What is consumer confidence?

By Dan Barber

I am hearing a lot about “consumer confidence” in the news regarding our economy today. I wonder what consumer confidence really means. Does it mean that it is safe to spend? Does it mean that what was purchased really worth the cost? Was the product or service American or foreign?

My consumer confidence really took a hit a recently. In an attempt to manage my household budget since retiring, I’ve had to make some changes for services my wife and I receive, namely changing our cable/internet/telephone subscription. I took the steps a couple of years ago to try and cut the overpriced service in those areas by calling the cable’s customer services line to cancel our home phone thinking that it would reduce the monthly bill. My wife and I have cell phones so having a third telephone line that is mainly used by Robo-callers trying to sell us more services or scam us out of income is a waste of money… (HINT) the national DO NOT CALL registry does not really work!

The friendly customer services person at the cable company informed me that it was not a good idea to cut the land-line phone because it really wouldn’t save any money. As a matter of fact, their company would be able to reduce our bill for being a good customer for nearly 20 years…I agreed to maintain services for another 2-years but at a reduced cost.

Fast forward two years I finally had the consumer confidence to demand a change… I signed up for a two-year deal with a satellite provider for television services but kept the cable company’s internet services. I no longer have a land-line that allowed access by crooks or sales companies into my retirement peace with incessant “robocalls” which are instigated after a click on an internet item I am trying to research. At the end of my two-year satellite TV contract, I might investigate the sign-up offer the cable company offers to “new” customers.

While speaking to the “off-shore” cable company’s customer services representative, whose second language was apparently English, I was having difficulty in communicating my need to cancel the cable TV and land-line telephone service but keep their internet service with Wyfy in my home. He finally had to transfer my call to his “supervisor.” After about 5 minutes of hold time, a woman with an impeccable grasp of American English came on the line to inform me that the only internet service that I could “qualify” for would still cost me about $65 per month…I told her that I wanted the $45 per month service that was advertised on their website. She said that was for new customers only. Because it was still a saving for me I agreed. My wife took the many devices that were installed in our home to bring us hi-tech services from our cable company back to their local office. The friendly customer relations person at the counter told my wife that I was right we could have the $45 per month internet service!

I realize that we can access the internet from our smartphones, but I have not mastered typing with my thumbs like my granddaughters have done on their cell phones… I need the use of my eight fingers and two thumbs to type.

With the rapid advancement in technology I would recommend that a smart young person should start a business to educate old people, like me, into how to save money and prevent being taken advantage of by “hi-tech” companies. However, there will always be those unscrupulous people who will always take advantage of people’s “consumer confidence” just to make a fast buck rather than provide a good American made product or service.