Things to Consider Before Making a Purchase

· Determine exactly what product or service you need.

· Compare brands. Read about various brands and ask friends for recommendations.

· Compare stores. Check out a store’s reputation. Find out if there are extra charges. Learn about the store’s policy regarding exchanges or refunds.

· Read and compare warranties.

· Read and understand the contract.

· Determine the total purchase price.

Find the equivalents of the following words
and expressions in the text.

Oсторожный покупатель, соответствовать запросам, торговые марки конкурентов, крупные покупки, определить, какой товар вам нужен, быть в наличии, дополнительные издержки, доставить неисправный товар за свой счет, гарантийные обязательства, заполнить пропуски, удачная покупка.

Answer the questions:

1. What problems can consumers have?

2. Why isn’t it wise to make large purchases on impulse?

3. Where can you get the information about the product you need before buying it?

4. How should you choose the shop?

5. What extra charges can be added on the price?

6. How do return policies differ in different stores?

7. What should you take into consideration when studying the warranty?

8. What can you do if you have to sign the contract, but you don’t understand some points? Why can’t you sign it if there are still some blanks?

9. Can we believe everything we hear from the seller?

Read and translate the dialogue:

Narrator: The Magistrate describes a serious case he had recently, in which it was difficult to decide what to do.

Magistrate: We had one forgery case… rather a pathetic one of um… of a woman who um… stole somebody else’s post office savings book, and took… the money. It was a difficult case…

Interviewer: She went to the post office…

Magistrate: Went to the post office and signed in somebody else’s name and got the money and was caught. Now she was a woman with several children and very considerable domestic problems, and I would say an inadequate housewife. But on the other hand she had taken this savings book from an old age pensioner. We put her on probation. She was already seriously in debt everywhere. She couldn’t possibly pay a fine. If we had sent her to prison, for example, it would have meant that all the children would have to be looked after by somebody else…

Interviewer: I see.

Magistrate: And the evidence was that within her lights – within her limits – she was a good mother and tried her best…

Interviewer: Her best with children…

Magistrate: Her best wasn’t quite good enough.

Answer the questions:

1. What exactly had the woman done? Give details?

2. What do you learn about the woman herself?

3. He could have sent her to prison or fined her. Did he?

4. What finally happened to the woman?

5. What were the reasons for this?