Behavior • Frugality

Never Buy Another Set Of Headphones

It happened again as I was walking from the weight room to the water fountain. I heard a crackle, and suddenly the sound from my right earbud was gone. Despite my best efforts of wiggling the cord and unplugging and plugging the headphones into my phone, one of my earbuds had ceased to function. This is a common occurrence that happens about every six months. I finished up my workout without music, and stopped by Walmart on my way home to buy a new set of headphones.

I shell out the cash for new headphones about every six months because they stop working.

I thought maybe it was just the way I used the headphones. When I leave the gym I either wrap the cord around my phone, or ball them up and stuff them into my workout bag. But then I heard a coworker talking about her daughter experiencing the same thing. She also happened to mention that her daughter hasn’t paid for a new set of headphones in years thanks to the warranty supplied by a certain brand of headphones. Her solution was to buy Skullcandy brand headphones and utilize their warranty agreements.

Skullcandy issues a one year warranty on all their headphones. Should they experience a manufacturer’s defect during that year, they will replace the product for free.

This model, the Skullcandy Crusher Evo Over-Ear Wireless Headphones with Sensory Bass, costs $140 at Amazon and is worth every penny.

Each time the headphones stop working (which is always within the warranty year), my coworker’s daughter simply submits a claim, pays a nominal amount for shipping, and has a brand new headphones. In fact, she actually has two pairs of headphones that she rotates through so that she’s never without headphones. When she has to send one pair in for warranty replacement, she breaks open her second set. The headphones always cease functioning within 6 months, like clockwork.

By taking advantage of Skullcandy’s warranty, my coworker’s daughter hasn’t paid for new headphones in years.

To follow this example, I’ll need to do the following:

1. Purchase Skullcandy headphones.
2. Save the packaging and receipt
3. When that pair stops functioning buy a second pair and send the first set in for warranty replacement
4. Save the packaging and receipt from the second pair
5. Continue to cycle through the headphones as they cease functioning.

By purchasing Skullcandy headphones and following my coworker’s example, I’m going to see just how long I can go without buying a new set of headphones. This will be a fun game that I can update you on from time to time!

How about your Clever Friends, have you ever taken advantage of a warranty period on a product multiple times? How long do you think I can go without buying a new set of headphones?

Brought to you courtesy of Brock

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