There’s this ongoing kerfuffle behind the scenes between business owners and consumers. Buyers want to make the most of their money, and sellers want to earn the most from their products. It’s all good and dandy when the commodity is worth the price you paid, but when the high price point doesn’t match up with what you’ve been promised, it can be infuriating, to say the least.
Unfortunately, many of us have been there—saving up for a nice meal or getting our nails done for a celebration—and then left completely in shock because your $20 salad came with three pieces of croutons, and your treat-yourself manicure looked like a child’s coloring.
These scenarios happen more often than we’d like to admit, and what better place to let our purchase frustrations go than on social media? The Bored Panda team has scoured the web to find the most unfair deals that make people feel ripped off. Scroll through the curated list to see expectations vs. reality in this economy that might leave you thinking twice before purchasing something.
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Paid $12 To Go To This "Pumpkin Patch", Also Known As A Field With Pumpkins Placed In It
Paid $300 For 3 Nights At This Specific Hotel Because They Advertised A Free Continental Breakfast. This Is Their Continental Breakfast
Got Charged 9k For A Doctor To Tell Me It Was Just Period Cramps, And After Going To Another Doctor, It Was Diagnosed As A Ruptured Ovarian Cyst
I suppose this is USA? I would fear visiting a doctor if I lived there! Could never pay that kind of bills.
Yes, and it looks like this person is uninsured. If insured, the contract rate would have been far lower, as noted in adjustments. Medical care will bankrupt you in the U.S.
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…and, bizarrely, Americans think that they will be WORSE OFF with socialized medicine. That’s because if you put the word “social” in front of anything but the word “media” they lose their minds. FYI I live here and work in healthcare.
Your absolutely brilliant spot-on comment should have received hundreds of upvotes by now...! (Sadly though it appears that there are a great many of "those" Americans here on BP...)
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So thankful we have the NHS. It may not be the quickest & best. But at least it won't make you bankrupt.
I went to A&E with a serious dental abscess (referred directly from my dentist after antibiotics all failed) at 11AM. I had surgery to remove two teeth and drain the abscess at 6PM, stayed two nights with a drain in my face and was discharged. Cost me £24 in parking which I was completely happy to pay given the care I'd had. It's not perfect, but I have a lot to thank it for.
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That's simple, you did NOT receive care, They would NOT be receiving payment.
Then they would wreck your credit, sue you then garnish your wages.
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Yup. Took years for my endometriosis to be properly diagnosed. Doctors, often even women doctors, don't listen to women.
I detest people who just dismiss concerns of patients, especially women, for this exact kind of thing. It’s why I got into healthcare - to not be one of those people.
Can you get your money back for a misdiagnosis? How does that work? That's terrifying and I'd never thought about it before. I was already in shock when I realised that victims of mass shootings have to pay for their own medical care.
it takes a whole court process that would cost many thousands more. --- my best friend died from a heart condition that just weeks before was missed by an ER. they charged him $864.35 for two (2) Motrin and discharged him.
Load More Replies... I'm guessing this was a hospital-based service? I would contact the Patient Advocate for that hospital system and negotiate the bill WAY DOWN since the doc gave a really bad diagnosis. I would ask for the itemized bill and then fight every charge separately, especially if no testing like an ultrasound or CT scan were performed to help this wizard of a doctor reach the wrong conclusion of period cramps.
I had a similar experience - got stuck with a $5000 ER bill, even though I had insurance. I was in grad school, and insurance refused to cover the bill because I didn't go to the school clinic first. I got massively sick on a Saturday night; the school clinic didn't open until Monday morning.
I really struggle with how this is a first world country’s medical system. So many people, including celebrities and millionaires dying daily from a medical system that just does not work. Where over prescription of dangerous drugs is creating massive social and economic crisis, all in the name of greed and profit. How can this be a first world civilisation? I feel such sympathy for everyone in this country. Morso for those who take pride from this aspect. America used to aspire for to be so much greater, and now settles for so much less.
You know, you can talk to the hospital's billing department, and get them to write off your bill, especially if your income is below a certain level. All it takes is a phone call. At least in the part of the US where I live. BUT, it shouldn't be like that, in the first place. And that doesn't help with specialist doctors or prescriptions. No one should ever have to be put in a position where they have to choose between their health needs and their groceries or bills or whatever. Healthcare should never, Ever, EVER have become a for-profit industry!!!!
I got charged $142 for one aspirin-- because a cardiac doctor handed it to me.
I recently spent a night in hospital, had surgery (twice actually, because a few hours after the first one a blood vessel burst somewhere inside the wound and they had to cauterize it) and proper aftercare, and up to now I amounted bills of around €150 because I requested treatment by the chiefs of departments, e.g. their chief physician and anaesthesist etc. (Chefarztbehandlung for my fellow Germans). Fun thing is, I'll forward these bills to a specialized insurance and they pay for it. In the end, this whole thing will have cost me nothing, nada, zilch.
What if you tell them you'd sue the hospital for potentially fatal misdiagnosis?
Whereas I thought I just had period cramps, but turned out to be a 10x10cm ovarian cyst that created ovary torsion! If my dad hadn't insisted on calling the ambulance, I would have lost the ovary! Didn't have to pay for it though.
You realize that some people in the other countries of the world wait 4 years or so for operations, and some end up dying before their turn. Yes healthcare can be expensive here , and also can be free. It depends on your healthcare plan. Which you have the right to choose here. Unlike other countries, it’s social healthcare. Ya everyone is covered, but high taxes pay for it. Imagine 42% of your earnings going towards what they call care , I t’s not quality. You’re complaining about what you know little about. I would put the breaks here on some of the American healthcare.! It’s better than most of the world. This is why people come here from other countries for operations. This I know personally.
Please tell me that because it was misdiagnosed by an obviously incompetent doctor, that you won't pay that bill, right??!!! I mean, they must let that slide seeing as they were completely F@#%ING wrong! Right?!! Because that would reek of some sort of system-level corruption otherwise!
I am American and want to tell you this is an AWFUL country to live and work in. We have nothing for the masses of people; everything here goes to the damned corporations and the already rich. I have come to despise the US….
I hope you don't have to pay for this complete and dangerous misdiagnosis - doctor not fit for purpose!
OK, she saw two doctors. A ruptured ovarian cyst would require surgery. Not mentioned. So, what exactly is she being charged for? Medical malpractice insure is high. I don't know why.
So typical for this country not only are medical bills ridiculous plus the poor a*s trained doctors
Well if I had left my mother in Ireland where they left her with gangrene infected toes and no medication she would be dead. Your social medicine sucks crappy doctors, filthy hospitals and then they won't even give you your medical info because "They own it" according to them.
I'd refuse payment on the basis of obvious and life-threatening medical malpractice and false diagnosis. I'd like to see them defend this bill in a court... and while at it, charge them with the cost of the proper re-diagnosis.
Please tell me you have insurance that paid at least part of it? The amount doesn't surprise me. A friend had basic outpatient foot surgery. $14,000. Yes US and his insurance picked up everything except for $100.
My daughter had the same thing & ended up with severe sepsis. ICU for several days & home nurse for a week after because Dr. Toughen Up & Stop Complaining man insisted she was fine. You don’t want to know the bill for that one. - just start crying; that’s the ballpark. $$$$$$
I’m conservative on alot of issues but even i support universal healthcare coming here. Maybe someday.
YES US, 7k down from 24k for four hours in ER from a mild stroke. My sister made me go.
8 k for my ovarian cyst. Since it was not an appendicitis insurance though nah on paying
I have ....significant... non-elective orthopaedic surgery booked for January and my surgeon's bill - which will be 90% covered by government and private insurances - is a whisker less than the above. Australia.
Happened to my sister. Our doc decided that the issues she was having was grief from our parents dying. It was stage 3 colorectal cancer.
That is crazy. The first time I had a ruptured cyst it wasn't "hospital" bad, so I had to wait 3 days to get in at the doctor. After 2 days in the fetal position, it wasn't so bad by the time I went in and she just said it sounded like I was right about my diagnosis and gave me some Norco. The second time I passed out from blood loss (internal) and got an ambulance ride and surgery.
Health Insurance is BS. Insurers literally do nothing but clip the ticket on the way through. Im amazed that the FBI haven't gone after these guys for Racketeering.
You know that in most states you can just refuse to pay or pay a small amount monthly for decades.
I'm unsure of how well this works as I've only read about it and not done it myself, but you should ALWAYS ask for an itemized receipt from the hospital's accounting office. This way, you can see exactly what they expect you to pay and for what. Some items can be argued or addressed directly. Again, I am NOT 100% sure if this works but I do think it would help me to see what exactly totaled my amount that high!
I've never paid a medical bill and nothing has happened to me yet. They don't consider medical debt when it comes to a lot of credit checks for housing and such as far as I'm aware.
That's false. The government said they won't, but guess what is pulling down your credit score? You don't have to pay it when buying a house but it will lower your credit score and affect your dti
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so... he was wrong. Do you get your money back? If not, come to me next time, Ill make something up and charge only a 1000.
Nowadays, trips to the grocery store become more expensive every time. For example, inflation for food in the US was 3.3% in October 2023. However, the cost of a commodity is much more complicated than the business setting a number they deem suitable. In a free market, it’s usually determined by demand and supply. The price will be higher if many buyers are seeking a product and lower if there are only a few.
I Paid $20 For A Burger On My Cruise. Here Is The Result
This Haircut That I Paid $60 For
I Paid $47 To Upgrade To This "Window Seat"
Additionally, product cost is one of the most important factors that affects the price. It includes expenses such as materials, equipment, labor, packaging, marketing, distribution, selling, and even rent. Competition in the market also adds to it. If there aren't any other suppliers in a specific area, the firm can fix a price of its choosing. Additionally, the government usually doesn’t interfere in their determination, except for things like wheat and drugs, which are essential for humans and require set pricing.
My Wedding Cake (Yes, We Paid For This)
This $18 "Caesar Salad" My Girlfriend's Cousins Got In Vegas
Caesar ate the salad, and Cousin got the leftovers.
Just Paid $300 For This Textbook And Peeled Off A Sticker To Reveal It Shouldn't Have Been Sold
Despite all of these factors constituting a price, it may increase due to something entirely unpredictable. Let’s take unfavorable weather conditions, for example. The summer of 2023 was Earth’s hottest since global records began in 1880, according to scientists at NASA. Due to extreme heat, wildfires, and violent storms, some crops end up being destroyed. As a result, veggies, leafy greens, nuts, berries, and other produce may cost more.
I Paid $45 To Add Ride Photos To My Daughter's Amusement Park's Season Pass. It's An Extra $20/Photo To Download Without The Watermark
$8.99 Kids Buttered Noodles
Ordered Fried Pickles As An Appetizer. I Got 1 Pickle Cut Into 4, Cost Me $10
Affairs between nations can also drive up the costs of some of the most necessary products. The Russia-Ukraine war raised the price of grains by 110% between 2021 and 2022. Ukraine has more than 50% of the world’s cereal market and is also the main supplier of sunflower oil. The export restrictions from the country and the heightened demand for crops due to the pandemic reached near-record prices.
The View From My 30€ Ticket
I Spent $12 On "Anti-Fog" Mirror Film
Just Paid $800 For My School "Books". It's A Loose Leaf Paper
Mass outbreaks of diseases are also known to contribute to the rising costs. In late 2022, highly contagious bird flu forced poultry farmers to reduce their chicken population in the US, which affected the prices of eggs and other livestock products. The outbreak resulted in about 27 to 28 million dozen eggs per week missing on the shelf. The lack of access to necessary food drives up prices and can result in people not being able to meet basic household food needs.
Caprese Salad I Purchased From A Pizza Place. I Should Have Checked The Reviews First
I mean... that's caprese. It's just presented badly and a small portion.
I Paid $5.50 For These Cheesy Chips At A Football Match
I've seen bad concession food before, but this is pretty high on the scale of the worst.
This Is The Hot Tub At The Airbnb, Which Was Why I Rented The Spot. Smelled Terrible And Was Not Cleaned In Forever
However, it doesn’t mean that business owners don’t take advantage of these circumstances and raise prices just because they can. Even though we spend a lot of money, the purchases we make don’t always meet our expectations.
One way businesses profit without us even knowing it is called "shrinkflation." It's done to reduce the size of a product while maintaining the same price. From a business perspective, it’s a useful way to boost or maintain profits without drawing too much negative attention. Retailers often employ it to level out higher production (e.g., materials, labor) costs. If you spot a packaging redesign, chances are there has been a weight change. Mars Inc. took this path in 2017, shrinking Maltesers and M&Ms in the UK by 15%.
This Restaurant Has An Automatic 18% Service Charge For Parties Of One Or Higher
I’ve seen restaurants include gratuity when it’s a large party but never for parties of 1.
Dinner Provided By My School (On A Trip I Paid $1500 For)
Just looking at that giant piece of pizza makes me feel full.
Went Out For Dinner With Friends And Got Sausage And Peppers As An Appetizer. This Is What We Got
The internet has also become a convenient space to rip people off. An investigation by Which? has found that Etsy, a global marketplace for unique and creative goods, included product listings with fake handmade products that could be purchased for a fraction of the price from retailers like Amazon and Asda. They also analyzed the first page of items on Etsy and found that 23 out of 192 handmade items were actually mass-produced and were seven times the price. One seller has made nearly 9,000 sales in “custom made” clothing that could be found on Amazon and eBay. In its annual report, Etsy said that it removed 1.9 million listings for violating its policies in 2022.
$17 For Sad Pizza My Friend Ordered
Paid $9 For This. Speechless
I Paid $10.95 For This
Furthermore, you can also accidentally purchase counterfeits, lookalikes, unsafe for use, banned, or mislabeled items on Amazon. CNBC found it has shipped expired foods—including baby formula—to customers, pointing to the lack of capacity to monitor expiration dates. The growth of counterfeit goods and Amazon's unwillingness to help fight them made brands like Birkenstock and Nike pull out of selling on this site. Smaller vendors with fake products now have access to millions of customers online, putting many people at risk of buying counterfeit and unsafe items. In fact, individuals have been burned by using a cheaper fake “Ove’ Glove” alternative.
The Majesty Of An $8.00 Whole Foods Sandwich. The Good News Is The Chicken Salad Is Completely Tasteless
Bought A New Build House And Chose A Location Across From Yet To Be Placed Park Since We Had Kids. Paid A Premium For This Coveted Lot. Here’s The Park They Finally Put In
Getting Taxed On A Tip Illegally
I'm sure the local tax board would be quite interested in seeing that. (chamber of commerce as well, but who knows, they might have been the ones who offered skimming lessons)
Many of us aren’t really safe from the mind games and tricks of businesses. We don’t read the fine print when we should, and companies act illegally when they shouldn’t. To encourage awareness about brands ripping people off, we ask you, our dear Pandas, what’s the most bizarre thing you wasted your hard-earned money on and regretted it instantly?
This Was Served At A Networking Party. They Paid 500$ For The Venue
Just Arrived At My Hotel In My "Sea Facing Room"
Bought A $44 Handmade Ceramic Mug. It Cracks As I Pour In My First Cup Of Tea
My Mom Paid $20k To Enclose Her Porch. I Saw It Today. All Of The Beams And Joints Look Like This
A "Caesar Salad" At Red Robin
Red Robin is known for good burgers and free fry refills, not salad. Although is that really a single sad and lonely crouton?
I Ordered A Baby Shower Gift For A Friend From Babies R Us And Paid An Extra $5 For A Gift Wrap With A Gift Message. Gift Message Printed On Invoice With Contents Listed
My School Lunch. Paid $3.25 For This
Power Went Out 20 Minutes Into Oppenheimer. Didn't Get To See The Last 30 Minutes
Waited about an hour for it to be restored, and the movie restarted, only for it to restart again automatically at the next showtime, leading to being kicked out of the theater.
The View Of The Stage At My Concert
The Server Said The Wings Were A "Good" Size
I'd be checking to see if the sparrows and pigeons in the closest park are still there, or can still fly.
Glad I Paid For Pre
I Paid $8 For This
I Paid Over 4 Dollars For This. I Just Opened This. There’s More In The Photo On The Front Than In The Bag
2023 Is The Year Of Paying More For Less
My Wife Paid $200 For Front-Row Balcony Seats. They Closed The Balcony And Now This Is Our View
Hopefully, you took this up with the promoters. They can't just downgrade you like that.
Paid Extra For A "Tower" Room At Our Hotel And Were Told We’d Get A Nice View Of The River
We Lost Our Cat Thor On Christmas Day. My Girl Has Been Struggling To Cope Since. She Loves Stuffed Animals So For This Christmas I Ordered Her A Cuddle Clone. I Paid $300 For This
This "Seasonal Fruit" Cup From Wendy's I Paid $1.29 For
Paid $30 To Get Professionally Cropped Out. Photo 1 Is A Family Photo That Was Taken. Photo 2 Is The One That Arrived In The Mail
This Costs $8 At Starbucks
Add lettuce and tomato, and I'd pay four dollars.
Getting Charged Extra To Remove An Item
Paid $7 For This Hummus And Veggies Platter
They could have at least peeled the carrots, not that it would have made much of a difference, but still......!
Hotel Took My Security Deposit And An Extra $50 For A Blood-Stained Towel And Stained Bath Mat
Did you wipe the hotel entrance lobby with those?! They look disgusting!!!!!!
Note: this post originally had 70 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
This is why I hate all the Karen-bashing. Yes, there are plenty of evil Karens. But it's morphed on BP and several other social media sites from "Can you get a load of the way this monster is abusing the ways the company listens to and responds to customers" and instead it's become, "customers have no rights to complain about bad service!"
If you think about it, with inflation and everything going on, we are seriously ripped off every day. Everything becomes a rip off. Airlines make for a horrible experience. Restaurant quality is way down. And God forbid you need auto repairs.
That's why it's a good idea to get to know a good local mechanic. I rely on word of mouth.
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A restaurant I'm near sells hot chocolate for 3.50 which you can add cream to for an extra 50p. Then they sell a luxury hot chocolate which is £5.50 and that is exactly the same thing except it comes with like 5 mini marshmallows and a bit of the chocolate powder sprinkled on top
you win the internet for the day. shut it all down.
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Greed. I bet their employees are not getting cost of living wages while the ceos are buying second and third homes.
How about some facts instead of just bashing owners of companies.
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I think people need to start blasting these places (add a receipt for proof) - name & shame!
We just got a gourmet Christmas gift from family. They had it sent straight from the company. The items were expired. One item had a use by date in the future but was over top of an expiration date from this past July. I contacted the company that assured me the items were fine. Supposedly an employee accidentally put born on dates on the items. Opened the items and they were not fine, definitely expired. I'm sure my relatives would be thrilled to know their money went into the trash.
I once paid £300 for a night in the London Hilton as a Valentine's treat - that was a mid-price room. Breakfast was not included - but one could pay £5 for a pot of tea, more for actual food. This was in 2000. Went to the McDonalds in Hyde Park and had the entire breakfast for £5 for two of us.
"Getting ripped off" doesn't count if you only lose $20 or less. We could have done without the "I paid $3 for this and look what I got" entries.
Maybe the poor SOB only had $5 in their pocket for lunch and got rooked with a sandwich the size of a postage stamp. I'd be mighty pissed if it happened to me.
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The majority of these are about food, portions and quality, to which I just ask why people would ever just accept what they were served/sold and not ask for a refund? Is it worth the $17 for a disgusting pizza to be able to take a picture of it and have a moment on the internet? I know nobody implied that anyone had to "feel sorry" for anyone but I definitely don't for people that just accept s**t and still pay for it then snap pictures and complain about it.
This is why I hate all the Karen-bashing. Yes, there are plenty of evil Karens. But it's morphed on BP and several other social media sites from "Can you get a load of the way this monster is abusing the ways the company listens to and responds to customers" and instead it's become, "customers have no rights to complain about bad service!"
If you think about it, with inflation and everything going on, we are seriously ripped off every day. Everything becomes a rip off. Airlines make for a horrible experience. Restaurant quality is way down. And God forbid you need auto repairs.
That's why it's a good idea to get to know a good local mechanic. I rely on word of mouth.
Load More Replies... A restaurant I'm near sells hot chocolate for 3.50 which you can add cream to for an extra 50p. Then they sell a luxury hot chocolate which is £5.50 and that is exactly the same thing except it comes with like 5 mini marshmallows and a bit of the chocolate powder sprinkled on top
you win the internet for the day. shut it all down.
Load More Replies... Greed. I bet their employees are not getting cost of living wages while the ceos are buying second and third homes.
How about some facts instead of just bashing owners of companies.
Load More Replies... I think people need to start blasting these places (add a receipt for proof) - name & shame!
We just got a gourmet Christmas gift from family. They had it sent straight from the company. The items were expired. One item had a use by date in the future but was over top of an expiration date from this past July. I contacted the company that assured me the items were fine. Supposedly an employee accidentally put born on dates on the items. Opened the items and they were not fine, definitely expired. I'm sure my relatives would be thrilled to know their money went into the trash.
I once paid £300 for a night in the London Hilton as a Valentine's treat - that was a mid-price room. Breakfast was not included - but one could pay £5 for a pot of tea, more for actual food. This was in 2000. Went to the McDonalds in Hyde Park and had the entire breakfast for £5 for two of us.
"Getting ripped off" doesn't count if you only lose $20 or less. We could have done without the "I paid $3 for this and look what I got" entries.
Maybe the poor SOB only had $5 in their pocket for lunch and got rooked with a sandwich the size of a postage stamp. I'd be mighty pissed if it happened to me.
Load More Replies... The majority of these are about food, portions and quality, to which I just ask why people would ever just accept what they were served/sold and not ask for a refund? Is it worth the $17 for a disgusting pizza to be able to take a picture of it and have a moment on the internet? I know nobody implied that anyone had to "feel sorry" for anyone but I definitely don't for people that just accept s**t and still pay for it then snap pictures and complain about it.
