Businesses often try to attract consumers by offering them money-saving deals. The deal may be a special
offer, warranty, buying plan, or buying club. In some cases, however, these deals are not what they seem.
They are financial traps with hidden costs that consumers aren’t aware of. You can educate yourself about
these traps by reading information on the U.S. government’s consumer protection website.
A. RESEARCH You are going to share consumer information with your classmates. To prepare, form
groups of three students and assign two topics to each group member. Then research your topics
on the consumer protection website: www.consumer.ftc.gov or other similar websites and answer
the questions. You can take notes instead of writing full sentences.
Topics:
• Rebate offers
•"Free" trial offers
• Warranties and service contracts
• Buying plans
• Rent-to-own plans
• Layaway plans or programs
Language
When you take notes, write down only the main points and most important details. Write short phrases instead
of full sentences, and skip unimportant words like a, an, and the.
Topic 1:
1. What type of deal is this? What do consumers have to do?