A Deal for Data

“How will you be paying?” the saleswoman asked.

We told her we’d put 25 percent down when ordering, and we’d put the rest on that same credit card upon delivery.

She said “OK,” and went to get some blank order forms. A few minutes later she returned talking about opening an account with the merchant. We asked, “Open an account? What does that entail? We’ll be paying in full upon delivery. Why would we want to open an account?”