A N$4 650 Income, a Dripping Tap and a Second-Hand Fridge
The Amukes have a net monthly income of N$4 650. Their regular monthly commitments are rent N$1 100, transport to work and school N$480, prepaid electricity N$250, water N$180, food N$2 000, cellphone N$150 and a burial society contribution N$100. School fees are N$350 per child per term and there are two children. They owe N$1 800 on a clothing store account that charges 22% interest a year and requires a minimum payment of N$200 a month. The kitchen tap has been dripping for months; the last water account shows 300 litres a month more than usual. They want a second-hand refrigerator: N$2 500 cash, or N$300 deposit plus 12 monthly payments of N$230. For the cash price the seller offers no receipt; the shop selling on credit offers no written guarantee on the second-hand unit.
1. Prepare a monthly budget that includes the school fees and the store account, and state whether the refrigerator is affordable now.
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Fixed monthly expenses: rent 1 100 + transport 480 + electricity 250 + water 180 + food 2 000 + cellphone 150 + burial society 100 = N$4 260.
Balance before other commitments: 4 650 − 4 260 = N$390.
School fees: 2 children × N$350 = N$700 per term. Spread over the three months of a term that is about N$233 a month that must be set aside; if it is not set aside it becomes a crisis every term.
Store account: minimum N$200 a month.
Available after school fees: 390 − 233 = N$157. Paying the store account leaves 157 − 200 = −N$43: already a deficit before the fridge.
With the fridge instalment: −43 − 230 = −N$273 a month. The purchase is not affordable now.
The budget also shows where the pressure comes from: food is 43% of income (high but hard to cut far), and the two debts together exceed the free balance. Note that the deficit is not caused by the fridge alone - the household was already short before it. The realistic choices are to clear the store account first, to cut a variable cost, or to add income, before any new credit is taken on.
2. Calculate the real cost of buying the refrigerator on credit and evaluate both offers, including costs the price tag does not show.
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Cost of the credit offer: deposit N$300 + (12 × N$230) = 300 + 2 760 = N$3 060. That is N$560 more than the N$2 500 cash price, an extra 22,4% - very close to the 22% the store account charges, so it is expensive money.
Cost of the cash offer: N$2 500 with no receipt and no guarantee. The price looks cheaper, but the risk is carried entirely by the buyer: if the compressor fails in three weeks, there is no proof of purchase and no comeback. A second-hand fridge may also need gas, a new seal or a repair within a year, and it adds roughly N$100–150 a month to the prepaid electricity bill - a running cost that neither offer shows.
Evaluation:
- The credit offer costs N$560 in interest and finance charges and commits N$230 a month for a year, which the budget cannot carry.
- The cash offer costs less but carries all the risk, and the family does not have N$2 500 today anyway.
Better route: pay off the store account first, because 22% interest on N$1 800 is the most expensive money in the household; save the N$390 surplus for six to seven months while watching for a dealer with a written guarantee; then buy with a receipt, having first asked to see the fridge running and to hear the compressor. A lay-by, where the item is held while payments are made, avoids both interest and the risk of losing the money.
3. Advise the family on their consumer rights and responsibilities in these two deals, and on the dripping tap.
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Consumer rights and responsibilities. Consumers have the right to be informed, to choose, to safety and to redress when goods are faulty - but these rights depend on the buyer's own responsibilities: asking questions, keeping proof of purchase and complaining promptly.
The no-receipt cash deal. A seller who refuses a receipt is a warning sign. Without proof of purchase the family cannot show when or from whom the fridge was bought, which makes any claim for a refund or repair almost impossible. Their responsibility is to insist on a written receipt showing the date, the price, the seller's name and contact details, and any guarantee - even handwritten. Before paying, they should plug the fridge in, feel that it cools, listen to the compressor, ask its age, and ask whether spare parts and gas are available locally.
The credit deal. They have the right to see the agreement in writing before signing, to know the total amount payable (N$3 060, not N$2 500), and to a written guarantee on a second-hand item. Never sign a blank or unexplained contract, and keep a copy.
The dripping tap. 300 litres a month is a real cost and a waste of a scarce resource. A tap washer costs very little and is usually the whole fault. If the house is rented, the family should report the leak in writing to the landlord and keep a copy, both to get it repaired and to have a record if the water account is disputed. Fixing the tap is the cheapest saving in this whole scenario - it pays back within a month or two and needs no credit at all.