Dear TanningBeds.org,

I have been shopping for bulbs for my wolff bed, and I see several webcites are giving away $200 in free lotions. My common sense says something isn’t right, but it looks like a good deal. What should I look for to find the best deal?

[name withheld]

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Dear friend,

If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Here is my personal take on it: The $200 in free lotions i based on “suggested retail”, which is twice the real price, and twice their cost. So they are giving you $50 max. Now, they aren’t really GIVING you anything, it is built into the price, so you are paying more for the lamps.

A perfect example is a customer who called the other day, after being quoted $600 for a set of lamps that are compatible with other lamps we sell for $240. They got the “$200 in free lotions”, plus overpaid for shipping ($50 instead of $35). Here is the price breakdown:

They paid: $650 and got $100 in wholesale lotion.

They could have paid: $240 for the lamps, $35 for the shipping, $100 for the lotion for a grand total of: $375

They overpaid by: $275, or almost TWICE the price.

Another drawback is they didn’t get to pick the lotions they received, and probably won’t use most of the lotions they were sent. In the end, the “$200 in free lotion” cost them $275. This is NOT a good deal, unless you are the one selling the lamps.

What you should look for is GOOD LAMPS. Buy your lotion seperately, as they have to ship in different packages anyway. You can find great lamps in the $9.99 to $14.99 range if you shop around (try a sponsor and others). The hooks are just that: hooks to lure you into what looks like a great deal, but isn’t.

Same goes for “buy 20 lamps, get 4 free”. There is no such thing as “free”, from anyone. Compare the quality of the lamps, the total price, including shipping, and get what is right for your bed and your needs. Ignore the bogus “specials” and you are guaranteed to save more money, and get the right lamp.

Dennis