No Interest Loan!
A Cranky PSA
For
CRANKY OPINION SATURDAY
The following PSA is a cranky
interpretation which may or may not be correct. I’m pretty sure I am correct
and this is intended for my less sophisticated readers based on my recent understanding
of something that had me completely fooled.
Any corrections to this understanding are welcome.
As a
graduate from an actual accredited college, with a degree in economics many years before the internet, I consider myself to be an expert in the science of
economics. Does a “C” average or less
make one an expert? It does if you say
it does, so…
Anyway
I recently
became aware of something which almost cost this economic expert a boat load of
money. I was misunderstanding a no
interest loan.
Fortunately,
Mrs. C, who has an associates degree in computer stuff from DeVry the school with the Fighting Mice mascot, straightened me out.
Have you
ever wondered how companies offer products for sale with no interest for one
year? Sometimes even no payment and no
interest for one year. Guess, what? There is a catch.
It is not a
“no” interest loan, it is a “deferred” interest loan. What does that mean?
Well, when
you sign up for this loan it is a salesman who explains it and it may be
explained incorrectly with a lot of fast talking involved. The fine print,
where you sign that you understand the loan, is pretty clear, but you are not
encouraged to read the fine print carefully.
If you read
the fine print carefully or have someone with an associates degree in computer
stuff from DeVry with you, you will know that:
The loan is interest free as long as
you pay it off completely in one year.
The monthly payments they demand, if
any, will in no way cover the loan in one year.
If you miss or are late with a single payment the interest is no longer deferred.
If you miss or are late with a single payment the interest is no longer deferred.
You may think,
as I did, that the first year is interest free and then after that you have to
pay the interest on the remaining balance? Oh no. The interest is deferred. That means that
after one year if the loan is not completely payed off, or if your last payment
is even one day late, you owe all interest on that year that would have been
due on every payment.
In other
words, all the interest you did not have to pay was deferred, and you now DO HAVE TO PAY!!
Last year we
had to replace our heating and air system.
Well we didn’t have to replace them, but they were broken and repair was
going to be expensive and not guaranteed.
This was a
costly proposition, one that I was prepared to pay for in one very painful lump
until the salesman offered a no interest free loan for one year. I thought, hmmm, no interest versus losing
the interest on the large lump sum. Why
not take the year to pay it off?
See what an
economic expert I am. Pay no interest
while still making interest, a no brainer.
My last
payment was due this January. I was set
to finish payments in January. Mrs. C
said I should pay it all off in December just in case there is any glitch in
the payment.*
“Why, how much interest could there be on the
last payment?”
She then
explained how “deferred” interest works.
“Woah…I’ll bet a lot of people that
cannot pay off the loan in a year make a purchase based on the no interest for
a year concept!”
“Probably, and if they expect to pay
off most in the first year, they may not care much about the interest rate.”
“Good point!”
I made my
last payment one month early and confirmed it was complete, so thank you Mrs.
C, and kudos to the Fighting Mice.
Are banks
and businesses that offer these loans guilty of breaking the “Truth in Lending”
laws?
Probably
not, but they do not go out of their way to be sure the borrower
understands. I know because if they
fooled this sophisticated “C” student in the science of economics, they are
fooling of lot of other people.
End of PSA.
End of PSA.
*(Know when your deferred
interest period ends. The
front page of your bill shows when the deferred interest period ends. Your
deferred interest period might have a different end date than your regular
monthly payment due)
I call this a trap!!
