Seven ways to use ChatGPT to avoid overpaying for tech

A tech writer at Tom's Guide has published a set of ready-made ChatGPT prompts meant to stop shoppers from overpaying. You fill in the product, budget and needs, paste the prompt in, and the chatbot does the comparing, the cost math and the digging through reviews. Each prompt also asks for sources, so you can check the answer yourself.

What the prompts do

• Find five options within your budget and name the features not worth paying extra for.
• Compare two products side by side, from durability and warranty to running costs.
• Dig through customer reviews for repeat complaints and problems that appear over time.
• Find five cheaper alternatives and explain what you would gain and lose with each.
• Estimate the total cost of owning a product for three years.

Why the review prompt stands out

The writer prefers reading reviews of three stars and lower, where buyers often explain real problems at length. The review prompt asks ChatGPT to look past star ratings. It looks for the most common complaints, the parts that fail most often and issues that only show up after weeks or months of use. It also asks the chatbot to separate verified findings from anecdotes.

The cost people forget

Some products cost far more after the purchase. The article names cameras, printers, scanners and gaming PCs. The three-year prompt asks for accessories, subscriptions, maintenance, consumables, replacement parts, repairs and likely energy costs. It also asks ChatGPT to show the assumptions behind its estimates and to flag any recurring fees to check before buying.

How to use them

The prompts have blanks in square brackets, such as the product, your maximum budget and your top priorities. The more specific you are, the more useful the answer is likely to be. The prompts ask ChatGPT to link to its evidence and to verify specifications against manufacturer sources. Open those links. A confident answer is only worth trusting if the source backs it up.

The article also covers a prompt for impulse buys. The writer says it has stopped purchases of random kitchen gadgets.

What is not clear

The article text available here ends partway through the sixth tip, so the seventh is not covered. The material also does not say how accurate ChatGPT's prices or product details are. That is why the source checks matter.