Offers are Only as Good as the Paper They're Written On

One thing I’ve noticed in my snail mailbox and email box lately is offers for preapproved credit cards and loans. Oh, yeah, the typical you can buy a new car/truck/motorcycle/RV for nothing down and zero percent interest with five years or so to pay it off OAC.

  

Golly sakes, my days of OAC have passed me by. I wonder if manufacturers realize how many sales they don’t have because a lot of people are tired of getting meaningless offers that make them feel badly because the grand old days of having more than they need are gone.

I laughed so hard when my brother Dave posted a comment on FB about the situation, and how so many lenders are ready to “give” us a loan. Really! Just go online and fill out some papers and find out right away if you’re approved. 

Come on down to get money for the things you need!

Then come down to the office with the kids and neighbors and anyone else you want to bring along, sit down with the friendly person behind the desk that flashes a megawatt smile and happy greeting to everyone. Show your ID, sign for real, and walk out the door counting your cash. Couldn’t be easier.

The loan, if you get it, is not a gift. It has to be repaid, usually with high interest rates and larger payments than you are comfortable with paying. Trouble may be waiting just around the corner. But the loan companies will go broke if they don’t convince as many people as possible that the extra money is a wonderful way to make the holiday season brighter and more impressive. 

Diamonds would be nice!

Paper offers are great for starting the kindling in the wood stove. That’s a gift of sorts. Lenders have their place in today’s world. That’s a fact of life, and someone has to do it. Meanwhile, I’d appreciate a better screening of who they send offers to and ask that they leave me “aloan”.