What about warranties?

I'm a textbook introvert. Being outspoken does NOT come naturally for me, which is why I made it into a personal goal.

Maybe that is why I make such a big deal of my quest to get $1~$5 back from the grocery store when they mischarge me for something... which happens more often than I think should be statistically possible. But to quote from Evan Almighty (in the voice of Morgan Freeman): "If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous?". If that's the case, then He's surely giving me a run for my money.

This tale starts with my disappointment this weekend where I failed. I was trying to take advantage of some sales at Walgreens, and could not bring myself to ask someone for the location of the items that were on sale. I spent a total of 3 trips and still would not ask. I looked everywhere, and walked away empty handed. I was disappointed, but the higher powers waste no time providing me with a new opportunity.

(Disclaimer: Yes, I am a girl.)

This morning out of nowhere, I was thinking about the Instyler I use to do my hair. Thus far, it has been the only tool that can do my hair in under 3hrs. I've been using the Instyler for over 4 years now and wouldn't look elsewhere. The catch? It costs about $60 from eBay at the cheapest, and seems to last about 2yrs (to be fair, I use it for 1.5~2hrs at a time, once a week). Mine has been passing the 2 year mark, and the cracking has started.

I know I have to replace mine once it breaks, which could be anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months from now. Then this morning I did a quick search and found the same authorized seller on ebay. She always offered a 3yr warranty on these items. So I thought, why not? Sure, it's been 2 years, but it's worth a shot. I sent her an email with all the info and got a reply. She'll replace it free of charge. I get to keep the old one. I did include photos of the cracking and damage on the item, so I guess it isn't a rarity and the seller was aware. But for just 5min of trying, I just saved myself another $60. I also got my mouse replaced for free, as it had about a week of warranty left. From now on, I'm keeping all of my receipt and warranty info stored somewhere safe. You never know when you may use them again.