. One of the items I bought was a Belkin Sport Armband Plus to help keep my iPod out of the way during my workouts.

I’ve never used an armband for any of my iPods before, preferring instead to use a simple silicone case/lanyard combination. But I don’t like the way the iPod bounces around on my neck while I’m on the treadmill or whatever, so I finally decided that an armband was in order.

I went with the Belkin over other brands because it looked sturdy, was priced favorably compared to similar products, and received decent customer reviews. It turns out that I made a pretty good decision.

The Belkin Sport Armband Plus for 3G iPod Nano comes with the following features right out of the box:

• Made from hand-washable, water-wicking material
• Detachable Cable Capsule for managing earphone cord
• Adjustable hook-fastening system to secure product on arm
• Clear screen that allows access to iPod clickwheel
• Reflective material on face for use in the dark

I’ve used this armband for a few workouts already, and am happy to report that it seems to suit my purposes rather well thus far. There are, however, a couple of things that I don’t like about it. For instance, the hook fastener isn’t all that easy to use. It takes me forever to get the thing on (though taking it off is pretty simple). Also, because of the positioning of the Cable Capsule, I can’t get the armband on as tight as I would like it.

In addition, I’ve found that it’s a bit difficult to use the clickwheel through the protective screen. I think the product would be much better if there were a hole around the clickwheel so I could actually touch the iPod instead of trying to manipulate the thing through plastic.

Overall, however, I’m pretty happy with my purchase. I use this armband when I go to the gym for workouts or when I take my dogs on long walks, and I use a silicone case at all other times. I know some people might balk at paying $29.99 for this Belkin Sport Armband Plus, but I think it’s worth the price.