Have you looked over your own fine print? – SCN Encourager 8/12/2013

How often have you “checked” your approval to an online “terms of service” agreement without even reading it?

A ton of times? Me too.

And for some strange reason, I always feel empowered after I do.

I just wish checking off the items on my work-related “to do” list came as easily.

That’s why I jump at the chance to quickly check off something… anything!

Everytime we all place our little checks in those online boxes, we’re performing a service to our country. I’m just sure of it.

We’re creating and sustaining jobs to agreement writers and website check-box auditors all around the planet, and this must boost our nation’s economy and lower our trade deficit in ways we’ll never fathom.

So, fellow job creator, I salute you!

Despite those “terms of service” paragraphs being the most. boring. stuff. ever…  I know my practice of checking-off my approval in speedy-kwik fashion is not one I should recommend.

But I can’t help it.

The legalese. The fine print. I despise these as much as I do “deadlines.”

I guess they have their place – especially since we provide our own scads of “fine print” information to our parents and students this time of year. (creating and sustaining our own jobs, so to speak…) 

And in the case of own fine print, we shouldn’t be too eager to skip past it.

Last week, in reviewing some high school registration handouts, our planning team noted that in the three different sections referring to “book deposits,” we presented three different figures for the book deposit fee.

In two of the sections, we even contradicted ourselves about our process for returning book deposits at the end-of-the-year.

There were other corrections we needed to make.

So I’m now on a mission to read closely, listen closely, and shake out every inaccuracy I can.

I even took this new mindset home.

I received an official looking privacy notice with some other mumbo-jumbo from my credit card company. I figured this was a great opportunity to finally read the tiny paragraphs of legal disclaimers I had always been so willing to totally ignore before.

I’m glad I did. I spotted several rules I never knew existed.

I found out that my credit card company refuses to accept any payment toward the monthly balance due… if that payment exceeds the total balance due by more than 10%.

Rats! And just as I was planning to begin overpaying all of my monthly bills, too…

I also read that my credit company refuses to accept a personal check written for more than $50,000.

Can’t blame them for this, though.

I wouldn’t take a check for more than $50,000 from me, either.

Tom Page, SCN