Consumer skills: Buying services. (1976)

um [Music] [Music] no how about them i don't know you have insurance who's your family doctor what hospital should we take [Music] [Applause] [Music] you better call a lawyer you need the services of a lawyer dad this is danny yeah look i'm gonna need some help [Applause] see there's been an accident there's been a big accident here in it no dad no i'm okay but the car isn't yeah no dad it's not just the damages see they're taking names there are times when a person needs services times when the needs are unexpected times when services must be bought in anticipation of needs yes you're covered up to ten thousand dollars you may remember that when you were about to buy the policy i advised you that for a few dollars more you could get this additional coverage well here's my estimate maybe you can find lower price but i don't see you gonna find anybody who does the work better well it's certainly not serious probably due to the sudden stuff i'll prescribe something for the pain i'd like you to come in for physical therapy you should be feeling a lot better in a few days danny it's a question of liability i can pretty well assure you that you won't be held liable but it pays to take precautions as the years go by an increasing amount of the money we earn goes to pay for services and we face the problem of getting the most for our service dollars some services like insurance are paid for in advance you and your company are doing a good job for me i'm really grateful well we've been doing business with your family for a long time whatever made my dad decide to come to your company oh probably a friend the insurance man advises danny to read try to find out a little about the field through reading danny can learn that insurance can be bought from a broker who represents many companies he may be able to find one who charges less or insurance can be bought from an agent who represents only one company often the customer gets better and faster service from an agent insurance can be bought from a mutual insurance company a policy makes the insured person a shareholder in the company in any case he has to pay premiums the cost of the policy i guess what i'm driving at is that you've got to arm yourself with all of the information that you can get before you sign a policy read it you'd be surprised at how many people don't ask when you don't understand and be sure to read the conditions under which the company can drop you they may not tell you that before you sign though you're going to have to find that out by reading the contract but how can i compare insurance companies i mean i don't know what's a good deal and what isn't well there are a lot of factors you might want to go with a large danny learns from his insurance man that a small company may charge less for insurance and may be more accommodating to the insured however such a company may not have large assets and may lack experience on the other hand a large company may be more expensive but you can usually count on it for reliability and safety insurance companies are rated by consumer reports in terms of price assets size and location what difference does that make plenty different states have an insurance man knows the location of a company provides important information about that company varying state requirements have to be met what's more a buyer is obligated to learn about the various types of coverage available to him liability and property damage insure a person against damage to other people's property the first 10 or 20 000 worth of coverage may be expensive but additional coverage may be reasonable a small accident can damage a great deal of property collision insurance covers damage to a person's own car it's expensive so if a car is old it may be more reasonable to replace it than to repair the damage rates can be lowered by accepting a deductible clause the insurer agrees to pay the first hundred or hundred fifty dollars himself comprehensive covers a person against fire or theft and medical covers injuries to the driver and passengers the amount a person buys is up to him based on hospital cost in his area whatever coverage you buy and whatever company you buy it from you'd be foolish not to compare rates that's what the insurance agency said compare rates well sure you have to shop around compare in this field you are at a disadvantage to begin with the guy at the shop knows a lot more than you do so how do you get the most for your money like i said compare ask for an estimate before you have the work done most insurance companies require estimates anyway though a lot of people are afraid to ask for estimates it's their right and it's the smart thing to do most legitimate mechanics are more than willing to give estimates comparing prices is a good idea for many services you buy with mechanics movers towing services carpentry work home repairs for almost all the services you buy you can get bids for comparison what's more you can check with friends find out the company's reputation many kinds of services are accredited by professional societies look there's something else you can do to protect yourself when buying car repairs let me show you you can look at an estimator's bird or a flat rate book a flat rater book gives you suggested reasonable labor cost for all standard auto repairs it can help you see if a shop's repair estimate is in the ballpark another thing check with the american automobile association or other organizations like it they may have rated repair shops and garages in your city oh yeah something else well you already know what i do uh-huh when you have a special problem you go to a specialist right if you have a trouble like you buy work you'll go to a specialist if you go to a regular shop more likely to just want a farmer out to especially like me anyway happens a lot of times what do you know about your lawyer does he specialize in personal injury suppose he's a tax lawyer he may be willing to handle a personal injury for you but he might not do so well with an injury case about my case what do i do now i advise you to plead not guilty you know danny it seems to me the court will believe the accident was caused by that man two cars ahead of you hello other services we're seldom aware that we buy are services to the public [Music] public services mean just that they exist to serve the public miss call will you please read the letter we're sending to the council as buyers of public services people have the right to express their views to public officials to ask for changes in those services [Applause] dear sirs for six months the traffic on the northwest super highway has been narrowed to only two lanes at the first street underpass the number of accidents that have occurred at this location has been excessive our organization asks that at the next council meeting you consider the enclosed proposal for the immediate completion of the work for widening the expressway and increasing safety thank you for your consideration thank you very much [Applause] and now from the 11th ward the chair will now recognize mr jacobs mayor adam recorder fellow councilman i'm here tonight to talk to you about this unconscionable delay and the completion of the work on northwest highway i've been literally deluged with mail in the past several months and i know many of you have been uh danny's car has been repaired by the repair service his injury has been treated thanks to the services of his doctor his repair bills have been paid thanks to the services of the insurance company and his legal position in the accident has been defended through the services of his lawyer being a consumer means buying services for private and public and as danny found knowing how to evaluate and compare services is an important step in developing consumer skills [Music] so [Music] you