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“People Just Don’t Understand”: 43 Things People Think Are Scams But They Are Not
Interview
When it comes to avoiding scams, most of us would rather be safe than sorry. You might not be able to prove that an investment opportunity is dangerous or predatory. But if it’s raising some red flags in your head, it’s best to steer clear, just in case.
However, sometimes people are a little too quick to label something a scam. Just because you don’t understand how it works, your great-uncle warned you that he lost money on it or you feel like you’re getting ripped off doesn’t mean that you’re actually being scammed. Redditors have recently been discussing legitimate industries, tools and services that definitely were not designed to pull a fast one on you, despite what you might have heard. So we hope you’ll learn something new from this list, and be sure to upvote the replies that you believe many people could benefit from reading!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Service industry in general. I recently hired a plumber that took care of a problem in like half an hour. Yes the price was high for "only" half an hour work, but I paid for someone with the experience to diagnose the problem quickly, knowledge on how to abate the problem, and tools that I don't have.
Same goes for good mechanics, electricians, landscapers, etc.
Ge Po 2 months ago
That, and people don't always realise it takes time and money to drive to your house, or to the store to refill on materials and tools, the handy worker has to pay for insurance, a car, a place to keep his gear, and for courses to keep up to date on new procedures and stuff. And then there's taxes. It is not only that half hour. All these other costs are calculated through the hourly rate.
Scarlett O'Hara's Ghost 2 months ago
Then, not only do people assume that the skilled tradesman is ripping them off, they also look down on them for only being laborious
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Zig Zag Wanderer 2 months ago
I had a plumber fix a blocked toilet. He used a mop and fixed it in 30 seconds. First, I was disgusted at having to pay $150 for this. Then I realised that this was a cheap price to pay. It's saved me hundreds of dollars, and my family and friends have also learned to keep a 'toilet mop' handy.
Bewitched One 2 months ago
How did a mop fix it? And what kind of mop? Lol
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SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
Exactly. I have no idea what to do with a dripping faucet….so I pay someone who learned how to fix them. OTOH, I am a writer and editor. I get paid to rewrite badly written documents. I’m not stupid or lazy because I can’t do plumbing work. Plumbers are not stupid or lazy if they can’t spell or use punctuation.
nottheactualphoto 2 months ago
Charles Proteus Steinmetz was one of those old-time pioneers of electricity. The story goes that he was called in to diagnose a problem with a customer's generator. He showed up, made a chalk mark on the casing, and told the customer that the short circuit was located under the chalk mark. The customer balked at the $5000 cost, and asked for an itemized bill. The itemized bill read "Making chalk mark: $5. Knowing where to put chalk mark: $4995."
Binky Melnik 2 months ago (edited)
I do that to folks who balk when it takes me two minutes to fix their phones, tablets, desktops, appliances, whatever: You’re paying for the knowledge in my head that allowed me to fix it so quickly for you. They coulda gone to someone cheaper who’d takes days to figure it out.
Load More Replies... Patsy Robins 2 months ago
Yes, to a point. But I had a plumbing experience also, the account was itemised, & the assistant - not an apprentice, the guy they employ to do the digging - was billed at $85/hour. The plumbers themselves were $150/hour. I’ve been a nurse & midwife for 40 years, and a couple of months ago I finally broke the $50/hour threshold. I accept that I’m paying for expertise etc, and I realise the costs of running a business, but I’m an educated, expert professional too, and I save lives on a fairly regular basis! Apparently it’s three times as important to know your pipes are in safe hands than your life 🙄
Papa 2 months ago
Patsy, I have all the respect in the world for what you do, and I am not the one who gave you a down vote, but those workers who you feel were overpaid didn't receive the amounts you were billed for them. Much of that went to overhead (building rent or purchase, administrative people's salaries, vehicles, etc) and some of it went to profit. I don't think that's unreasonable.
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Kirsten Kerkhof 2 months ago
After I bought my first home, I paid someone to do my taxes. It took him only 20 minutes and I paid quite a bit for that. But I knew it was done properly and I got every cent back that I was entitled to. The peace of mind was utterly worth it.
Fungus John 2 months ago
hell, I would pay more if it could be done even quicker as I wouldn't have to deal with a stranger in my house any longer than needed
Tara Noe 2 months ago
Disagree. A bit of Google, a bit of Youtube can fix a lot of things. We hired a plumber when our toilet backed up, paying a fortune for him to pull some debris from the pipe outside. When it happened again, my husband stuck his hand in the pipe and cleared it himself. It's happened about a dozen times now, we save a ton of money. Same when the radiator wasn't heating. All it needed was a few seconds to bleed it. There's a big difference between needing a tradesman and needing to learn how to care for your house.
Laserleader 2 months ago
Yes, but you needed the professional to show you how to do it the first time. I can fix anything once I see someone else do it first. So you paid for the education same as the professional.
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#2
Tax brackets. People think that if they make more, they'll be taxed more on everything they make, so they'll actively try to make (or report making) less money to avoid "paying more".
But those taxes only apply to new money that you make above each threshold. I'll give an example because it can be a bit hard to explain.
Let's say the tax bracket is 20% for above $60,000 and 30% for above $100,000, and that you make $105,000. You will only pay 30% taxes on that last $5,000. You will pay 20% taxes on the $40,000 between the 60k and 100k. You will not pay any taxes on the first 60k.
People often think that all 105k will be taxed at 30%. That's simply not the case.
Billo66 2 months ago
I've heard that several times. It's never made any sense and why bother to explain it when if they actually believe nonsense then nothing I could say would change it. Besides, I don't have the energy and dgaf. I can't do calculus but basic math is pretty.. basic.
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ॐBoyGanesh 2 months ago (edited)
One of my many soapboxes: we do not teach people basic economics, and basic civics.
Xenia Harley 2 months ago (edited)
And "working under the table" means you pay less into Social Security, so your amount you get will be lower.
Niamh_ie 2 months ago
Covid proved to a lot of people in the UK why being paid cash in hand/under the table is not the great thing they thought it was.
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patricia patricia 2 months ago
Yeah, but remember that common sense is not that common
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Coupon Holder 2 months ago
True, but in the above example, that's still paying $500 more on the last $5000. Or if you made $155,000, that's $5,000 more on the last $50,000 given the same assumptions. This is not "only" 10% more, it's real money! It still makes sense to take deductions to get you as close as possible to the lower bracket if it can be done legally.
Min 2 months ago
Which country would that be? Honest question, not snark.
Load More Replies... #3
Any socially beneficial aid. Social security, SNAP, universal healthcare, even Universal Basic Income has been proven to put more money into the economy than the funds dispersed, but that's all badged as a handout for the lazy. Meanwhile there's this dozen or so people who own just about everything and have hoarded more wealth than could be spent in a few lifetimes, that's just sitting there providing no benefit to the public at large....
SnifflyMango04 2 months ago
I've never understood how this doesn't make sense to some people. Healthy people, who don't have to focus on merely surviving every day, but who have decent housing, food, clothes and education, make for productive members of society. It's so simple!
Billo66 2 months ago
Housing and self esteem cost so little compared to the result. Why are we putting spikes on benches instead of investing in our people?
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Suby 2 months ago
I never understood why some people even want to be super rich. At a certain point, you really can't do anything with your money to make your life even more comfortable. Now, if such a person spends all the unneeded money on charitable purposes, then that's great, but overall, nobody needs that kind of money.
General Anaesthesia 2 months ago (edited)
This is an example of why the first item of business for "conservatives" is dumbing down education and critical thinking.
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To find out how this conversation started in the first place, we got in touch with Reddit user AmigoDelDiabla. They were kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and explain what inspired this post.
"I frequently see comments on Reddit that label things as 'scams' when they're really not," the author says. "A scam is something fraudulent, deceitful, or involving intentional misrepresentation. Paying more for something than you think you should is not a 'scam.' A lot of times, it simply seems rooted in misunderstanding or a lack of familiarity. So I wanted to hear specific examples from the Reddit-verse."
#4
Yes, your dog groomer does have to shave your matted dog. No it does not mean we are lazy.
If i tried to brush out 2 months worth of matting in one session, it would take hours and possibly days(depending on severity) of straight brushing. It would be excruciatingly painful and your dog's skin would be so raw they'd start to bleed from brush burn.
We aren't lazy, we just wont hurt your dog. Even if "Fluffy's birthday is tomorrow and he has to look good for pictures!"
Dusty's mom 2 months ago
We had three poodles, and keeping them brushed wasn't pleasant for them, no matter how gentle we tried to be. Thank goodness for the groomer's expertise with clippers! It all grows out, and in the meantime, it's the owners responsibility to keep their dogs groomed. Dogs require a lot of care, playtime, and love! ♥
Jack 2 months ago
Had a few dogs, we never took them to groomers. I was the designated groomer for our shih-tzu. It would never occur to me to pay someone else to do something I can do just fine at home. It's not like these are show dogs.
Dusty's mom 2 months ago
And there's nothing wrong with doing it yourself, but some of us know groomers who do a better job, so our pooches don't look like they tried to groom themselves.
Load More Replies... #5
Hospice merely unlocks additional supplies (adult diapers, catheters, wipes, wound care supplies, etc) and services for your loved one. It's not giving up, it's acknowledging reality.
Child of the Stars 2 months ago
Hospice care was a complete blessing for my mom with my grandfather (her dad). She was his primary caregiver for years before he was put on hospice; it was a tremendous relief.
Papa 2 months ago (edited)
They were great with my father-in-law also. He insisted that he didn't want to die in the hospital, so hospice stepped in and helped get him into a very small nursing home (it had been a private residence, and only had room for a half dozen or so patients) that afternoon. He got his wish because he spent much of that night talking to the nurse on duty, and when she went to check on him about 6:00am he had passed away.
Load More Replies... Billo66 2 months ago
Bingo! Don't want to acknowledge reality. Late stage Multiple Myeloma. It's been 10 years which is about what they said but man, I do not want to face looking at coffins like I'm buying a new car. I try to ignore it but I feel it creeping. Xanax helped at 8mg a day but they cut me to 3. Now I have to feel stuff, paticipate. I hate it.
Laserleader 2 months ago
Might as well take care of the coffin, like my 88+ FIL. He's had it done for a few decades and doesnt have to worry about extra expenses on the family. If you know your time is near, its not morbid to acknowledge, its cruel to yourself and others to pretend it wont happen.
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Huddo's sister 2 months ago
Does thinking it's giving up mean you think it's a scam? Not that I am against it, two of my brother's were considered palliative care for years and it provided a lot of support, even counselling and respite for the rest of the family. Also, not wanting to fight anymore isn't giving up, it's taking control of your last days and usually bringing you peace.
emlab kerba 2 months ago
IDK, when my terminal mom was given 24-48 hours to live, the hospice people would not stop badgering us to sign up with them. When we asked point blank what they would do, they wouldn't answer the question. My mom was still lucid and communicating. Once she wasn't anymore we signed the papers, they came and gave her morphine that was basically a k**l shot. She was gone in 5 minutes. I'm so glad we waited and got those last hours to be with her.
#6
Universal healthcare.
Zig Zag Wanderer 2 months ago
How could this ever be considered a scam, except by extremely foolish people?
JK 2 months ago (edited)
This should be higher. No first world country that has the resources should ever force people into bankruptcy or crime just to pay to medically treat a person. ESPECIALLY children. Why in the hell should CHILDREN suffer when your country has the money to save their lives, manage their pain, or prevent them becoming permanently disbaled just because their parent(s) are poor??
Laserleader 2 months ago
Is it a scam? No. I could rant for hours... but basically I get free Healthcare since I have health issues I don't have control over, and I could never pay random hospital prices that are inflated due to the existence of medical insurance.
We also asked the author what they thought of the replies to their post. "I think almost all the things listed are legitimate. The stock market is not a scam. Insurance is not a scam. The fees charged by utilities for delivery services are not a scam," they shared.
"The tax brackets one surprised me. I didn't really think people didn't understand marginal tax rates," AmigoDelDiabla continued. "It is most definitely NOT a scam, but I don't know anyone who actually thinks it is. The response about single-use gadgets in the kitchen was enlightening. I never thought of them as a scam, but I didn't realize they were designed for people with physical disabilities."
#7
Social safety nets, i.e. social security. It’s not an entitlement if I’ve paid into it my entire working life.
nottheactualphoto 2 months ago
It most certainly is an entitlement, in the sense that you actually are entitled to it. Modern internet usage has warped the meaning of the word: "Karen is entitled" actually means that Karen acts as though she were entitled to a discount. I've paid into Social Security for decades, and I *am* entitled to collect benefits. That's the entire purpose of the program. Up will I shut, now.
BewilderedBanana 2 months ago
please, up do not shut just yet. it's refreshing to read well-written comments explaining things like this without being condescending. up the good work, must you keep :)
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Tim Douglass 2 months ago
Like @nottheactualphoto says, Social Security is the very definition of an entitlement. It's *my* money, I own it, that is to say that I have title to it, ergo I am entitled to receive it.
Grace Knowlton 2 months ago
Also people who receive social security disability don't just sit around waiting for the "free money" check every month I am autistic and have other disabilities that make it impossible for me to work , I have had to fight my whole life for that money.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
Back in the 1980s Republicans started “borrowing” from Social Security so they could waste the money on other things. They still haven’t paid back what they “borrowed.” They borrow the way Homer Simpson “borrows” from Ned Flanders.
Load More Replies... #8
Chip bags being full of "air". It's actually nitrogen that's intentionally added to the bags to keep them from getting smashed to dust among other benefits.
Stygtand 2 months ago
Also keeps them from going stale to quickly. If the bags says 400g, it dosent matter what size the bag is. If it contains 400g, then you got what you paid for.
Saber4 2 months ago
Not in this economy. Shrinkage is the norm, you pay more for less.
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#9
People conflate “scam” and “bad deal” constantly.
Just because it’s a poor investment or bad deal doesn’t mean it’s a scam.
Huddo's sister 2 months ago
This should be number one. Already a number 11, there are lots on this list that are clearly people not understanding the word scam.
#10
That when you sell something to pawn shops or used item resellers they only give you a fraction of their resale value. If you want full value for your baseball cards or gold watch, you need to sell it to someone that will keep it and not resell it.
Laserleader 2 months ago (edited)
Yeah, p**n shops are businesses. Why would they ever pay retail to anyone? If you want full value you have to sell it to the buyer directly.
#11
Credit cards. They're only a scam if you're bad with money.
Dusty's mom 2 months ago
Don't use credit cards for more than you can pay off in a month. That's what we've been doing for years, and we have a credit rating in the top bracket. No, we're not rich. We're not even middle class. We're between upper poor and lower middle, but this works for us. It can be done.
nottheactualphoto 2 months ago
I try to make the credit card bank lose money on me: you won't get a penny of fees or interest out of me, but you will pay me my cash back!
Load More Replies... Science Nerd 2 months ago
True. We’ve were once at a financial planning workshop where the presenter called us liars when we said that the only times we did not pay off the monthly balance in full i the last 30 years was when I was unemployed.
Dusty's mom 2 months ago
Good financial planners know how your system works. Your presenter was a jerk. Too many of these so-called workshops are geared toward getting you to spend more and save less.
Load More Replies... Zig Zag Wanderer 2 months ago
They've allowed me to survive through hard times. Yes, it ost me, but I understood the cost and made sure I would eventually pay it.
JK 2 months ago
Which is why they shouldn't be given to any person under the age of 25 imo. Very few young adults dont fall into the trap these card companies set for them.
L.V 2 months ago
Yeah I wished they came with instructions. Thankfully they are good online resources.
Load More Replies... Huddo's sister 2 months ago
Not a scam, but I still refuse to use them. If I can't afford something at the time, I don't buy it. I just don't need to, because I always keep a buffer in my account for any unexpected charges.
L.V 2 months ago
It depends on the country. Where I live (UK), it helps build your credit score ( as long as your pay it on full), so you get better rates for loans. Particularly useful for mortgages
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Laserleader 2 months ago (edited)
Well, at today's rates being commonly greater than 30% they are worse than loan sharks. Would never recover from that kind of interest. My card is 15+ yrs old and had a locked in rate with a a $2000 limit. I used it to the limit only once when I needed equipment for my business, but I paid it off in about 4 months and haven't touched it again. Mostly payments are the scam, they basically put the lowest amount on there so people dont know they aren't actually paying any of the principal off.
Day Andie 2 months ago
Nope cards are designed to keep people that are living on the edge in poverty. The scam comes in with the exorbitant interest rates and punitive terms. Sure, it's great if you can use it and pay it off every month. But what if you have a life emergency--medical bill, lost job, etc? You *might* be ok, but if things are really bad, the balance on that card could send you over the edge.
#12
MSG in food. People are terrified of it, but it's perfectly legit.
Wyrdwoman 2 months ago
it occurs naturally in so many foods! But the "I'm aLlErGiC" people can eat those fine.
Xenia Harley 2 months ago
Some people DO have reactions to it, although it does occur in other foods. I get a terrible reaction to food it's been added to. Please don't call names, because it DOES happen!
Corvus 2 months ago
Absolutely no one is denying that it does happen, but this is no reason to demonize it. Same with gluten - yeah, it makes some people sick, but it's generally harmless.
Load More Replies... Laserleader 2 months ago
My father was diagnosed with an MSG allergy after doing a food sensitivity scratch test and got a rash from it. So, yeah I had to learn how to find it on labels when buying him food. But if you don't have an allergy then its an amazing savory salt.
Luke Branwen 2 months ago
It's my favorite secret ingredient. The myth about it being harmful is extremely pervasive and people still act like I'm trying to poison them when I mention it, but science says it's no more harmful than common salt and it makes like EVERY food so much better.
Fungus John 2 months ago
MSG is awesome. I used to work making seasonings, and tasting before and after adding the MSG was a difference of night and day
Huddo's sister 2 months ago
Again, people don't think this is a scam do they? They just think it is bad for you because there was a very small group of people who reacted to it and the media ran with the idea that it was bad. Most people know the truth now too don't they? It certainly gets mentioned a lot on BP, so I assume on other social media too.
#13
Vet care. They’re not trying to scam you out of money, the exams/rechecks, tests, preventatives are necessary.
Day Andie 2 months ago
Most vets care. Big corporations that are buying up vet practices are pushing the higher prices that would actually keep the little vets in business. They are also scamming people and shaming them into purchasing very expensive procedures that are unnecessary or that may not even work.
nottheactualphoto 2 months ago
Most of the vet practices near me (mid-Atlantic US) have been bought by VCA.
Load More Replies... BewilderedBanana 2 months ago
GOOD vets don't try to scam you out of money - they care about your animal's wellbeing and want to see them live long, healthy lives. They charge decent rates that allow them to make an honest profit. Then there are other vets who just treat the whole thing as a business, or get-rich-quick scheme. They prescribe needlessly expensive food/ medication/ tests/ scans/etc to make as much money in the shortest time as possible. Speaking from personal experience, i once took my dog to 3 different vets, spent hundreds of euros over several weeks, trying to fix an issue they had all mis-diagnosed (conveniently for them, as a condition that is much more expensive to treat) and eventually suggested i just put her to sleep. That was unacceptable, so i kept asking around until someone suggested i go to a particular vet where i spent around 25 euros in all (15 for the visit and 10 for the meds) and my dog was walking again after a couple of weeks and recovering well. Greedy bästards.
Laserleader 2 months ago
My vet keeps quoting like 1300 for my dogs dental care with possible extractions for my 13yr old dog, but usually only charges $800. So it feels like a deal though it is still a lot of money.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
And vet school, the medical office and equipment, supplies and medications cost the vet money.
#14
Some (not all) of the online sites for glasses. I've spent a fraction of what I used for a single pair of glasses and got three new pair. The quality was fine, and the fit was good. As long as you use the tools offered and know your measurements you can save a ton of $$.
Papa 2 months ago
I got my last glasses from Costco. It was much less expensive than at the eye doctor's office. I may have been able to get them cheaper online, but Costco was very good about adjusting the fit.
nottheactualphoto 2 months ago
I've gotten my last few pairs of glasses at Costco. I'm very happy with them.
Load More Replies... SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
I get mine from an online store that starts with “Z” and ends with “i”.
Twidder Sux 2 months ago
There's a video on Youtube from 60 Minutes about why getting eyeglasses at the store are so expensive. Nearly 99% of eyeglass brands (Luxotica, Ray Ban, etc.) are owned by ONE company in Italy that runs it like a brutal monopoly.
Jack 2 months ago
The luxury brands don't make any glasses, they are simply renting their name. It's not worth the added expense.
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Binky Melnik 2 months ago
I buy my glasses online for $7 a pair, except during BOGO sales when they’re $3.50. The last pair I bought offline in 1999 was $600. I felt queasy typing that.
#15
Most government services actually work really well.
A bunch of random stuff that you want or need to do, just look up if there's a government service that helps with it. A bunch of times there are, they are free (or very cheap), and the service you get is quite good.
Nils Skirnir 2 months ago
In the US at least, privatization generally leads to higher costs and lower quality.
K Barnes 2 months ago
Same here in Canada. Our provincial government keeps privatizing small parts of healthcare services and signs contracts for a cheaper rate that only lasts a few years. After the original contract the private companies jack up the price and reduce quality but the public infrastructure is no longer in place for it so we end up paying more for a worse service than when it was initially public.
Load More Replies... SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
In civilized countries, failure to pass a budget triggers an election. Government services are not shut down; but politicians’ jobs are on the line. The U.S. needs to do this, but it won’t. God forbid we should try any idea that gets used in other countries!
Load More Replies... #16
Most types of insurance. Yes, whole / universal life insurance in all its permutations are scams. But many types of insurance are not.
A lot of people have trouble understanding that insurance is mostly to protect you from catastrophic loss. It is not intended that you should be making frequent claims on your car or homeowner's insurance, though many try and conclude it's a "scam" when their premiums go up or their coverage is cancelled.
Things like term life and long term disability insurance are coverages which you *hope* you will never need, and it might seem like a waste of money if you don't. The proper perspective is that your premiums (after the insurer's profit margin) go to help people who have lost a loved one, or suffered a life-changing disability. Both types of coverage can give you some serious peace of mind, which has value in and of itself.
I paid long term disability income insurance premiums for 31 years and never needed it, thank heavens. It bought a lot of peace of mind. I also paid various term life insurance premiums over my working years, several thousand dollars I estimate. Several years ago received a modest six-figure life insurance payout when my wife died of cancer, which replaced about six years' worth of her income. It was just enough of a cushion to let me make adjustments to my expenses, and to ease into retirement. Definitely not a scam.
While we're at it, though, all used car warranties are 110% scam.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
The kinds of insurance that OP mentioned are not a scam. In the U.S., health insurance is 100% a scam.
L.V 2 months ago
I don't know about 100%, but yeah I've heard many stories of insurances trying all they could to get out of paying.
Load More Replies... Papa 2 months ago
My theory about insurance is that you should have it for anything you can't afford to replace.
nottheactualphoto 2 months ago
Exactly. And "deductible" means "how much cash are you prepared to pay when something happens?"
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Catmom 2 months ago
I wouldn't buy one, but . . . Someone I know bought a nice used car and a warranty. The car turned out to be profoundly defective, and that warranty is covering many thousands of dollars of work. Pretty much every moving part will be new.
V 2 months ago
We don't usually worry about extended warranties, but we got one for our vacuum cleaner randomly. The motor blew out 2 months before the end of the extended warranty. We would have had to pay for the repairs ourselves or buy a new one. The new motor in the vacuum cleaner has been going for 11 years now. The only thing that doesn't work anymore is the cord retractor...
Load More Replies... #17
Unclaimed property letters. Don't go through a specific company but instead file through your states department of revenue for review and claims!
DeoManus Argentem 2 months ago
You can have money you didn't know you're entitled to for any number of reasons - lawsuits, inheritance, forgotten accounts, etc.
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kathyberthahazel 2 months ago
I just checked my state after reading this, found 2 members of my immediate family that have unclaimed property.
Bored Trash Panda 2 months ago
Just checked mine and I have one for just shy of $50!
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#18
Vaccines?
krunchifrog 2 months ago
My Province just lost its eradication status for measles. It’s heartbreaking, particularly for those who have reduced immunity, because a bunch of ignorant people who can’t think for themselves believe unfounded claims.
WubiDubi 2 months ago
Flu vaccine shots maybe - but it's really gambling rather than a scam. They have to forecast (I do compare to the weather) which strain will be the worst way ahead of time to mass rpoduce that one. Currently the worst winter flu is COVID which has mutated again, but is downgraded to moderate threat.
Grace Knowlton 2 months ago
If it weren't for vaccines we would still be dealing with polio and small pox!!
#19
9/10 times your mechanic isn’t scamming you, sometimes you have to take apart near half the car just to get to 1 bolt so you can change the oil and prices reflect the additional time and labor otherwise you’re taking apart and rebuilding cars for free.
Billo66 2 months ago
I worked on one that I almost had to pull the engine for an oil change. Took the mounts loose and jacked the engine up to gain clearance to the filter. Crazy man. Yeah, and it drained right on the crossmember. I loved my job but I hated my job.
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nichomach 2 months ago
Hell, yes. Getting a clutch changed in a front-wheel drive car. The clutch is cheap, the hours of work required to get to it aren't.
nottheactualphoto 2 months ago
Been there, done that. It's a LOT of work. They didn't even give me a T-shirt.
Load More Replies... Zig Zag Wanderer 2 months ago
And all the training, equipment, rent and bills they pay all need to be paid for too.
Tim Douglass 2 months ago
Sold my old Ford Windstar when the rear heater core started. Replacing it required basically stripping the entire interior out of the car - something like 150 hours estimated labor. Price quoted was more than twice the value of the car which was otherwise in very good condition and ran great. I double-checked the estimate with on-line sources and it was entirely correct.
Lumen Papulus 2 months ago (edited)
Another way of saying: 10% of mechanics scam you. Not the odds I'm willing to take.
#20
Renters insurance.
Had to involve my renter's insurance a few years ago when my upstairs neighbors flooded their apartment. Called my insurance company and they handled everything. The only things I had to do were send in some pictures of the damage and a list of what was lost and they just handed me a check for a few grand to replace it all.
Totally worth the roughly $110/year that it costs.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
A few years ago, our electricity was out for five days (long story; a contractor used by our apartment complex did something stupid.) We ended up staying at a local hotel. Our renters’ insurance covered the cost of the hotel. The apartment complex paid the costs of correcting the problem, and also cut us a break on that month’s rent.
#21
Science.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
I hate living in this timeline. The world needs a second Age of Enlightenment.
Ace 2 months ago
Yes, I suggest you re-read the title? These are examples of things that some people might think are scams but are actually not, so the poster is agreeing with you.
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#22
A lot of the awkward single use kitchen gadgets you see aren't scams or waste. They actually come from the accessibility space. If there is any crossover to regular kitchens they hop over. It drives the overall price down and is ultimately a better deal for then intended audience, and a few people find a dedicated option for that one thing they maybe really suck at.
ॐBoyGanesh 2 months ago
Breville has taken too much of my money because this is absolutely true.
Huddo's sister 2 months ago
The only Breville product I haven't been happy with was their fast/slow (pressure & slow) cooker, but that was because the steam release valve broke pretty easily, as a product it was otherwise great.
Load More Replies... Laserleader 2 months ago
Never used a food processor at home, but at work it made making salad for 50+ people a day a lot easier.
Cathy Jo Baker 2 months ago
I'm all for single use gadgets if they make my life easier. My jalapeño tool only does one thing but it has made cooking with those peppers so much easier! My little garlic chopper could probably chop something else that's small, but the fact that I don't have to try to cut up garlic anymore is worth it.
Binky Melnik 2 months ago
What is an example of a “single-use gadget,” please? I was thinking plastic forks, but there’s a photo of a big-a*s appliance. I’d be grateful for a clue!
Load More Replies... #23
Retail price vs manufacturer cost
People get shocked to hear that revenue margin is like 10x, and think the manufacturer is a scammer. People simply don’t know what it costs to operate a business.
Nils Skirnir 2 months ago
Boy folks would’ve failed marketing 101. Price points are set at what the market will bear, not at cost + a reasonable profit. Pricing is a strategic decision that is based only partially on what an item or service costs to produce.
Science Nerd 2 months ago
Definitely applies to pharmaceuticals. Developmental costs on any given treatment runs in the tens to hundreds of millions of dollars and after investing that money the large majority of treatments don’t make it to market. The prescription you pick up may cost very little to manufacture now, but the cost to bring it, and not the other 42 failed attempts, to market have to be recouped somehow.
Ace 2 months ago
Yes, and in fact is a lot more complicated than that. Sadly the US in particular allows distributors to engage in rampant profiteering and so merely reinforces the public view of evil 'big pharma'.
Load More Replies... nottheactualphoto 2 months ago
And somebody has to pay the tariff on any imported materials you may need.
Brian Droste 2 months ago (edited)
I watch Shark Tank. Somebody comes on the program to pitch there product/idea. They will say they had there product for 5 years. They explain that the first 3 years they lost money. The 4th year they broke even. The fifth year they say they made a million dollars and made a profit. But there profit will be like only $70,000 or $80,000. So it takes a lot of money just to make a little bit of money.
JK 2 months ago
There's the people growing the ingredients/making the parts, packing them, transporting them, then goods in personnel, putting things together (ingrdients/parts) storage, packaging individually, shipping to customers. Not to mention advertising/marketing, sales tax, sales staff, admin staff, warehouse staff, accountancy fees, heating and lighting, water. It goes ON!
#24
Pet Insurance. While there are certainly bad companies, there are good ones. We've saved $30,000+ over the past 7 years after accounting for the annual premiums (which we've seen go up and up and up recently).
sturmwesen 2 months ago
insure young and read your policy with a fine toothed comb. If you have a unhealthy breed it will be expensive surely - because your over/undersized, squichy faced, bug eyed, hip damaged or water headed pup will probably face recurring issues. We have a top notch surgery insurance for about 450€ a year (latest increase due to hitting the 6 year bench) for our mutt.
Max Fox 2 months ago
We had pet insurance, and it was worth every penny. When our cat got kidney cancer, it paid for the procedures, the chemo, and the end of life treatments. They even sent a sympathy card, along with a refund for the rest of the year. I wish that human medical insurance worked as well as out pet insurance.
#25
As a mechanic, Fluid changes that aren't your normal oil change. I.E. transmission fluid and filter, differential, coolant, and brake fluid. It all needs to be changed on a regular basis, and for the same reason as oil. Now, admittedly the service writers tend to do a bad job of explaining why.
martin734 2 months ago
The scam part is telling people they need to be changed far more often than they really need to be and that they need a mechanic to change them.
Laserleader 2 months ago (edited)
To be fair, I didnt want to belive my oil should be changed every 3000 miles, but every 5000 miles in a factory new car it was always black, so the more miles on the the car the more often the change should happen. Yes oil should ALWAYS be clear and if it gets cloudy that means carbon is building up and reducing your MPG.
Load More Replies... #26
I don't know if it's "most" people, but a lot of people complain when a raise or overtime pushes them into a higher tax bracket. They think they will take home less money because of the higher taxes in the new bracket.
Also, a lot of people believe that the company collecting charitable donations at their registers gets to claim the donations on their taxes.
#27
Restaurant prices in high COL areas. People look at a menu and think “I could make that $16 burger for $3 at home.”
You’re not paying for the burger. You’re paying for the staff, the rent, the utilities, the cleaning, the build-out, the maintenance, the linen service, the insurance, etc etc.
In a city like SF or NYC, if menu prices went up with the COL so that back of house actually got paid true living wages, that burger should be more like $30.
And for owners, it’s typically a really bad deal. Restaurant owners generally make little to no money for a job that requires virtually constantly being on-call for when the toilet backs up or the fridge goes down or a line cook doesn’t show up. A 2-3% margin would be considered a decent profit. I’ve known many restaurant owners who work for years and end up with nothing to show for it.
Seán Hannan 2 months ago
When people complain about the price of a pint in a pub compared to cans of beer at home, I always say, "You're not just paying for the drink: you're paying rent on the barstool while you drink it."
SummerVeE 2 months ago
It would cost more than $16 to buy all of the ingredients to make that same burger at home
nottheactualphoto 2 months ago
No, not really. I make a pretty dang good burger at home - better than most restaurants - and the parts cost maybe 6 or 7 dollars.
Load More Replies... #28
Climate change. It's not a scam at all. It's one of three ways we're on track to make humanity extinct. Nuclear war and misaligned ASI are the other two.
Binky Melnik 2 months ago
“misaligned ASI”? What the hell is that? It’s gonna k**l me and google doesnt show ANYTHING for it!
#30
Pharmaceutical companies are not trying to keep you sick to be able to sell you more meds.
The reason for that is because *there are many pharmaceutical companies* (and even more smaller biotech companies) that are in fierce competition with each other. If company A can sell something that’s 20% better than company B’s product they aren’t going to hold it back to protect company B’s profits.
Jack 2 months ago
I worked in marketing for an agency that worked exclusively with pharma. One of the things you don't know is that pharma companies have a LOT of corporate espionage. If AstraZeneca is making a new d**g, you can bet PFizer already knows about it. That's another reason why "they're hiding the cures!" doesn't make sense. You'd have to pay off your competitors not to squeal.
TMTMTMTM 2 months ago
Derek Lowe provided another reason in a column years ago. A one-and-done curative d**g is good for the company. Testing doesn't take long, including safety and effectiveness. So they can start earning money off of it quickly. For a maintenance d**g, they lose those advantages.
Science Nerd 2 months ago
Researching the d**g can take years, especially when it leads through many dead ends. Testing can also take several years and any given candidate might have to be discarded after a few years into the trials. At least in the US and EU, there is little possibility of bringing a novel treatment to market quickly. (I will exclude vaccines fron this as a new vaccine is not really novel.)
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#31
Professional cleaning services. highly recommend though I've had families tell me it's a waste of money but I get home and my house is fresh and clean all the time. More time for me to just relax.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
I had foot surgery in June, and my partner did a great job of taking care of me and our cat…not such a good job cleaning our home. After three months I ended up paying a cleaning service. They did a spectacular job. In fact, having the whole place so clean has given me the incentive I needed to do a better job of cleaning than I did before the surgery (now that I’ve recovered enough to do cleaning.)
#32
Ranked choice voting .
Jeremy James 2 months ago
Yes, please. We need that desperately over here. This past decade could have been far less shambolic.
Tim Douglass 2 months ago
I think the real issue with ranked choice voting is that it's hard to explain. When it came up on the ballot here in Oregon it took me multiple read-throughs and many hours of study to *mostly* understand how it was supposed to work. It was really, really badly explained. I'm a reasonably intelligent person with multiple college degrees and if I had a hard time figuring it out I'm sure it just seems like black magic to a lot of people when compared to "count the votes and see who got the most".
Huddo's sister 1 month ago
If it's the same as preferential voting, which we use in Australia, we learn about it in grade 5/6 and it is easy enough to understand. By the time you are old enough to vote you are basically an expert.
Load More Replies... cugel. 2 months ago
We've done this for over a century, it's not a silver bullet. It's supposed the pull the parties to the centre, all that happens is right-of-right preference mainstream right, left-of-left preference mainstream left. Though you do get some 3rd party successes, they're often crazies.
#33
Most large charities. TLDR: Once a non-profit gets to a certain size it looks scam even when it's doing good work.
The idea of a staff making too much or a bad spend ratio ignores a lot of reality.
Once any organization gets to a certain size, overhead becomes necessary. You eventually need an IT dept, an HR, lawyers on retainer, management, etc... all of which throw that ratio into the crapper.
For staff if you have a dozen volunteers that work for free or one paid worker with specialized knowledge of whatever the focus of the charity is, the paid worker will almost ALWAYS be more effective over the long run.
JK 2 months ago
Ahem - Oxfam. Whilst there are many *good* charities, there are some that are terrible. Anyone remember when thay big scoop hit the headlines because Oxfam's higher ups were using company funds to travel to poor countries and using the same company expense funds to pay for s3x with children? Probably not, because it was in the papers for like ONE day and then vanished from public media.
Huddo's sister 2 months ago
I remember. My mum used to work for Oxfam in Australia, though long before that, so I always notice when it's mentioned.
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UnclePanda 2 months ago
The number you're looking for is the portion of donations spent on administration. If it's more than 30%, they're not solely about helping people. That's business income.
#34
Title Insurance is a prime example of this.
nottheactualphoto 2 months ago
Not many people will realize a benefit from title insurance, but if you need it it's a life saver. Wait, that's just like any insurance.
#35
College.
It's tougher now than ever to get a job with a bachelor's, and a lot of people take out a ton of loans to get there, so the whole deal certainly *looks* scammy.
But higher education is still an important aspect of any thriving culture, and people with college degrees, on average, still have a statistically higher standard of living later on in life than those without.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
There is much more to education than “getting a job.” If that’s your thinking, you’ve been brainwashed by the work system. Unless you’re a doctor, scientist, etc., you do not need to be smart or educated to do most office jobs adequately. The education is for the development of your mind. Your mind is like a muscle: it gets weak and flabby if it doesn’t get enough exercise. Education also preserves our human knowledge, creations, and history.
#36
The gym membership it only works if you actually go.
Cathy Jo Baker 2 months ago
I really admire people who don't need a gym to get their exercise.I
#37
Casinos. The odds on the table games are known, you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.
Jeremy James 2 months ago
I lived in Vegas for a while. If you find a video poker machine with the right pay scale, and you learn a few simple rules for playing the game correctly, (like not holding for an inside straight,) your expected return can get pretty close to 100%, which means you should come close to breaking even over a long period of time. I've walked into casinos with my last $5 and walked out with rent for the month. And if you're going out for a drink anyway, you might as well put $20 into the poker machine at the bar. Your first drink will be free, so just play the cost of your drink and cash out. Worst case scenario, you just paid for your drink. Or you might drink free, or even leave with extra cash. I once won $800 and a cool jacket just for having a drink with my coworkers.
Huddo's sister 2 months ago
I like some of the tag lines gambolling ads in Australia are required to have now, such as "Chances are, you're about to lose" and "Think about what you could be buying instead" because they do put it into perspective a bit more. Whether they actually work, I don't know.
#38
Life insurance, disability insurance, reverse mortgages, and annuities. They have a (somewhat deserved) bad rep because people sell them for high commissions to people who don't need them, when in reality they're extremely useful tools for the right circumstances.
#39
Overtime increases my taxes!
#40
Insurance.
Its not a scam. Its a buisness. Yes. That means it exists to make money. They are very open about the methods in which they do this if you read the terms youre signing up to.
Tim Douglass 2 months ago
It's important to remember that insurance companies don't exist to pay claims. Their business is in selling policies. Claims paid are an expense against earnings and it is the goal of any business to keep expenses low and income high. So max possible premiums, minimum possible payouts. Once you know that and accept it the whole thing makes more sense.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
No. U.S. health insurance is a scam. Other types of insurance, not usually a scam.
#41
Working. Being productive makes society tick. It’s not some scam to make a few people rich.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
Mmm, yes and no. Being financially comfortable is fine. I have no beef with somebody who makes $500,000 per year. By my standards, that’s rich. What I have a problem with is corporate executives who bring in multi-millions a year, have five houses, two or three boats, handmade tailored clothing, send their kids to snotty expensive private schools….while paying workers minimum wage, offering lousy benefits or no benefits (in the U.S., that’s usually health insurance and PTO), doing layoffs while making a huge profit, price-gouging consumers, and paying no (or very little) taxes. Working under those circumstances IS a scam to make a few people rich.
#42
Using a licensed Public Adjuster to re-evaluate or re-appraise an insurance claim if/when your insurance doesn't offer enough to cover damages. Especially on something like home owners insurance for weather damage or storm damage.
(This is gonna get buried, but I did search the thread to confirm no one else has said this yet.)
The field is clouded with roofers and stuff that are just there to Hoover up insurance money after a storm, and some of those are kinda scammy, especially when they're not partnered with an adjuster.
Using a qualified third party adjuster is kinda like hiring your own defense attorney to negotiate for you, instead of relying on the prosecution's attorney to handle your needs and rights as a defendant. It shouldn't have to be adversarial line that, but the insurance company and the policy holders (you) have fundamentally opposite incentives: pay out as little as possible, vs pay out as much as possible.
It's like hiring your own Mr Incredible to help with "penetrating the bureaucracy!!" and navigating the tangled walls of fine print that they build around themselves.
(Note: I am not a public adjuster, though I have a family member who is, and I've seen the licensing exam material and procedures that go into this.).
#44
Taxes.
Science Nerd 2 months ago
Certainly a scam. We can do without roads, schools, first responders, social safety nets, national defense.
#45
Planet Money on NPR did an interesting episode about those "Chinese pharmacy" emails that are very common spam everyone gets. They actually went to the website and ordered something and I think even had it tested once it delivered, and lo and behold, it was the actual meds they ordered. I'm probably miss-remembering some of the episode, but the gist of it was, those emails are not in fact a scam.
Zig Zag Wanderer 2 months ago
I've had plenty of meds from mainly India which were absolutely fine. I mean, patents were probably infringed, but I got the goods!
#46
Condo fees. The condo corp and builder aren't profiting off them or scamming you. They go to actual stuff that needs to be done, and that would need to be done if you had a freehold house. Some condos are badly managed of course, so have fees higher than they should be, but that doesn't make condo fees a "scam".
#49
Cash value life insurance exists as a way for wealthy people to help shield intergenerational wealth from taxes. Granted it often is sold to the wrong market...most don't need it but working in the industry you see how it has wild tax advantages and how wealthy clients use it as a way to mitigate tax burdens and shield wealth from the govt. Since the benefit (but not dividends) are generally not taxed upon death. .
#50
The stock market. So many idiots act like the stock market is just gambling when low-cost index funds are the greatest ticket to wealth available to you.
Just buy VOO instead of the meme stock of the day or that penny stock your buddy told you about.
#51
I don't like Adobe and would never give them any of my money but a lot of people complain about their cancellation fees on forums like reddit.
They charge a cancellation fee because you signed up for a longer term contract which grants you a cheaper monthly fee. If you cancel mid term they have a penalty fee because you're breaking the contract.
If they didn't, people could always get the longer contract for the cheaper monthly fee and then cancel whenever they were done. That would be similar to buying a mobile phone on a 2 year contract with a provider that gives you a discount in exchange for the contract. Obviously you can't just cancel your contract after a few months and walk away with the phone at the discounted price. You will have to pay a penalty that makes up for the price of the phone.
If you want to avoid that but still need to use Adobe's products then either make sure you will need the software for the contract term you sign up for, or avoid it entirely by paying monthly/annually (with no contract.)
If you go to their plans and pricing page it shows the pricing in very clear terms for each product. They have 3 options for Creative Cloud Pro for example: monthly (no contract), a yearly plan that is paid monthly giving you 50% off the first three months only, or just prepaying a flat rate for an entire year up front.
I'm guessing people sign up for the discounted 3 months and then think they can cancel after the discount price ends without consequence.
#52
Credit cards. The amount of people that say “if i don’t have the money then i don’t buy the thing” but it’s like….you can use it then immediately pay it off. using them builds credit and you can even get perks with them. i was always like….you could get free money. if your card gives you even just 1% cash back you could get a free $100 from this transaction.
#53
No interest promotions. Not a scam, lady. You just didn't listen to the disclosure which explained how it works.
#54
Insurance.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 2 months ago
Mostly health insurance in the U.S. Other kinds of insurance usually are not a scam.
#55
Healing. Everyone wants a quick fix, but real healing takes time, patience, and a lot of quiet courage.
It’s not a scam just because it doesn’t happen overnight. some pain needs time to understand before it fades.
#56
I've heard lots of people moan about how mortgages 'put all the interest at the start of the loan, so you pay that off first'. No. That's juts how debt works. The amount of interest you owe per year of holding someone else's money is larger while you hold more of that money. The repayment schedule is calculated to meet the interest obligation while paying off some of the loan, all at a fixed monthly payment.
Zig Zag Wanderer 2 months ago
Mortgages are probably the best investment out there. You get to use the product while paying it off. A mate wants to pay off his mortgage instead of putting money into his pension. The mortgage payments aren't high, and his pension would make at least twice the %age, totally tax free. Mortgages are also the cheapest way to borrow money!
UnclePanda 2 months ago
I paid off my 30 year mortgage in 15 years by making a second equal payment against the principal each month. The faster you can whittle that down, the lower the overall interest paid out becomes. I was house poor all those years but as a long term strategy, it was worth it.
#57
This might be controversial but: wedding pricing for many sectors of the industry.
People think we hike our prices because we can and we are getting rich for minimum effort. They think we are scamming people. While there are bad actors out there (make sure you read thoroughly before you sign a contract), it could not be less true for the vast majority of creative wedding professionals.
Most people have just never planned a party for a hundred or more people and don’t realize how much things cost at scale.
We are almost all small business owners who often make less than minimum wage given the number of hours we work, the entitlement and demands we face from couples and their families, and the timelines we are up against to deliver perfection.
When it seems like the cost goes up just because it’s a “wedding” there’s almost always a legit reason. Wedding events require way more labor than regular services, the pressure of perfection for vendors means we have to plan for every contingency and that costs money (for backups, extra materials and staff). People also almost always want things tailored and customized and don’t realize how much extra labor that is and yet still want things delivered at the same time.
Weddings increase liability too, there’s a much higher chance you’ll be dealing with intoxicated people who might burn your wedding barn down.
It all costs money.
I make wedding invitations for a living and while I love my job, even working in the luxury segment of the wedding industry where clients are spending around to $50k on wedding paper - the actual profit I make from the custom work is way less than I would if I were to go be a teacher. I have to subsidize my income with digital sales, font design and other services outside of weddings.
Most of the income is eaten up by paying my staff a living wage, luxury printing method costs like brass plates, press materials and paper, taxes, and the tools I need to create it all. The amount of time it takes to create and the pressure to deliver on time all while the clientele is pushing every boundary you’ve set is bananas.
It’s a rough job that looks pretty on the outside but is crazy stressful and not particularly lucrative on the inside. You get one shot to do it right.
We aren’t trying to scam you - folks just don’t realize how much money it costs me to hand foil your 200 menus or prepare dinner for all your cousins and your dad’s secretaries best friend.
That being said - while I work in the luxury wedding industry, I was a DIY bride when I got married. It gave me an appreciation for how much labor it takes to make it “pretty”.
I love that I get to be creative for a living and that weddings provide an avenue for that but weddings should always be about your commitment and love for your partner first and making it aesthetically pleasing second or third. It’s never worth it to go into debt for your wedding. If you can afford it, great. If you can’t, I promise you, spend your money on the things that are most important to you and don’t sweat the rest.
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