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35 People Share Scams That Are So Normalized, We Don’t Even Realize They’re Scams Anymore
From constant, invasive ads, to subscription services, the modern world has a slew of annoyances that we all seem to dislike, but still participate in. So one account on X ended up creating a viral thread when it asked “What’s a scam that's so normalized that we don’t even realize it’s a scam anymore?”
People from all over the internet showed up to list the obvious deceptions companies pull regularly and we just eat up. So be sure to upvote the most egregious examples as you scroll through and share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.
Image source: PicturesFoIder
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
TonyTee 2 years ago (edited)
Bingo, exactly how I personally feel about it too. But then, that would be too simplistic and easy to allow to happen, you know? 🙄😒
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80 Van 2 years ago
Definitely this. It’s wild how many subscriptions you need to dissent software just to do a basic desk job.
TonyTee 2 years ago
Ahhh the most obvious one. One of the biggest scams that became one of the biggest trends. 😏 We only have ourselves to blame for caving in and feeding into it. I gladly don’t, and won’t. I still use Itunes because I refuse to “upgrade” to Apple Music and start paying monthly, can’t be bothered with those kind of headaches.
The Scout 2 years ago
I remember when you could even BUY photoshop... I mean, it was so expensive nearly noone did, but you could. I know a lot of professionals who are still working with a decade old photoshop versions for this very reason.
Annymoose 2 years ago
Personally I like having the newest version, not the $800 one from 2010, and at $10/month it pays for itself. Makes my work much quicker and easier and I don't have to worry about it breaking because a windows update rolled through and now my 13 year old program doesn't work anymore. There's also always Gimp if you want to pay nothing, but I like PS better.
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Will Cable 2 years ago
How long before car makers start with "oh you want to put something in the trunk, that's another 200 a month, oh and you want to use wipers, that's another 100 a month"
Kylie 2 years ago
Some car makers (I'm looking at you BMW) already are charging subscriptions for "extras".
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SonicAlchemy 2 years ago
Honestly, I'd rather be month-to-month with anything as opposed to a lump sum annual fee or a contract. If I've binged a series for two months on Netflix and have nothing else I want to watch I can cancel and don't have to have it next month. Simple enough.
KitKatss 2 years ago
Yeah, but for Netflix, fair enough, however other things put unecessary months subscriptions to get a premium version of a software or app, and it's really annoying because most of the time you can't really do anything on the app unless you get the premium version... I understand that the developers need to make money somehow but honestly it's starting to get too scam-like, sometimes there's not even a point in using the app anymore because you just can't, unless you pay
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iseefractals 2 years ago
For content? They're awesome. A vpn and $30 a month for endless video content, more than fair. $10 a month for gamepass? Absolutely awesome. $2 a month to not have to worry about my the physical drive my OS is backed up on crapping out as windows throws up a bad update? Absolutely! Spending $5-$10 a month for access to a piece of software that used to sell for thousands? A boon for hobbyists and small businesses. Meal boxes with 3 pounds of single use plastic? mystery boxes, beauty boxes, shaving clubs and all the rest that cost twice as much as they should, for stuff you don't actually need? Those are the problems.
Annymoose 2 years ago
Yeah, there are some subs I absolutely love. They're not all stupid or cost ineffective - but there are a LOT of stupid and cost ineffective BS ones out there. My backup program especially - no more worrying about drives failing.
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RELATED:
#2
TonyTee 2 years ago (edited)
Yeah, the United States have been struggling to hop on the bandwagon.
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Tamra 2 years ago
I'd like to add mental health to this. Insurance companies in the US are at the top of my s**t list, right alongside members of Congress. Useless bunch of twats.
Tee Rat 2 years ago
Considering the insurance industry donates so much to political campaigns it won't change either.
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Rachel Rockwood 2 years ago
While I'm grateful for the free healthcare that I DO get in Canada, optical and dental aren't covered at all, and it always seems weird to me. Those are both pretty important parts of my body, but f em I guess lol
Theo Blackwood 2 years ago (edited)
… mine is all under one. I use it for dental more than anything. We also get an eye test and dental cleaning paid through our taxes every year so we only have to pay €15 on the day of the appointment.
#3
TonyTee 2 years ago
Sometimes they’re desperate, which equates to being disgustingly pathetic. Not to mention BEYOND greedy. My given example is not long after my father died there was taxes that came in the mail for him. We called to inform them he was no longer with us. In an obvious attempt to collect any way, off one of us, they pulled the s**t two other times hoping to continue making that extra money; once I notified them I would be going to an attorney about the harassment the letters finally stopped. Sickening behavior, really f*****g sickening.
Tamra 2 years ago
This situation will not change, either, now that corporations have a near-total stranglehold on our government. What *will* make a change? Honest politicians. Two words that are rarely used together in the same sentence.
James Bland 2 years ago
Corporations don't pay taxes - the consumer does. All costs are passed on to the customer.
HurlWurk 2 years ago (edited)
Sigh. They pay taxes. They pay more taxes then any of us. It's how and what percent that people argue about poorly. I used to work for a small business that did government contracts. Part of that was not paying taxes and instead discounting what you sold to Uncle Sam, so that the government also saved money not having to process taxes on the stuff it purchased. People not understanding that business don't pay taxes the same as individuals is frustrating.
#4
GettingCereal 2 years ago
Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that you need a charger and that the cords are c**p.
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Annymoose 2 years ago
Y'all keep buying the damn things when they come out and then act surprised when they fall apart. Whine over how expensive they are to fix, then go right ahead and buy the next iPhone as soon as it drops. They're a nightmare of engineering. But go off about how "good" they are, I guess.
lily jones 2 years ago
Apple is fiiiiinalllyyyyyy switching to the kind of cord that literally every other company uses
JB 2 years ago
Exercise extreme caution. I bought an Apple certified lightning cable, the box had the cert printed on it so I thought I had been careful. After 6 mths using the cable it destroyed the charging port of my iPad Pro meaning it wouldn’t charge with the Apple cable either. No recourse from Amazon or the vendor. I have an iPad Air, tried to use a longer usb-c cable I own because the 2-ft Apple cable is ridiculously limiting. I could hear it scraping and it was noticeably harder to insert in the iPad than the android phone. Came to the conclusion, I might have been ripped off by fake claims of certification but it’s more likely that Apple makes their ports to the extreme limit of acceptable tolerance to barely comply with the specifications and even buying Apple certified is a risk because you use non-apple products at your own risk. I’ve never had an issue with any cable & an android device.
Load More Replies... Tee Rat 2 years ago
I just watched a video yesterday showing an android connected to the new iPhone with a charging cable, and the iPhone started to draw power from it. That's one way to dominate the market.
Per-Ole Sjuve 2 years ago (edited)
A parasite gotta do, what a parasite gotta do.
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Tracy Wallick 2 years ago
They know how, they make them s**t on purpose so that you have to keep buying new ones.
#5
The Scout 2 years ago
Well, here in Germany laws had been passed that anything that you could subscribe to online must also be cancelable online. A recent study found that about half of the companies ignore this, though.
The Problem With Censorship Is ******* 2 years ago (edited)
I'm not sure if this qualifies as an actual subscription, but I once registered for the Hema (department store) newsletter, and I CAN'T MAKE IT GO AWAY. I've unsubscribed a million times, but they keep coming. Fun fact: The reason I wanted to cancel it wasn't just because the offers are useless to me, but mainly because they don't use any punctuation in their e-mails, I seriously cannot handle that from a big, famous store. >_< (Edited for a stupid typo, I don't type well when I'm irritated!)
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Rachel Rockwood 2 years ago
And then while you're on the phone with them, they try to offer some sort of deal or discount to try to get you to stay. NO, just cancel my darn account
Sans Serif (Sans) 2 years ago
I had one subscription which actually jumped over a card expiration date and just continued on...
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Cat Chat 2 years ago
What? I've never had a problem canceling a subscription through Amazon using just internet. But, then again, I only use subscriptions directly from Amazon, not an independent seller who uses Amazon. It's those sellers who secretly sign their customers up that you have to watch out for.
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Alicia Kessinger Bader 2 years ago
Here in the US there is a bill on the floor of the House about this very thing. I hope it passes. I'll try to find out the "bill" number for you.
Littlebunnyfufu 2 years ago
The New York Times had an article about how this was shady. Guess who you have to call up to cancel?
#6
Sand Ers 2 years ago
For the most part, they are. Good luck getting any enforcement though.
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Jake stenhouse 2 years ago
Unpaid internships also disadvantage poorer people - only someone that can afford to work for free for any length of time could take on an unpaid internship.
Freya the Wanderer 2 years ago
Unpaid internships are slavery in a business suit.
Load More Replies... Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago
The bigger issue here, IMHO, is that it is discriminatory against people of lower means. A wealthy kid can afford to forgo pay but a person of lesser means cannot, thereby perpetuating class opportunity disparity.
ADHORTATOR 2 years ago
My son has three master degrees... he was proposed internships in Nigeria or Türkiye of six months...
TonyTee 2 years ago
Agreed. Just making the effort to show up and putting in that time to be there is enough motivation to warrant some kind of a paycheck. You’re willing to learn the trade, so you CAN become part of the workteam. How can you if you don’t learn it first? The post is right, interns should require to get paid just for their time alone. I’m sure someone will disagree, but it boils down to getting treated fairly and feeling fully appreciated. It’s no different than being an actual worker. Same concept.
Aaron Nicholson 2 years ago
I agree there should be some form of compensation. I'm spending my time there, time commuting back in fourth, and gas. Even if it's $5 an hour I can least by myself lunch after a few hours. I also understand your there for experience but not everyone has the money to work for free. An internship was a requirement for me to graduate my technical school and I don't necessarily regret it but I could literally spend 12 hours there on a random day. So I do truly believe internships are meant for people with means because some of those 12 hour days I could have made decent money working. I also knew a guy who had 2 internships and literally slept on Park bench at times when not staying with friends. So I'm sure any money would gladly be appreciated.
athornedrose 2 years ago
i was so lucky to be paid above min wage for my internship. unfortunately, sometimes this means the companies use this as an excuse to weed out marginalized folks, especially ones who grew poor. "we're paying so we expect you to have a reliable way to work that's not public transport" "we're paying so we expect your wardrobe to suit the office environment" "we're paying so we expect you can take on extra hours here and won't hold any other jobs we'd have to accommodate your hours on" payment needs to change, but rules also need to change to prevent companies from moving the bar on you like that.
Evelyn Luise-Katharina Hinz 2 years ago
In my country unpaid internships are a mandatory part of our education system. It gives the students a chance to see how the jobs are and give orientation. And why should a company pay a kid to learn how the job is done. They don’t profit from their “work”, they rather do it to make them interested in the job and gain future employees.
iseefractals 2 years ago
If you're a student, without a degree, or experience, you're not qualified to be there. You're there, to get class credit, and to get real world exposure to the field. You're there to learn. You're being given the opportunity to learn, by doing the only things you're qualified to do, menial labor. They're providing you with a massive service, because they do not need you there. In fact, it's likely that your Prescence is counterproductive. Trying to pull the "intern" BS with people that have years of experience in the field/degree, is a different situation. That's clearly sleazy and abusing the system.
Fun Fan 2 years ago
Even if you are a student, your work worth to be paid. Nobody forces a company to take students as trainees. But if you take them, ysou have topay them. That's the situation in Germany, If you take azubis you pay them ...not much -just about 600 euros- what is pocket-geld for youngs, but there is no free/slavery labor.
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The Scout 2 years ago
I don't worry about AI taking over the world as long as the algorithms still are like "Hey! You bought a new toilet seat? Here's a thousand more to add to your toilet seat collection!"
Zedrapazia 2 years ago
I know that it spies on me, but luckily (or unluckily) it is really bad at that. Because I certainly don't care for hearing aids, slim pills, facebook download, diet planners or anything like that. I have no idea where this c**p even comes from, I'm neither old nor fat
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Shane Hussel 2 years ago
No matter how many times people claim it, phones do NOT listen and show you things based on outside conversations. They do this from intentional input in a lot of sneaky ways, but not this.
similarly 2 years ago
How difficult would it be to have software on a phone with voice recognition and language parsing, then use that to filter key words to generate preference lists and marketing? Answer, not very. Also, it is not always intentional input. It can also be from GPS tracking on your phone. I visited a restaurant and the same day suddenly started receiving advertising about that restaurant. Not coincidence.
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Blue Bunny of Happiness 2 years ago
The joy of algorithms. I bought pest control items from Amazon, humane traps, rodent proof mesh, air brick covers etc. A month later, I got a notification from Amazon, “We thought you’d like a mouse”. Clearly, a ploy to get me to buy mor traps etc from them!
Danish Susanne 2 years ago
But it is quite difficult to do without them sadly
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Stephen Smith 2 years ago
You only have to look at something, and before you know it you will be getting loads of adverts popping up for it.
Spanish-Ukrainian Cat 2 years ago
I remember the time i visited the VFL Bochum fan shop, didn't like any of it, and now it just infinitely advertises itself to me.🙂
Em 2 years ago
Maybe it's just because I've rarely experienced true privacy, but I don't care and don't really see why I should. (Please don't try to explain it, I understand the concept, it just doesn't affect me in any real way.) I'm just endlessly fascinated by the tech side of it. It's pretty impressive tbh!
#8
Robert T 2 years ago
At airports particularly, as you are not allowed to take liquids (except in very small amounts) through security. You have to throw away your cheaply purchases drinks and re-buy them at inflated prices inside the airport. One way round this is to bring a water bottle and refill it with tap water once through security.
Tracy Wallick 2 years ago
I was about to say- bring an empty water bottle through security, then fill it up on the other side. So far every airport I've been to has a drinking fountain or bottle filler somewhere.
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Jojo_hobkin 2 years ago
Nah, bottled water is just like other beverages. If you want free water, ask for tap water, eg. Disneyland offer free water in a cup if you request it.
Karl 2 years ago
The hyperinflation that occurs once through the front door should be studied by scientists
Jude Corrigan 2 years ago (edited)
I bought a fruit drink at Birmingham Airport, 500ml, it was £3.60!! I needed to sit down.
Erica Cochrane 2 years ago
i was travelling a few years ago and most of the airports had stacks of water and an honesty box suggesting a 1 euro donation. which is pretty cheap for a 500ml bottle of water. this was before most people seemed to carry their own refillable bottles, so it was really good.
Richard Barlow 2 years ago
Prices at airports drive me crazy. OTOH, shops at the airports generally pay exorbitant rents.
#9
TonyTee 2 years ago (edited)
Social media is perhaps the worst influence on our society today. I’ve been limiting my social media use since August for that reason. It corrupts one’s mind. It’s addicting for that reason. Unsurprisingly, the almighty dollar plays a huge role in it. 😏
Betty Boom 2 years ago
I've been off of social media for about 6 years. It never stops feeling good.
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Little Wonder 2 years ago
The idea that you shouldn't take up a hobby unless you can, at some point, make money off it is so depressing.
Nancy Marine 2 years ago
I agree. During the pandemic, I taught myself to do simple crochet. I started making hats and scarves for friends and family. Then I started making them for the homeless vets at my local VA hospital. Someone asked me why I wasn't selling them on Etsy since I order the yarn from Ireland, which made it really expensive. Why? So I can have all the joy sucked out of it because it's no longer a hobby, but a job?
michael Chock 2 years ago
I have several dozen multi million dollar ideas that I refuse to sell out.
Blondie23 2 years ago
The amount of products I see my coworkers using and buying because of social media is alarming!!! I have really long hair and people ask me all the time what products I am using. When I tell them I use the cheapest shampoo and conditioner and that's it they are shocked. They don't understand why I don't use several different seriums and what nots. It's crazy
Amanda Lorian 2 years ago
Obi-Wan Kenobi describes social media: “Who’s the more foolish: the fool or the fool who follows him?"
#10
TonyTee 2 years ago (edited)
Local establishments are the worst ones to do this in my personal experiences. One local supermarket delivers within a 15 mile radius. You must place a minimum $25 dollar order. Ok, no problem. Well, $25 turns into $65 if not even more when you factor in the shopping fee (done by in-store personnel), baggage fee, load-up fee, mileage fee, delivery fee, mandatory tip to driver, which are alll the service fees involved in the delivery service ON top of the taxes/subtotal. If you order online instead of over the phone they’ll charge you a fee for that too. Not saying major chain stores don’t do this, but it seems to be the “homegrown” ones that take the most advantage of this practice. Why? When you shop local, the money you spend stays local; stays in the community. They’ll find every possible way they can to take advantage of that “benefit” and cash in as big as they can, including ringing up a bunch of b******t service fees they can choke on.
Ace 2 years ago
I simply do not understand this attitude. If you don't want to pay the fees for someone to do your shopping for you and deliver it to your door then there's a pretty simple solution available...
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Ray McArdle 2 years ago
Yup. I strayed into an EZ pass lane in Virginia, US. I was charged the toll of $4.00 and an "administrative fee" of $12.50. For a less than 2 minute incursion into their cherished lane.
Tee Rat 2 years ago
TIF (tax increment financing) is a program in the US that was supposed to offer upfront financing to redevelop blighted areas by loaning city tax money, it hasn't always been used in these areas. What it ends up doing quite often is creating "entertainment districts" that charge an extra service fee to dine or shop in the area on top of sales tax to repay the TIF money.
Al Padilla 2 years ago
Another issue, not involving "normal" people: I'm a physician. Turns out insurance companies are now charging docs 5% as a "payment fee," thereby saving 5% for themselves, to add to their already obscene profits. So just think if your employer suddenly started charging you 5% off the top to pay you.
#11
A. HAM 2 years ago
YES! I Bought a brand new HP printer and an extra ink. About 1 year passed before I needed the extra ink. When I finally installed the ink, the printer said it was no longer compatible. IT WAS HP INK! BOUGHT AT THE SAME TIME AS THE PRINTER! Sometime during the year, an automatic update had rendered my ink “incompatible”. After calling customer service, HP sent a new ink, but that’s not the point. So much waste is in landfills due to corporate greed. If politicians truly wanted to tackle climate change, they would put a stop to all these corporation’s practices. (Sorry, I’m mad.)
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Zedrapazia 2 years ago
That's why I got my dear refillable Epson printer this year. Charming little thing can be refilled for almost nothing.
iseefractals 2 years ago
That's the price you pay for getting a printer for $99. The ink subsidizes the loss on the hardware. Thankfully, tank printers (and laser jets) are a thing. A decent inkjet with tanks costs $300-$500, and for that higher upfront cost, refilling your ink costs about $1 per color. We have two tank inkjets (and a color laserjet) the inkjets print about 400 pages per week, and we spend about $40 per year on the ink.
Ray McArdle 2 years ago
Yes. This one is so bad. I print less than 10 pages before needing more ink ar $44.00.
Tucker Cahooter 2 years ago
I remember seeing an article that compared the price per millilitre of printer ink with a similar volume of vintage French champagne and it was off the chart
Sanguinius 2 years ago
We bought a printer for my sister-in-law a couple years ago. Left it in the box and didn't set it up until a week ago. It wasn't working so my wife calls HP support. They told her it was too old, they don't support that model anymore, and that it simply won't work. We have to buy a new one. Great.
Passerby 2 years ago
I am thinking of buying a thermal printer. It doesn't need ink, and the one I found is portable.
Larry XK 2 years ago
Yes but it need paper, so the people still will be able to b***h about something
Load More Replies... Edward Treen 2 years ago
Look at Epson's ecotank range: I've been happy with them for four or five years now,
#12
Angrykitten 2 years ago
Canada has a tipping problem too. In getting asked to tip every where lately. Now unless I'm at a sit down restaurant I'm not tipping. I'm so done with tipping
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Edward Finger Hands 2 years ago
Well you’re not obligated to…just asked/pressured. If no one is doing a service for me, I’m not going to tip. If I’m just buying goods…not tipping.
I_am_a_dinosaur 2 years ago
And it’s going to be a ridiculous amount cause rather than pay their employees a living wage, they’re made to live off tips
Timbob 2 years ago
What about those restaurants that have the payment device on the table, so the server can watch as you try to calculate a tip ?
DeoManus Argentem 2 years ago
Oh man, that's the worst! Especially when you just come in to pick up takeout and they present you with the tablet and the "recommended" tip of 18% is highlighted. On the other end, my hair cutter place has only $0, 10%, 15% as options with no option to customize it while I always used to tip 30%-50% before they implemented it, and restaurants in tourist areas usually add 18% gratuity and I'd never tip below 25% unless something irredeemable happened. Everybody hates tipping, except at hot clubs (where it's definitely a distinct quality of experience issue) - don't get me wrong!
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Michael Braisher 2 years ago
Pay cash. Take only cash. If they won't take it and you've got all evening, sit back with another beer as they lose their poxy little brains over it.
Alicia Kessinger Bader 2 years ago
Phineas, you don't ever "have to" tip. It is nice if you do when the service is good, but don't ever feel like you "have to." Just don't.
Nikki Sevven 2 years ago
No. The presence of the iPad doesn't, in any way, force you to tip. Don't ever be ashamed when someone makes an unreasonable demand of you. Shame them instead.
Jane Cortez 2 years ago
It’s in Canada too, at coffee shops in particular, very frustrating. Companies NEED to pay liveable wages! Rents are astronomical country wide, with a one bedroom averaging $2000, below the poverty line would amount to $40k, after groceries, transportation, utilities and a bit of savings..
Nunya Biznaz 2 years ago
Everyone in the US is aware of tipping culture here. If u sit down at restaurant and eat u need to tip. Period. If not eat at home the whole "companies need to pay a livable wage" trope is ridiculous. If that's the case dont support these companies! Why make the staff suffer. The excuse of get a better job is insane. Then who will service you? Stop being a d**k and tip. Until things change it is what it is. Don't take it out on the people doing you a service and trying to survive just like u.
#13
similarly 2 years ago
I also think it should be illegal for a university professor to require to buy the professor's own book.
Kim 2 years ago
Agree, atleast not full price, he should be able to get a discount
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censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I was a prof briefly and just prescribed my own booklet, which I printed for free for the students.
similarly 2 years ago (edited)
Many, many years ago, I had a great history professor who assigned us textbook. On the first day of class, he held up the book and told us "This textbook was written by MY university professor and mentor. I disagree with almost everything he says. In my class, I'm going to give you a different view of history. On the test, I don't care if you support his view, my view, your view or some other view, as long as you provide facts and logic to support that view."
Eva Sawyer 2 years ago
Book buy-back at the end of the semester is a scam too. You mean to tell me this textbook that cost me $300 12 weeks ago is now only worth $0.36 even though I took excellent care of it?
Bremusa4u 2 years ago
I don't know if things have changed since I last was in university (2016), but most tenured professors must write textbooks as part of their contracts. Here's the kicker, the professors themselves only get a penny or two on royalties. The rest goes first to the publishing companies (here looking at you Penguin), and the universities.
quentariel 2 years ago
Are people really forced to buy their books in uni? We loan almost everything from the library, or photocopy the needed pages. Some workbooks need to be bought, of course, and I've bought few others (like that one that has over 2000 pages and weights over 5 kg. because I'not not gonna carry that one with me anywhere more than once).
Al Padilla 2 years ago
There are economies of scale. If a book printing is for a million copies (Think Stepen King and a few others), they can afford to charge a reasonable price and make a great profit. If the printing is only a few hundred, or a thousand, it still costs the same to set up the formatting, binding, etc, so they need to charge more per copy just to break even. That said, low-sales-volume books in any specialized field are till sold at greedy markups.
Al Padilla 2 years ago
Yazbut .... Formatting is still a labor-intensive process, even with AI "support"
Load More Replies... #14
The Scout 2 years ago
A car might often be the fastest way to get from one city to another (although I found that here in Germany, I usually am faster by train). But needing a car INSIDE a city makes no sense. It's the effect of absurd zoning laws. You don't need a car if shopping, culture, schools, parks and work are all in a fifteen minute radius.
Hans Georg 2 years ago
But how do I get to the bakery around the corner? No kidding. A neighbor of mine took his shiny SUV to get to the bakery which is only 2 minutes away by bicycle. Only 5 by foot. He got there first and parked on the mother-child parking spot, because it is the nearest to the entrance. Yes, it was a big belly boomer.
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The Original Bruno 2 years ago (edited)
I recently found out why there are relatively few subway systems in America. In Europe, a typical subway system costs about $250 million per mile. In America, they cost about $TWO BILLION per mile. You can't get anything done without paying ungodly amounts to the political patronage industry. Even Slate found that environmental impact analysis alone adds 50% to the cost of a project. Of course, in the fever dream of Slate political bias, highways don't have environmental impact requirements. No, highways cost that much more to build in the U.S. than in Europe, too. It's just that highways go along with the penchant for low-density living that is so much more ingrained in American culture that they get used much more fully.
René Sauer 2 years ago
Well, I would prefer a 20 minute commute by car over the 60 minute commute by bus I have to take now...
quentariel 2 years ago
I I'm super happy to live in country/area with good public transport (amd I'm sitting on a bus right now). Actually I live in a small town next to a bigger city where I work, so without busses that would never be possible. For 55€ per month I can travel as much as I want and it includes a lot of other neighbouring town as well. And my busses leave in every ten or fifteen minutes.
DC 2 years ago
In eastern europe, the need to use efficient means of transportation, along with a low number of personally owned vehicles, and these, for the most part, just sucked anyway, forced them to install a Tram in almost every city, all major ones unless they already had a system of public railroad for close distances. Still in use today, all of them, although, of course, they were changed and adapted, for better or worse, since.
Mike Crow 2 years ago
On Prince Edward Island (Canada) they tore up the old CN rails and installed the Confederation Trail so you can walk or ride a bicycle. I wish they had instead fixed it into a light rail system so you could actually travel one end of the island to the other with out the hours long car travel.
Vinniegret 2 years ago
All cities used to have good public transportation systems. They were dismantled to support the car/suburbia plan by big oil and the auto ind5titans.
The Doom Song 2 years ago
Nobody actually NEEDS a car. People have just become so used to having them it's made everybody lazy as f**k. I'd rather the half hour walk to my nearest train station
MotherofGuineaPigs 2 years ago
Hmm. Going from London to Rome is less than halfway across our country... Ever tried to go by train? Amtrak is 120 bucks from New York to St. Louis, one way and a 28 hour trip. I think I'd be late to work. I agree that cities need to have public transit systems.
CharliAnn Olney 2 years ago
There are a LOT of people that DON'T live in cities. City people simply don't understand that. There are farmers, ranchers, rural areas, small towns, and other areas where it is impossible to shop, go out to eat or even for entertainment without a car!
#15
David A Paterson 2 years ago
I don't see working 40 hours a week as a scam. I see travelling into and out of work for 18 hours a week in addition to the 40 hours as the scam. PS, minimum wage in my country is twice minimum wage in the USA.
iseefractals 2 years ago
They aren't paying you for your time, they're paying you for your labor. You don't get to determine the value of your labor, only the value of your time in relation to that labor. When you're a teenager, and your marketable skills do not exist, minimum wage is an acceptable trade off, because you're still likely being largely supported....but enduring that as a kid makes you realize how much it sucks, motivating you to avoid that fate any longer than required. Which doesn't really happen much these days. What really sucks, is that there are over 7 million skilled labor jobs in the US sitting vacant. Plumber, welder, mason, carpenter, electrician, that pay you while you're trained (north of $20-$22/hr) don't require a degree, and can be done by anyone marginally able bodied. I do not understand why people keep choosing minimum wage, over having a well paying vocation.
madbakes 2 years ago
Do you ever go out to lunch or a quick trip to the grocery store during the day? Teenagers are in school. I do not understand how people think some jobs are only for teens when places are open during school hours. No one working a minimum wage job is asking to be rich; they're asking for a liveable wage. Large corporations can afford it and small businesses should pay less taxes to afford it.
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RaVen Sequoia 2 years ago
Reality is that humans are designed to only work 4 hours a day to have a roof over their head, food on the table, medicine, which all will be less stressful. We all know that stress is the #1 killer on this planet.
Foffy Skrimshaw 2 years ago
Since when did 40 hours a week become too many hours? That's less than 2 full days. I never thought 40 hours a week was a lot, even when I worked at minimum wage.
Phillip Moderow 2 years ago
Minimum wage is a TRAINING job. Don't expect it to pay for a house.
#16
Gannon Freeman 2 years ago
guys all you need to do is get your prescription from your eye docs office and put it into Zenni optical . com theyre super cheap frames, and look good!
Astrophile 2 years ago
Zenni is amazing. My glasses were $600-$800 for my entire life, now I pay $60-$80. For the first time in my life I have a couple different pairs that I can swap with my outfits, I love it.
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MagicJacket 2 years ago
Luxxotica is to blame. At least in America. They bought up most eyeglass retailers and they bought up a few eyecare insurance providers and then they bought out most eyeglass frame suppliers. They have the entire process from exam to insurance to lens to frame under their umbrella and can charge whatever they want. There are a few outliers trying to compete but it is difficult.
OhnoI’vebeencensored 2 years ago
I spent over £3,000 to see. But it was a one-off laser treatment!
C.S. E. 2 years ago
I'm wearing America's Best now - love the frames, HATE the lenses. I can see the delineation in the outer third of the lenses and, even though I got the coating, I can see the reflection of my eyeball looking back at me in my sunglasses. Because I wanted the coatings, they ended up costing me about what they would at the eye doctors. I did like Zenni, though. I use them for my work glasses
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AsylumWalker 2 years ago
i dunno about other jobs, but it's hard to find glasses that fit under my safety glasses for the lab. i have to use contacts.
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Tracy Wallick 2 years ago
Zenni. Even with a bunch of bells and whistles like custom engraving and blue light filtering lenses, I've never paid more than $70 for a pair of glasses.
Robert T 2 years ago (edited)
Depends where you buy them. I got three pairs (distance, computer and sunglasses) online for the same price as just one set of lenses would have been on the highstreet. You just need your prescription information. They even re-made the computer glasses twice as the adjustment wasn't right on the prescription.
David A Paterson 2 years ago
$1500 is not unusual for a pair of glasses purchased through an optometrist. The same pair costs about $150 online, or $15 from a pharmacy.
#17
Ace 2 years ago
Yeah, here too (CH) it's considered normal for your waiter to charge each person individually if that's what you want.
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Deborah B 2 years ago
When the staff takes your order, just say "separate checks, please." That way it's easy for everyone.
Larry XK 2 years ago
Bingo, we have a winner LOL, people couldn't even figure this out?
Load More Replies... SonicAlchemy 2 years ago
Not a "scam", more just about having rude, cheap and selfish friends/guests that should know better than to pull that s**t. I have no problem paying for the grand total when I take my family out to eat and my wife orders a couple extra apps and drinks but the guy that chose to make an a*s of himself and polish off 5 beers should definitely be paying for his own fraction.
Edward Finger Hands 2 years ago (edited)
I do this with my friends because we don’t worry about small discrepancies. We either assume it’ll even out at the next meal/outing or if we ordered drastically different things, then we’ll pay per order.
Susan Atkinson 2 years ago
We always split the bill in half with other couples. It only becomes a problem for me when cocktails are included. I don't drink at all and hubby rarely does. We're paying for their drinks and I'm drinking water.
Deamhayness Doom 2 years ago (edited)
I get where she's going with that, and I sometimes feel like a scammer when we do that with friends and I had something expensive. BUT at the same time, I think it's a nice thing when you're togehter with friends, as it shows that what matters is the good time spent together with (hopefully) good food. And among people that meet regularly, I made the experience that the inequal amounts of money spent on/for each other somehow always even out. All a matter of being able to afford that, of course.
Sara Wilson 2 years ago
came to the end of a group dinner to where my ex only got a couple bites and I got nothing and somehow we ended up paying "our share"
#18
Zedrapazia 2 years ago
I've seen things before that were like that: Product 30$, Delivery 45$, and I can only say what the FŪCK is with those hidden fees? I don't believe for a second this is real delivery fees, they're just trying to hide the true price
The Other Guest 2 years ago
I bought a very small, cheap item once - I think it was $2 or so - and the shipping on it was $9. It arrived in a standard letter envelope with standard postage. I was complaining about it on a knitting forum (the item was needed for the project I was making) and the owner of the company saw it. First they tore me a new one for not coming to them first before making a public complaint, then they offered to refund the shipping. This was well over a decade ago, and I still haven't seen that refund.
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martinmaurer73 2 years ago
In my country, when I return an item I bought online, I get back the full price,, but not the shipping fee. So the second option has clearly advantages for the buyer, and disadvantages for the seller.
Will Cable 2 years ago
3-5 day delivery....................2 weeks later "Hello, have you dispatched the item yet?"
Kim 2 years ago
Both of these are ok, but buy and item for €1 and pay €4,5 in shipping sucks (Sweden has vrazy expensive shipping)
Scotira 2 years ago
Switzerland as well. Aaaand if you buy in EU and want it shipped here? Yup, can be less expensive to just drive over the border and get it in person 🙈🤦🏻♀️
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Der Kommissar 2 years ago
Some companies used to add a "handling" charge. My friend's dad would tell them " So don't handle it. "
#19
Sina 2 years ago
Among other things ;) I gladly pay for my taxes, when I see how much they contribute to the overall smooth running of society. Affordable healthcare for everyone , education from pre-school all the way to PhD level, infrastructure, emergency services, welfare safety net, the list goes on and on. I'd be skeptical af as well, if I paid half my income in taxes, and saw none of the above materialize.
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TheAmericanAmerican 2 years ago
Too many Americans fail to understand what taxes actually do. If they had it their way and taxes were eliminated, society would collapse into feudalism where the 1% own EVERYTHING and force the 99% to be their serfs/peasants...
Viktor 2 years ago
Technically you have to list found money as income as well and pay tax. Not saying that anyone does but technically you have to.
iseefractals 2 years ago
A penny is worth negative 1.7 cents...because it costs 2.7 cents to manufacture a penny. Which your taxes paid for. So no matter how you obtained it, it's still worth nothing.
Scotira 2 years ago (edited)
🤣 had to laugh about that. We once a long time ago had 1 Rappen coins which cost a lot more to manufacture than it was worth. 😅🙈 (And I think our 5 Rappen coin might be more expensive as well)
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Mycroft1967 2 years ago
“If it's a penny for your thoughts and you put in your two cents worth, then someone, somewhere is making a penny.” ― steven wright
Andrew Read 2 years ago
If you want government services, roads, a postal service, en education system, etc, etc, etc, you have to pay taxes. That the taxation system is unfair in your system is sad, but everybody still needs to pay at least some tax.
#ArtyFarty Art 2 years ago
no, taxes aren't as bad, but the IRS knowing how much you owe and then not telling you is just kinda f****d
#20
similarly 2 years ago
I've lived in Japan now for almost 25 years. I have 0 US income. However, as a US citizen, I'm required by law to not only file an income tax return, even though I inevitably owe zero tax, but also file a form with the Treasury Department showing how much money I have in the bank.
Wintermute 2 years ago
I believe the US is the only (or one of the only) countries to tax its citizens who live abroad. Land of the not so free.
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Kirsten Kerkhof 2 years ago
Exactly. In the Netherlands the IRS (Dutch version) does all the work for you and you just have to check it. Doing taxes takes all of 5-10 minutes.
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Jared Robinson 2 years ago
cause places like turbotax pay our elected officials to keep it that way. How about we elect SOME GODDAMNED NEW ELECTED OFFICIALS
Kim 2 years ago
Not sure this guy understand what taxes do. But then also he could be from the US
Leonie Löwenherz 2 years ago
This is a US thing. Apparently you have to do your taxes and if your calculation isn't 100% accurate, they can send you to jail.
Load More Replies... Limey 2 years ago
Ok let’s be fair here. Yes the us tax system is burdensome and needlessly complicated. They know exactly what you make but you have to file - accurately - how much you owe. BUT no they don’t send you to jail for getting it wrong. The interest and penalties are exorbitant and if you persist in not paying up they will harass you and pile compound interest on you til you do, but unless you deliberately commit tax fraud you won’t go to jail for making a mistake on your return.
Littlebunnyfufu 2 years ago
Also, if you didn't realize you owe something you can request the interest be waived.
Load More Replies... ADHORTATOR 2 years ago
Germany: I made my calculation and I took every month your taxes... You think it was too much? Ok, prove me wrong
GettingCereal 2 years ago
Not quite true. They take the right amount of taxes every month, and when the year is over you can say, "Oi, I drove to work almost every day and I had to buy clothes for work and also hire a plumber, so give a pitiful fraction of THAT money back!"
Load More Replies... Sara Wilson 2 years ago
They have ALL our info! I don't get why WE have to tell them what we owe and WE go to jail/get fined if it's wrong?!
Mikkel Sørensen 2 years ago
Taxes are not a scam, it's the way we make everything work in the Scandinavian countries. This is why we are the happiest people in the World.
#21
David A Paterson 2 years ago
The airline upcharges for booking fee, food, bags, are more annoying to me. And the $1000 difference in price with the same airline, plane, facilities etc. depending on when you book.
Tiny Dancer 2 years ago
Wifi, lol! I feel like I'm a hundred-years-old, but I well remember my first big plane trip (in the '60s) and I was over the moon when they gave me a free headset to plug into the radio on my armrest (or for The Movie, we all had to watch the same one).
George Costanza 2 years ago
Well they're not really upcharges. They're optional additional charges. Doesn't it make sense that if you don't want to use those things you then don't have to pay for them? And only those that want them pay for them?
Vix Spiderthrust 2 years ago
There's no marginal cost on wifi from one person to the next.
Load More Replies... iseefractals 2 years ago
I'll agree that the wifi thing is BS....but, Planes are big. They require a lot of fuel, which is expensive. Which is why those 12 seats in first class, which take up the same amount of room as about 60 in coach, cost five-ten times as much! So the options are to complain about being uncomfortable, while also being able to afford to get where you want to go, or complain about how expensive airfare is, and take the bus, or perhaps a cruise.
BrownTabby 2 years ago
Air New Zealand has big planes too and they treat passengers far better than most of the airlines in countries like the USA.
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James016 2 years ago
Buy a bucket, car shampoo, a sponge and a chamois leather rag and do it yourself.
Astrophile 2 years ago
I live in an apartment building :( no hose or place to wash
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Robert T 2 years ago
Preferable to a credit card operated car washes or one where you have to go to the kiosk to get a code. The "buy time" jetwashes are the best - you pay for as long as you need and if you find you need longer you stick another coin in - and you can choose which parts of the car you scratch with the brush.
Ace 2 years ago (edited)
??? Edit: so still not a single reply explaining in what way a car wash is a scam. You pay the money, your car gets washed, what's the problem?
Tim 2 years ago
It's a self serve car wash. You pay money to get access to the high pressure water, soap mixture and big brush. You do the washing.
Load More Replies... censorshipsucks 2 years ago
wait what? You live somewhere where a coin is enough to pay for a car wash? Our largest coin is a ZAR 5 which buys you like, 5 pieces of gum.
DeoManus Argentem 2 years ago
"Coin" is vernacular plural for "cash" in my country (US, our largest widely used coin is the quarter dollar, also worth ~5ZAR) - for one quarter you can't even activate the vacuum at a gasoline station, let alone a pressure-washer or soaper.
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Bruce Horton 2 years ago (edited)
Huh, how does one wash a car if living in a high rise condo? You know those places where it's prohibited.
#23
80 Van 2 years ago
I don’t see how that’s a scam. Maybe a bummer, but it is not a necessity for normal use of the phone.
Scotira 2 years ago (edited)
To be fair, those earphones are mostly cheap c**p 🙄 I'm glad they mostly come without them now. Exactly no one I know has ever used them 🙈 Edit: nevertheless I can understand how someone, who doesn't have the money to buy expensive ones, finds this anoying.
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Bender Bending Rodríguez 2 years ago
My main problem with this is cell phone companies did away with headphone jack. I can buy wireless phones but I rather have wired headphones. Because only one reasons. Wired headphones don't need recharging.
Andrei Marentette 2 years ago
No it's cell phones no longer coming with headphone jacks. I have to unplug my charger just to listen to music, and then unplug the headphones because my phone's at 5%
dbildbo 2 years ago (edited)
To be fair that was often a failure point of the phone. I had at least two phones the aux plug broke on. Plus I always hated the cords catching on things.
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TonyTee 2 years ago
Not with the newer Iphones that have been coming out, they did away with the headphone jacks. Now you have to buy special earbuds as an accessory piece, similar concept to Bluetooth wireless products. I’m 50/50 on the ordeal, personally
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Edward Finger Hands 2 years ago
I think it’d be wasteful if they did. There should be an opt in option for people who are buying it for the first time. But most people already have headphones or use Bluetooth headphone these days
#24
Hans Georg 2 years ago
The rich need to get richer. Like in communism. The few take from the masses.
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Amy Manning 2 years ago
I just figured out that I've made 48 payments on my student loans, and every single payment went to interest, not principle. I now owe $20,000 more than I borrowed in the first place and will officially NEVER pay it off. So I'm applying to grad school because I might as well.
Freya the Wanderer 2 years ago
I believe this is called usury. It should be illegal - and probably is in a way.
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Debra Myal 2 years ago
Federal student loans are the biggest scam. They are funded the same way primary school and high school is funded: tax payer dollars. Why am I paying back something I and at least 1 billion people paid taxes on? I don't and am not required to pay back the funds it took to go to elementary through high school for? Most degree plans can be down in-house as paid apprentice programs OR doesn't serve the community in which is exists. I'm not saying student loans shouldn't be paid back however I am saying if you took out a private loan, pay it back. If you got a federal stafford subsidized or unsubsidized loan, you/your parents have already paid for your education in income tax dollars. If you go to get any of these loans they ask for your parents income info or your have to apply a special request to accept the "debt" as your own without your parents included income.... Again, proof that your tax dollars are paying for your federal loan.
Bill Marsano 2 years ago
And whose fault is that? Why should people who paid off their loans and those who didn't go to college pay the freight for a bunch of whining deadbeats?
Bored Trash Panda 2 years ago
Why should people paying taxes pay off all the politicians and billionaires PPP loans from the pandemic when they could obviously pay it back themselves but it was all forgiven?
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Phillip Moderow 2 years ago
But ... but ... I thought that student loans help people to make more money and have a better life. It's not my fault you chose French art historian over plumbing.
#25
lily jones 2 years ago
No one is making you buy it? Water isn't clean enough for drinking in some cities/countries
Vix Spiderthrust 2 years ago
Your two sentences contradict each other. If your tap water isn't safe to drink, then you are indeed forced to buy bottled.
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Cat Chat 2 years ago
It's only a scam if they are trying to sell you the same drinkable tap water you get free for yourself. However, not every place has drinkable wat, nor are every company selling tap water.
Vix Spiderthrust 2 years ago
If the price is artificially inflated then it's still a scam even if you don't have potable tap water.
Load More Replies... Curry on... 2 years ago
Boil your own water. Selling bottled water is a huge rip off imho. There are that many springs to go around.
Stephen Smith 2 years ago
When I lived in Spain, I would visit the local village to fill up bottles at the village tap, that was free.
PegLegShrek 2 years ago
I think they're referring to the prices rather than the water actually being bottled
CwtchyMama 2 years ago
I gotta say o have issues with tap waters taste ( very sensitive taste buds ) and just prefer mineral water
#26
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
you only get away with that s**t if you are the president.
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René Sauer 2 years ago
Charging for withdrawing money? In germany that only happens when you use an atm from a bank different from your own.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
This one above isn't 100% accurate. It depends on your bank. Bank Zero and Tymebank are less cunty about this.
David L. Babcock 2 years ago
Credit Unions, in the 3 states I have lived in, are much better in these regards
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Alicia Kessinger Bader 2 years ago (edited)
Look for a credit union, please. And they exist around the world, originally starting in the 1930's in Poland!
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
South Africa. Saudi Arabia wouldn't do this because it's Haraam.
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Jaybird3939 2 years ago
And taking out payments made before deposits made. I've never heard a good excuse for this one.
Victor Botha 2 years ago
Wow, there's this thing called google you know, might help you out a bit there, or you could perhaps look at the other responses to answer your query.
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Catharina Geerts 2 years ago
Here too, the banks are asking money for more sorts of transactions then before. :(
#27
#28
SonicAlchemy 2 years ago
Typically, if you're at a restaurant that sells a burger for $15 without a side they can't afford to include that side. There's a reason for separate charges on typically included items in comparison. However, even at fast food chains, individual items don't just come with fries and a drink unless you order it as a combo and pay more for it, so fries/a side shouldn't always be something that's expected.
I think I’m hilarious 2 years ago
And it will pretty much always say on the menu if there are fries
Load More Replies... WindySwede 2 years ago
Tolls, are for privately owned roads? Or because the lack of a common road tax for vehicle owners?
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
We have a franchise in SA called Steers that offer two burgers for $3.16 on wednesdays. No fries though. That's extra. https://steers.co.za/promos?wacky
Jo Davies 2 years ago
Your Steers is ripping you off, dude. Wacky Wednesdays come with chips.
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Curry on... 2 years ago
Cook. And if you just want to feel like you 'went out,' park in McDonald's lot and eat your homemade burger.
Sina 2 years ago
Construction is often outsourced to private companies. Whether it's a bridge, or a road or whatnot. Tolls are a way to make back the money spent on construction, but also a money pot for maintenance. If you don't want to pay tolls, you can set your GPS to avoid them. It'll probably take you on a detour way to bypass the tolls, but that means that you'll drive longer and on crappier roads.
#29
WindySwede 2 years ago (edited)
Just a tax for those with hopes and don't care about statistics..?
David A Paterson 2 years ago
It's become much more of a scam in recent decades. Horse racing at every pub. One arm bandits in every club. Scratchies at every petrol station. Online betting on every computer. Now on every phone. More and more legalisation.
Load More Replies... BookFanatic 2 years ago (edited)
A family friend once explained lottery odds as the following. Image you're standing on a US football field (120 yds x 53.3 yds for my non-US pandas) covered in ants. One ant has a tiny splotch of paint on their head. You have a better chance of finding the painted ant than you do winning the lottery. I have no idea what the basis of this theory is...but...I like ants. EDIT: The field is covered in ants, not you!
Graham Chapman (He/He) 2 years ago
You have a choice, you're not forced to play the lottery...
Daniel Atkins 2 years ago
The scam is how it comes to be. They always say it will help the schools. Everyone votes it in and then the schools don't ever see much from it. I don't know where most of the money goes but it is not the schools.
Em 2 years ago
Say it louder; my line's gonna go out the door tomorrow because tHE pOwErBaLL iS biG
Em 2 years ago
...huh, that's actually a really difficult sentence to write in sarcastic sticky caps.
Load More Replies... Bill Marsano 2 years ago
Anyone who doesn't realize by now that lottery odds are astronomically against him can't be helped. And why is it a scam when there are winners?
#30
Lame Llama 2 years ago
This is how the government pays for other stuff, like infrastructure. If you own more, you should pay more.
sharyn turnicky 2 years ago
So why not have every individual and institution pay taxes ? NO EXCEPTIONS
Load More Replies... iseefractals 2 years ago
Well, lets see, taxes only pay for libraries, schools, roads, bridges, highways, public transport, the postal system, medicare/medicade/social security/welfare, emergency services, the police, public defenders and the rest of the court system....and in most of the rest of the world, people are educated enough to understand that paying higher taxes so as to fund free university, universal health care, and months or years of PAID maternity leave is actually so much cheaper and more beneficial to YOU, and every other aspect of society that you would have to possess a mental capacity so lacking as to be confused by the concept of Round.
Wednesday 1 year ago
This is how the government pays for things like taking away women's rights, persecuting people that aren't straight white men, militarizing the police, buying fighter jets and war ships that no one in the military wants or needs and tells the government so all while cutting social programs, neglecting the infrastructure, interfering with and dismantling our education system and generally being greedy, cronyistic, nepotistic, jerks.
#31
SonicAlchemy 2 years ago
More of an individual thing, really. I'm a chef and I chose a career where I know I'm going to be putting in 10-12 hour shifts, but I'm definitely not complaining when I see my paycheck nor is my family when bills are paid, there's food on the table and I can actually afford to take my son to do something special every now and then. Taxes are murderous but you also get what you give. You only want to work 5 hours at a 7-Eleven, the results are on you.
Hans Georg 2 years ago
10-12 hours would be illegal in my country. 8 hours is the standard and no more than 10 hours a day. Also half an hour pause after 6 hours and another quarter hour after 9 hours work. Taxes are automatically deducted from the income, also health insurance and pension. At the start of the new year we check our taxes and have to pay some more or even get something back.
Load More Replies... RaVen Sequoia 2 years ago
For most of the time humans have been around, we did the tasks necessary for life in about 15-20 hours a week. But most of this ‘work’ was…life. The distinction comes when work shifts from valuing relationships and care to an emphasis on profit & productivity. The daily tasks of life often build kinship and connection, both to humans and the other species we make life with. Think about gardening, fishing, cooking, building shelter - all things you would do with friends and family. Only recently did some humans separate “work” and “life” - and now are expected to manage ‘work-life balance’. No other species has done this. So, what happened? A system which emphasizes the pursuit of profit has colonized much of the world - trying to change human values from doing the things we need to do for life and to care for each other into a system where constant growth and increased productivity is the goal. Now we work because we want to feel ‘productive,’ rather than working w/community.
afia kooma 2 years ago
The scam about this is we dont have to work this much to live, any of us. If we organised and shared we could all eat well and live moderately on a one day work-week. Its the bloodsuckers on top that hoards the money, blocks the sharing, demands the delays on service and food to increase profitt for them self in more fees and play like its all theirs
#32
Will Cable 2 years ago
A news item has been doing the rounds where the QR code on some machines was a direct link to scammers.
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Otto Katz 2 years ago (edited)
Why is paying to park a scam? The property owner needs to pay taxes on that plot of land. If you're talking about on street parking in a city, it's to pay for plowing in winter, or to ensure you don't leave your car there 24 hrs a day, so other people can park there too and shop.
George Costanza 2 years ago
This isn't a scam at all. This is necessary, and should encourage you to use your car less. Infrastructure to simply store cars for hours on time is massive and massively expensive. Of course you should pay to use it.
Superb Owl 2 years ago
Someone owns that parking spot, and you want to use it for free? And if you don't get it for free, it's somehow a scam?
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
because you're there to give the shopping mall business already. They are making money off you already.
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SonicAlchemy 2 years ago
I've disagreed with a few of these so far but yes, this, for sure. I might be less opposed to it if there were more of a guarantee that you'd actually get a spot in the first place but to spend a half hour circling city blocks just to eventually find a lot you to have to pay $30 to be in for 4 hours, f**k that.
Donkeywheel 2 years ago
That’s the point: making you turn around AND then pay for it so next time you won’t take your car.
Load More Replies... censorshipsucks 2 years ago
This is especially annoying in malls as you're there to give the shopping mall business already. They are making money off you already. In a hospital it's disgusting. You're there to visit someone who is seriously ill, now you must pay for the pleasure? When the invoice is going to be high anyway ? South Africa here.
Ammyshine Kim 2 years ago
How is it a 'scam' You're paying to park in someone else's land. Do you let random people stay in your house/flat for free?
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
because you're there to give the shopping mall business already. They are making money off you already.
Load More Replies... RaVen Sequoia 2 years ago
Oh I resent paying to park.... soon they're going to charge us to breathe the damn air.
Bill Marsano 2 years ago
Disagree. Car owners are battening of those of us who don't own cars. Car owners in most cities get free overnight parking. Charge for it--and watch congestion and pollution go down in places like Manhattan, where there's plenty of public transportation.
#33
Lord of the laserprinter. 2 years ago
Switched over to Affinity suite long ago because fornicate CC
Sami-Jo Ross 2 years ago
Not sure what's worse, the cloud subscription-based model or the announcement that whenever they updated to a new version you legally no longer had the right to use older versions you paid for.
#34
GettingCereal 2 years ago
Definitely a scam. It's been known for many decades that adding more lanes just adds more traffic.
Shane G 2 years ago (edited)
I used to believe this induced demand theory, but it's simply incorrect. It's not the width of the roads that pushes people into buying cars, it's the length. Most people wouldn't buy a car if everything they needed was within 15 minutes by foot. What's really inducing demand is that zoning laws and the exceptional abundance of parking spaces in America makes any form of travel other than by car a hassle in all but a few places.
Load More Replies... censorshipsucks 2 years ago
Dude, there are fewer than 1m people in Stockholm, and they're mostly middle class. Try living in my province (basically a megacity). Johannesburg/pretoria area. We are about 3000km^2 compared to Stokholm's 188km^2. Also, about 14m people. It's simply NOT feasible or affordable with only 8% of the population able to pay income tax, to provide public transport. We all ride in minibuses or cars.
Load More Replies... David A Paterson 2 years ago
Oh how I wish! Here wherever the traffic is bad they block roads and reduce speed limits to make it worse.
Phillip Moderow 2 years ago
Here is Las Vegas, the road-building Einsteins went to monumental expense to add a lane of traffic and made it an HOV lane instead of an express lane. Nobody used it at first. Then those morons found out that they had less money for traffic enforcement. I now drive in the HOV lane by myself along with impunity.
RagingBell 2 years ago
Or adding more lanes to fix traffic but still leaving the stupid bottle neck in the design!
Stacy Jones 2 years ago
A continuation of my previous rant at my city. Adding lanes DEFINITELY lines the pockets of the City Commisioners' in-laws, so they do it ALL THE TIME! There are potholes in *certain* parts of town that are old enough to drink, yet they've repaved the same 100-yard stretch of street near downtown 3 times in the past 7 years.
#35
WindySwede 2 years ago (edited)
In Sweden its been changed recently. A plate model(?). Mer vegetables I guess? https://www.livsmedelsverket.se/matvanor-halsa--miljo/kostrad/tallriksmodellen#
Grimhild 2 years ago
I like how it's detailed and has example pictures :)
Load More Replies... madbakes 2 years ago
In the US this was changed several years ago. It was a scam, now it's nothing.
Littlebunnyfufu 2 years ago
It's now called my plate and the definitions of things are much broader.
Load More Replies...
Danish Susanne 2 years ago
When you are 70 years old you have seen it changed too many times to take it seriously any more. I believe it is made from the best knowledge, but only the knowledge they have this year.
Very bored 2 years ago
Actually if you cut out the sweets and put it upside down it’s not as bad
Load More Replies... #36
WindySwede 2 years ago
Yeah wouldn't want the ones making TV get any money and get shitton of commercials?
Strontium Dog 2 years ago
There is no such thing as free tv. If you've ever bought a product or used a service that has advertised on TV, you've paid for TV.
Tucker Cahooter 2 years ago
Scrapped ages ago in Australia at least. We can watch the junk on offer for free (yay!)
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
yep it's a bs way to prop up our national tv station monopoly which has lost about 6bn ZAR due to ineptitude and corruption. It must die.
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What do you think ?
The Alien From Asteroid City 2 years ago
how is a coin operated car wash a scam? love that a lot of these have zero context or explanation
Will Cable 2 years ago
Politicians...vote for me I can make a change.........then there they are claiming everything in expenses, claiming what they can, ignoring the people who elected them and then immediately say "Vote for me I can make a change" and people do
Blue Chambers 2 years ago
The problem is there is no one to elect that isn't a thieving POS. You vote someone in hoping their better but it turns out their stealing from you and hope you die so you can just leave them alone with you complaints about "starvation" and "homelessness".
Load More Replies... David A Paterson 2 years ago
How about the Government profiting off the illegal drug trade by taking large sums of cash for itself from it. That's a huge scam, and perfectly legal.
michael Chock 2 years ago
Credit scores. You are being manipulated into a pyramid scheme where you have to prove you are willing to pay increasing amounts of tribute to the people who hoard all the resources. Sad thing is, there is almost no way to get enough resources to break out of the pyramid without becoming dependant on it.
WonderWoman 2 years ago
Ticket service fees - I can't pick it up, all you do is click a button, I do all the work, and still you charge me upwards of 40% the value of the ticket.
Jerry Mathers 2 years ago
The biggest scam going on right now is the raising of interest rates to control wage growth in the US. Company raise their prices, government is all "That's just supply and demand. It's how capitalism works. We can't do anything". Workers pushing for higher wages before coming back to work and starting to make some ground. And the government is all "Oh hell no! Interest rates will keep going up until wages fall". So the commodity of labor is what? Exempt from capitalism's supply and demand BS? That's main beef with the US. It's f*****g hypocrisy. When business are raising prices and underpaying employees, well that's just capitalism. When those same businesses should be OUT of business, it's all "oh they are too big to fail. Let's bail em out". Bull! Let me fall. If they truly are "too big to fail" then the government needs to take them over.
Nikki Sevven 2 years ago
Selling my personal data without my permission. Why tf should you get to profit from directing garbage companies to harass me?
Shadow 2 years ago
I know this will be hugely unpopular, attesting to the fact is has become a mainstream scam. Teachers paying for school supplies! In what job, anywhere, does an employee pay for the supplies for their job, for their employer? Because sweet, little children, are attached it works. In my town (CT) U.S.A. 60% of our towns budget goes to board of Ed. End of year, dumpsters behind the schools, from local to state colleges are overflowing with unused, unopened school supplies. I'm not saying some school districts are not under funded, and I'm not talking lunches. But pencils, paper, necessary materials? STOP paying out of pocket teachers. Once you do, bet the BOEd will reconsider the million dollar salary for the superintendent and start trickling down the tax money to who needs it most . . . The students.
The Alien From Asteroid City 2 years ago
how is a coin operated car wash a scam? love that a lot of these have zero context or explanation
Will Cable 2 years ago
Politicians...vote for me I can make a change.........then there they are claiming everything in expenses, claiming what they can, ignoring the people who elected them and then immediately say "Vote for me I can make a change" and people do
Blue Chambers 2 years ago
The problem is there is no one to elect that isn't a thieving POS. You vote someone in hoping their better but it turns out their stealing from you and hope you die so you can just leave them alone with you complaints about "starvation" and "homelessness".
Load More Replies... David A Paterson 2 years ago
How about the Government profiting off the illegal drug trade by taking large sums of cash for itself from it. That's a huge scam, and perfectly legal.
michael Chock 2 years ago
Credit scores. You are being manipulated into a pyramid scheme where you have to prove you are willing to pay increasing amounts of tribute to the people who hoard all the resources. Sad thing is, there is almost no way to get enough resources to break out of the pyramid without becoming dependant on it.
WonderWoman 2 years ago
Ticket service fees - I can't pick it up, all you do is click a button, I do all the work, and still you charge me upwards of 40% the value of the ticket.
Jerry Mathers 2 years ago
The biggest scam going on right now is the raising of interest rates to control wage growth in the US. Company raise their prices, government is all "That's just supply and demand. It's how capitalism works. We can't do anything". Workers pushing for higher wages before coming back to work and starting to make some ground. And the government is all "Oh hell no! Interest rates will keep going up until wages fall". So the commodity of labor is what? Exempt from capitalism's supply and demand BS? That's main beef with the US. It's f*****g hypocrisy. When business are raising prices and underpaying employees, well that's just capitalism. When those same businesses should be OUT of business, it's all "oh they are too big to fail. Let's bail em out". Bull! Let me fall. If they truly are "too big to fail" then the government needs to take them over.
Nikki Sevven 2 years ago
Selling my personal data without my permission. Why tf should you get to profit from directing garbage companies to harass me?
Shadow 2 years ago
I know this will be hugely unpopular, attesting to the fact is has become a mainstream scam. Teachers paying for school supplies! In what job, anywhere, does an employee pay for the supplies for their job, for their employer? Because sweet, little children, are attached it works. In my town (CT) U.S.A. 60% of our towns budget goes to board of Ed. End of year, dumpsters behind the schools, from local to state colleges are overflowing with unused, unopened school supplies. I'm not saying some school districts are not under funded, and I'm not talking lunches. But pencils, paper, necessary materials? STOP paying out of pocket teachers. Once you do, bet the BOEd will reconsider the million dollar salary for the superintendent and start trickling down the tax money to who needs it most . . . The students.
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