PSA: Your signature is your agreement

In the days of yester year the above phrase would have been common knowledge. Only with recent advancements in the world it's easy to dismiss the wisdom of the past. It's easy to forget that the same knowledge we seek to dismiss very much applies to life today. When the forefathers of this nation signed the declaration of independence they set the standard for future business practices in this country. Americans want everything in writing. We want to know the terms and conditions before we agree. So why is it that so many of us sign things we haven't even read much less understand. Then it's only when those terms are enforced that we come to understand what we have agreed to.
  It happens everyday. You walk into a bank to open an account and once you've discussed everything they shove a five page document under your nose and point out all the places you have to sign. The bank is busy so the banker just wants to get you in and out without going into too much detail. And so do you. So you sign and head home to throw you copy of the deposit account agreement in a closet never to be looked at again. Or you go to get a lease on an apartment or car and you're so excited about your new whatever that you can't wait to sign. Only unlike the deposit account agreement you signed when opening your bank account it will not be so easy to severe ties once you've signed a lease.
   So remember this, when you sign something you've agreed to it. That means it's just too damn bad if you decide you don't like what you agreed to. This is true whether or not you understood or even bothered to read what you signed. Also please understand that for online purchase most of the time you either have to click a radio button saying you've read and understand the terms and condition of your purchase or use of the site or the site will have a disclaimer that goes something like "By using this site you agree to the terms and conditions." Therefore do yourself a favor, READ! Make a basic effort to understand what you agreeing to before you fork over your hard earned money. I know those agreements tend to be long, boring, and written in legalize that's hard to understand but at the very least skim for things like return and cancellation policy. You need to know if you're supposed to cancel 30, 60, or even 90 days in advance.
  Or if you have to pay a restocking fee that's half the price of the shit you're returning. Don't be complaining about things after the fact because you already agreed to it. I didn't know has never been and never will be an acceptable excuse. So you better get to know.