Buyer beware
Today’s expression is “buyer beware.” This is a tricky one; it doesn’t always fit into a sentence the way an expression typically would. “Buyer beware” almost stands by itself. You add it on to the end of a sentence or you just say it, all by itself.
What it means is, if you buy something, you are the person responsible for understanding what you are buying. And if what you buy is not what you expected it to be, then don’t complain to anyone else. Because it was your job to make sure you knew what you were buying.
That’s what “buyer beware” means. It’s a warning. It’s typically used to remind people not to rely only on the claims of the seller. If someone is trying to sell you something, that person might not be the best independent judge of whether this purchase is a good idea.
How did I use it today? I was posing a theoretical question. Should governments regulate undersea adventures or space travel ? On the one hand, these things can lead to disaster . The Titan did. Everyone on board died. The Titan’s owner decided it was too cumbersome and expensive to get it inspected and certified—he was confident in his design.
Right. I’m sure he was real convincing when he was explaining it to the passengers. But did he show them the letter from industry experts warning about catastrophic consequences? Did he tell them about the employee he fired—the one who raised concerns about the design? I don’t know. But this information was public; there was a lawsuit about the fired employee with a lot of public detail, and the letter from industry experts was posted online.
So should the government inspect these ships? One viewpoint is yes—regulation could prevent a tragedy or at the very least help people make informed decisions. The other viewpoint is—buyer beware. If you want to pay a quarter of a million dollars to do something extremely risky for a few hours, then buyer beware. You make sure, before you do this, that you’re satisfied with the safety record and the risks.
Why should the citizens of the United States or Canada pay for a regulatory agency to develop standards and inspect these vehicles, which take billionaires for undersea joyrides? That’s not necessarily my viewpoint! But it is a viewpoint. Buyer beware.
Used cars is a great example. When you buy a new car, you can see the odometer. It’s got like 300 miles on it. It hasn’t been in an accident. It comes with a warranty. Nobody has mistreated it. You can investigate the reputation of the manufacturer and you can have a relatively high degree of confidence in your decision.
Used cars—a whole other story. It’s hard to know whether a car is in good shape or not, and the process can be infuriating . Buyer beware. “This car has only had one owner,” the salesmen says. Yeah! Buyer beware. “It’s never been in an accident.” Here’s my favorite: “These are mostly highway miles.” All I have to say is, buyer beware.
You can listen to the sales pitch. But if you buy a used car, my advice is, you take the car to a mechanic that you choose, and you pay the mechanic to tell you about the car’s condition. You don’t let the salesperson get anywhere near that mechanic. If your government keeps a registry of vehicle ownership or hardship, then check that—like in the U.S., there’s a registry that tells you whether a vehicle has had a fire or a flood. Check that registry. Buyer beware. Don’t just let the seller tell you this stuff without doing your own research first.
Canal Street in New York is famous for selling designer handbags, sunglasses, and other things at cut-rate prices. Buyer beware! Almost everyone who goes there knows they are buying counterfeit goods. This is part of the deal. Very, very few people are truly, deep down, being fooled by the “luxury” goods being sold at low prices on Canal Street in New York City. They know what they are getting. Buyer beware—those Gucci sunglasses, that Louis Vuitton bag—they’re probably not real. Maybe you don’t care. But don’t act surprised if they don’t live up to the quality standards of the real thing.
Have you ever read the reviews of a commercial gym online? Half the reviews talk about the equipment, the facilities, the opening hours, the staff, the level of maintenance, the quality of the locker rooms, the location—and other half the reviews talk about how difficult it is to cancel the recurring payment.
Listen. This is just a feature of commercial gyms! It’s the same everywhere around the world. It’s very difficult to cancel the membership. Buyer beware. Just, you have to understand this is a fact of life. Read the rules. Understand them. And then follow them. If the rules say you need to cancel in person, then cancel in person. If the rules say you need to cancel in writing, then cancel in writing. If the rules say—you get the point. Buyer beware. Before you sign up, know what it takes to cancel. And don’t complain later if an e-mail isn’t enough.
One last tip here. Read the transcript or go back and listen to this section again and see exactly how I used “buyer beware.” I didn’t work it into a sentence. You just kind of add it on in between sentences or at the end of a sentence. It doesn’t follow the rules of grammar or anything. You just add it like an interjection.
JR’s song of the week
This is a long lesson, so we’ll be quick here. JR’s song of the week is “One Life” by Dermot Kennedy. “One life is never long enough for us,” he sings. Today’s song of the week is “One Life” by Dermot Kennedy. Thanks JR for selecting that for us.
See you next time!
That’s all for today’s lesson. Remember this was Lesson 589, so you can find the full transcripts and all the lesson resources for today’s topic at PlainEnglish.com/589. We’ll be back on Monday with a new topic. See you then.
Use realistic expressions like a native speaker
