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40 Things In Our Daily Lives That Many People Don’t Realize Are Scams
Interview With Author
What seems to be very obviously nefarious to you might not be obvious to someone else. That’s exactly the question that internet users have been tackling on the r/AskReddit subreddit. User u/Aurallius asked people to open up about what they personally believe to be scams that “everyone else accepts otherwise,” and they were glad to deliver.
The thread quickly went viral, getting over 36.6k upvotes and a whopping 27.3k comments: everyone was fired up to share their opinions and discuss each other’s views. From shopping channels to credit repair companies and more, you’ll find all things that some people think are secretly scams below.
Some of the things mentioned in this list are likely real-life scams. Of course, you might not agree with all of these conclusions, dear Pandas, but that’s part of the point—the grey area in which these things exist. Let us know what you think about these redditors’ opinions in the comments and if you agree with them or not and why.
The author of the thread, redditor Aurallius, gave Bored Panda some insights about the inspiration behind their question and what people should do to avoid scams. Aurallius is a design student at the School of Visual Arts in New York. They're an illustrator "working to make a living from art." You'll find their comments below.
This post may include affiliate links.
All of insurance as it is currently sold.
Example: I have full coverage car insurance. I pay $X/month to have that coverage.
Then I use it. Then they charge more.
Which means that my rate before my accident wasn't really the price of coverage; the new, higher rate is. I was paying a subscription fee to have coverage at a higher rate once I needed it.
Same for health insurance. I have to pay a deductible, meaning, I am not covered until I've paid it. "You are covered, but actually not until you've paid out of pocket a certain amount. Also, we will only cover a certain percentage of costs." Which means I'm actually not covered entirely. It's not actually insurance.
Here's how insurance is supposed to work: I pay you $X/month and you pool that money with everyone else paying that to you. When I have a problem you have the pooled resources to cover it for me. I'm still paying more over time probably than the cost of that event, but you're there to take on that cost for me for the price of my premiums. That's not what's happening anymore.
I'm probably going to be blasted for it, but the wedding industry seems to be scamming people for love.
You don't need a $35,000 party to marry someone, just get a priest and some friends for like $3k and save that money for your relationship.
Weddings used to be paid by parents or grandparents of the couple, but times have changed and more people are paying out of their own pocket for a celebration that doesn't really need to be extravagant.
"Get a priest and some friends for $3k"? That sounds like people trafficking, but sure, I'll buy a priest 😂
The funeral industry. Poor families get robbed of so much money just to put on a "respectful" funeral, and because they're grieving, it's seriously kicking them while they're down. You don't need to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to have grandma embalmed, made-up with corpse makeup, put in a casket worth an arm and a leg, and lowered into a hole filled with roses, to be topped with an ornate expensive headstone. I wish natural burials were more mainstream, where the body is put in its favorite outfit, wrapped in a biodegradable sheet, and placed in a mound of dirt to be absorbed by the earth. Big funeral companies are benefiting off of people's grief and it's disgusting.
Aurallius, the author of the thread, told Bored Panda that they're often subjected to various ads. The "variety of products and services that are advertised on a regular basis" made the redditor come up with the question in the first place. However, that wasn't the only reason.
"I also wanted to make a popular post," they opened up to Bored Panda that they were aiming for some popularity online as well.
There are various ways how people react to being scammed. Some choose to waste the scammers' time. Others immediately call the authorities. While others choose to ignore the scammers entirely. Aurallius told Bored Panda that, in their opinion, it's best to "immediately report the scam" so as to help protect others in the future.
So-called "body cleanses", whether it be juice, herbal pills or something else.
I want to smack anyone who says they need to go on a cleanse. What the hell do you think your liver and kidneys are doing? you wanna cleanse? drink some water and let the giblets do their work, dingus!
There is an even weirder belief which says that the gut gets lined with dried up s**t over time and therefore needs to be rinsed out at intervals. I mean, strictly speaking the gut IS a sort of pipe, but a) it can't dry out inside, b) the walls are too soft and move too much to maintain a dry lining, c) the contents don't trickle, they are pushed through, rubbing against the walls so how is a stable layer of grime ever supposed to build up? d) the gut cells are constantly renewed with the old and dying gut cells being expelled into the gut interior. People have the weirdest beliefs about bodies.
Unpaid internships.
If you look at the actual laws, internships are supposed to be primarily focused on education. If the intern is doing work that is providing value to the company, they are supposed to be paid.
It's just never enforced.
This is the biggest scam, and really should be cracked down on - I hope this one makes it to number 1. Reminds me of the stingy influencers who want you to work for free for exposure/experience, except it involves the biggest, most profitable companies
Buying T-shirts with the company's logo on them.
You pay them a ridiculous price to advertise them.
Well that's the whole point of conspicuous consumption - you're also advertising yourself, as being able to afford it (even though it's probably a knock-off). Still ridiculous though, I'd rather advertise to the world something I genuinely enjoy, like a band or icecream 😁
I wanted to get Aurallius' opinion about what people can do to make sure that they don't fall for scams. In the redditor's opinion, education, patience, and awareness are key. "People should think critically and do extensive research on the stuff they use or consume," they pointed out that we should all be willing to put in the time to do some research to protect ourselves and our wallets.
The redditor also shared that credit repair companies are an example of a scam that they've had some experience with.
Scams, hustles, cons—whatever you call them, they’re as old as human history itself. Fighting against scams and con artists is a never-ending battle because a person’s biggest defenses are education and awareness.
I’m not a nutritionist but having comfort food be cheaper than fruits and vegetables is just plain wrong.
Totally agree. You are preach into the ground about eating healthy but when its time for meal prep and grocery shopping, you can feed a family for $20 with unhealthy foods or $60 for better choices. Many families have to take what is affordable for their situation. How can fresh fruit cost more than a loaf of bread that has a process to produce it for sale? Makes no sense at all.
Organized religion.
The mormon church asks their members to give them 10% of their money. F***ing 10% even if you're a little old lady living on a very fixed income or an 8 year old kid mowing lawns.
If you don't pay, you're not worthy enough to go to their temples. If that's not a scam, I don't know what is.
And filthy rich pastors. The religion, where your pastor is richie rich and greedy is a scam.
Tipping.
It's a scam restaurant owners use to keep wages low and profits in their pockets.
When you’re aware of the tactics scammers use, you’re prepared to shut down their attempts to weasel money or sensitive personal information out of you. However, that just makes the scammers find even more creative, evil ways to bamboozle you and the whole process continues to spiral.
There’s hardly a greater bunch of experts on scams than the r/Scams subreddit, a community dedicated to fighting back against hustlers and providing info and support to victims. One of the moderators previously gave an interview to Bored Panda about the difference between real-life and online scams, and what you can do to protect yourself.
"I think online shopping scams are different because you lose that layer of dealing with a real-life person. When you have a real person in front of you, a typical person will feel shame or guilt at the thought of taking advantage of a person,” one of the r/Scams mods explained to Bored Panda that interacting with a scammer face-to-face can give away some of their intentions. Things aren’t as clear-cut with the advent of the internet.
College in America, it's absolutely absurd that they can hold your transcripts hostage, charge 600 dollars a year for a 'parking pass' require that the first year be spent on campus, rotate out a 500 dollars text book every single semester (that was written by your professor), and basically can find any other way to outrageously over charge students while promoting predatory lending and saying they're "not for profit".
Cable TV. Either provide it for free, or remove the incessant advertisements. Not okay with the double charge.
Totally agree with this one. When I watched a mates sky TV For the first time I couldn't believe that they were adverts in the middle of something he was paying for. Whilst I'm on a rant - in England we used to get football on terrestrial channels which are, except for the BBC's licence fee, free. Then Sky took over and hoodwinked people into thinking that their coverage was sooooo much better. The majority of people fell for the idea and subscribed with the result that we now have to pay an arm and a leg to watch our national game. Same with boxing and cricket. All previously very cheap or free now we have to take out loans to watch it.
Engagement rings (specifically diamond ones). Ridiculously expensive pieces of crystallized carbon that are intrinsically worthless.
“With the internet, you aren't dealing with a person, but a username and avatar. It is much easier to act maliciously when you don't have a real victim directly in front of you," the redditor pointed out that distance and anonymity don’t work in our favor, but are very useful for scammers.
"Online scams also use a lot of tricks to pressure buyers; low prices, pushes to buy now!, taking advantage of someone's kindness or naivete (re: advance check fraud, money mules, etc), or advertising one product and sending another (or nothing at all, by using a fake tracking number). Getting a person to make a decision via high-pressure tactics and preventing them from reflecting and making a sound decision is key.”
Any seminar entitled "Secrets to Building Your Wealth" or something in a similar vein. The only secret is that you attending is building some other person's wealth.
They’re usually pyramid schemes. However I’m not sure how often they’re accepted by everyone - I think most people realise (?).
Popcorn prices at the cinema
I buy popcorn at our discount cinemas. There's one that does second run films for $2 and another that does movies after the theater runs but before the DVD release for $5. That's less than half the cost of a standard movie ticket. I know the concessions are how they make their money, and I'm okay supporting them that way.
Inkjet printer cartridges.
My printer cost a bit less than the replacement cartidges and it came with ink when I bought it.
It would be more cost effective if I bought a new printer every time the ink runs out.
That's why it makes sense to check the price for cartridges *before* you decide for a printer, so you can buy the one that is the most cost-efficient *including* the future cost of replacement cartridges. The printer ink will still be overpriced, mind you, but a lot of companies try to entice you with a super cheap printer but then make up for the difference and more with every purchase of printer ink. THAT at least is something you can avoid.
One of the best ways to know whether something’s too good to be true is to rely on your gut, your instincts, that little voice in your head that’s saying there’s really something sus going on here. “If a deal is too good to be true, it is. If you see a pair of brand new Apple AirPods advertised for $50, you are not getting an authentic product. There are many counterfeit items out there on the market, and you need to verify authenticity before hitting buy.”
Buying knockoff and counterfeit products is a horrible idea, not just because of the ethics alone but also because they pose potential risks to your health. In short, be careful what you buy. “These knockoff products do not always go through the same safety standards of the real item; they may not be UL certified, they may use chemicals or ingredients that are not FDA approved and are unsafe for use on or in the human body, or could cause major harm to human life or property,” the r/Scams moderator warned.
When a company asks at the register, “Will you round up to the dollar for xyz charity?”
You think you’re being honorable but these companies are just taking your money and representing that THEY are the ones giving it for a tax break. It’s a total scam. If those companies want a tax break they can donate. Screw off. I donate on my own and in my own way.
Bridal showers. I'm already getting you a wedding gift, but i need to get you something else too, essentially in celebration of the same event? And people who expect gifts at Their engagement parties are really milking it.
Bridal showers came about in the 19th century to replace the dowry. The original intent was to provide the bride with items for her wedding night and money that would ensure the wedding would take place. That of course was in a day and age when most women did not work. This is yet another tradition that needs to dropped. I suggest unmarried people (men and women both) bring back the "hope chest" or "glory box" that they begin to fill with household items while still in their teens. The items move with them to their first home away from mom and dad.
Transaction/processing fees when you order a digital product online. Such as a concert ticket: you pay 16 bucks extra while you pay online, and then have to print the ticket yourself.
All fees are BS and are designed to either hide the price of the original product or are an excuse for a middleman to cash in.
Yes, from a customer’s point of view, this also used to really annoy me, until I started selling goods and services (including digital products) online. In order to do so, I need a business bank account (for which I have to pay a monthly fee, plus additional fees, if I have to pay in a lot of cheques), but most of all, I need another third party that processes the customers’ card payments. This also incurs a monthly fee and in addition to that, a card processing fee that varies in amount depending on which type card they use (debit or credit) each time someone buys something. Plus, each time you pay for something with your card online (ie where you’re not physically present) the processing fee is automatically higher than if you pay in a shop, as the card processing service provider claims that the risk of fraud is higher (and thus the risk that they might have to refund you.)
One thing that you should definitely consider for the sake of your financial safety is getting a credit card and using that instead of a debit card. “Credit card protections for most cards are much more forgiving than debit cards. You can generally get your money back faster if you were scammed or misled by a business, versus initiating an investigation through your bank. It is always smarter to pay by credit card (and pay off your balance monthly!)."
Apartments charging pet fees but not children fees.
Some people are allergic to (some) pet hair, thus more cleaning will be needed, I don't know of any people being allergic to baby hair. Don't think the fee has anything to do with potential mess and noise, because if so I agree that children likely is deserving a higher "fee" :)
Psychics.
How do these people live with themselves when they are taking advantage of people in their time of mourning/loss?
It's cheaper to go a therapist
I wouldn't say people accept this as normal. Most people know this is a scam.
Hotels charging for WiFi. Also flights.
You’re telling me I can get free WiFi from libraries, coffee shops, the dentist, and the bus. But I can’t get WiFi included with this $189/night room? If I spend more than $2 i want free WiFi
Those "For every share/like this post gets we'll donate £1 to a charity for the Amazon rainforest" posts on Instagram. No way in hell are any of these people donating millions of pounds just because they got a bunch of likes on a post. It's just a very shameful way of getting likes in my opinion and makes people feel very self righteous when they share or like them.
Any kind of over the counter pill, vitamin, cream or personal cleansing product that is usually unisex but claims that this particular one is for men or women only. It's the same razor model but in a different color, Gillette. I'm onto your s**t.
Double check though - some vitamins marketed at women do have a higher proportion of folic acid because that does have more benefit for women (particularly pre-pregnancy). If the two sets of contents are genuinely identical - don't spend more for just the pretty lady on the front.
Organic produce.
I grew up on an orchard, so I know that it’s actually pretty easy to follow organic standards. Contrary to popular belief, organic does not mean no sprays, it just means that the sprays you used were on a very long list of approved sprays. (In the US anyway. I can’t speak for other countries)
And then actually being able to use the term organic requires a very expensive certification process.
So all that organic means is that big companies can charge higher prices for their produce.
It always amazed me how organic carrots and non organic cost the same. Either you are scamming me or organic are not organic and the other way around. BTW, I have a local farmer's market where I live and these "organic" products from supermarkets look nothing like a real ones.
Priority boarding for airlines. Personally if I paid extra I would want to be the last person on the plane. I sit down, we go. I wouldnt pay extra to make my plane time longer by 30 mins just to have 100 people bump into me as they board.
Wish.com
Yeah you find something you like for a dollar, BUT it has 7 dollar shipping fee AND it's from China and will take a month to get to you.
Autism speaks. The organisation is actually terrible, and views autism as a curable illness and as a burden that must be fixed.
I have seen nothing good about this organisation. I have spoken to a number of autistic adults online after my son was diagnosed. They all hate it. They also have a major problem with this Spectrum10k thing where scientists want DNA from autistic people but have not been clear on why and who will have access. That has been likened to eugenics.
College. Most of he population does not need a degree to work the job they work, but we're told all thier lives that they will never become anything without it. Most of us get fooled into going and spending tens of thousands on a BS piece of paper that in reality contributes nothing to ones ability to do the job they end up doing.
I wish people didn't push so much for higher education for everyone remotely intelligent, and I wish trade jobs weren't marketed as something for the people "too stupid" for higher education. What's people's problem with having intelligent craftsmen? Do you really prefer stupid craftsmen doing work at your house? And on the other side of the coin, a lot of the jobs for which university education is expected don't in fact need to be done by the most intelligent people. Can't we finally accept that intelligent jobs aren't an opposite of manual jobs, but rather are the jobs where independent problem solving is required? It's not the difference between blue collar and white collar and it shouldn't be.
The school district I work for pushes college hard. They do partner with local colleges, so our students can complete credits before they graduate and take 2 years free at a couple local community colleges. I don't like that they push college hard, but I like that they make it obtainable. Students can try college for free and event get an associates for free, so they can know if it's for them or not. I would like to see them promote trade schools more, so many would benefit from it and it would remove the stigma attached to some amazing professions that would provide them a good life.
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Many of the bachelor degrees have different classes that help expand your mind as well as teach you a focus. I chose nursing so there is a direct application. However, I do find bachelor degrees help people open their understand of the world if you don’t just go through the the hoops and actually learn.
My wonderful Dad, with English as a second language, who could not read or write much, was a housepainter. He used to always say that he had a Degree in "Bullsh@#ology" Still makes me smile.
Thing is, it kind of does matter. I didn’t get my degree until I was older. Prior to that, I was passed over repeatedly for promotions at work—-for jobs I could’ve done in my sleep—-not because I’m not capable, but merely because I lacked a degree. Believe me, some of the characters they hired for those jobs were not smart, and totally f****d everything up in short order. Guess who they turned to after kicking the idiot upstairs (Peter Principle), to clean up the mess they left behind? Anyway, I now have the degree, so there’s no longer any reason to be passed over.
Okay, curiosity is getting to me Elmie, I have to ask... Why do I keep seeing all your comments deleted? You weren't even being downvoted.
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Getting a degree was maybe 3% of the reason I went to college. I would say the most important things about college is the experience of learning how to be an adult, making connections, having a good time and figuring out work/life balances. My education was extremely valuable too (computer science), but it wasn't the top priority.
Makes you more well rounded too and you learn responsibility.
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I definitely do not want a doc operating on me if he doesn't have his degree. Ditto dentists, optometrists, etc.
The way it's done now (at least in N America) is BS, but not for that reason. I have a degree in Linguistics and, no, i don't use any of my actual Linguistics knowledge in my daily job, but if i hadn't be trained in how to learn new information, critically review it, and know it well enough to show it by writing or talking about it, then i wouldn't be able to do my current job properly. It's about so much more than learning the specific topic you pic. Which is not to say that the only way to do that is in a university, but universities are the only places right now that are dedicated to teaching you how to do that. High school certainly didn't do that for me.
Not true at all, I'm tired of hearing this BS. That piece of paper, even if you end up working in a different field, is a testament to your ability to learn and a proof that you have a solid educational base. I would not hire a person without a college degree at the finance company I work for. The age of uneducated worker making a decent living is over and is not coming back.
Getting a degree for finance is a bit of overkill
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I've attended 3 different colleges, no degree, and have never been asked to show my diplomas. If you know your stuff, you don't need a piece of paper. You learn in the workplace, not the classroom.
Gal next door her grandson who is intelligent and can afford college just plain out refused to go He wants to become a heavy equipment operator - smart guy those guy get super money - but I don't think he cares really about that he wants to do something that he loves!
A college degree is very valuable and so is the experience. Really dont want your surgeon operating on you or your dentist pulling a tooth without that degree, huh? Do you want the structural engineer repairing your condo or building the bridge you drive over daily to not have a degree? Would you like your nurse calculating your narcotic dose to not have a degree? Would you like the lawyer charged with getting you exonerated to not know a thing about law! Im sorry but this a bs excuse to achieve the least possible in life and an insult to professions that actually require extensive professional knowledge and training. And there are plenty of them.
But if the work you want to do requires a degree, there's not much else to do about it. And many people actually enjoy studying
And then there’s survivor bias from those who are successful. “I got to this point because I went to [college X].” If high school didn’t teach me anything useful, how can I trust that college will? Personally, I’m a college freshman right now only because of expectations. I don’t even know what I want to do for a job because of the common core BS that didn’t let me discover a job that would be best for me.
I've been blue collar all my life and always made a good living. I'm now retired, and taking home as much $ as before (through careful saving). Never got a higher education.
It has become less about the knowledge you acquire and more about getting into the club of worthiness, and about making connections.
In UK a common job requirement is, needing a degree to do office work. Working with IT hardware as an electronics engineer, if some of the places I have been needed a degree to work, it must have been a degree of stupidity. ;o)
Two of nephews entered trades rather than going to college. They are more financially successful than their cousins that went to a four-year college.
Sure, but anecdotes aren't data. If you google average salaries and correlate with education levels you'll see that higher ed correlates with much higher salaries IN GENERAL.
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So true... if everyone is only able to plan a house, who's going to build it?
I think of all the time and money I could have saved by not getting that MD.
Job I had in the 90's would pay for college courses if they pertained to the business and you obtained at least a C. My boss lightly pushed the subject and I asked him what course the college offered that would pertain in any way to my position in the company. He thought about it for about 10 seconds and said " I see your point" and thanked me for saving the company money.
This is not the case with many employers. They put a higher importance on a candidate with a minimum of a four year degree as opposed to someone just out of high school or holds only a two year degree. Skill level, of the two year degree holder, may be much higher in the given field, but will still be seen as less desirable than the lower skilled holder of a person with a four year degree.
What gets me is that it's become so acceptable to require degrees for employment that I actually saw a job last year requiring at least a Bachelor's degree to drive the f*****g Weenie mobile part time.
I did a focused 2 year program at a polytec school. Then I studied part time and got my BBA. It's opened doors and I've been able to apply what I learned in my job.
I make almost 60,000 a year no degree I have moved up over 6 years and will soon be promoted and make more, just by hardworking and doing my job
I flunked out of Gr. 12 with general knowledge exceeding college grad averages. I studied what I wanted to at the library, and the next time I went to school, I was a guest lecturer for graduating engineers.
Well, I can see that. But, as a young woman in the 70s, I had no way to get the kind of job that pays well without that degree. That 'piece of paper' allowed me to stop making the coffee! My husband, with no degree, still ended up making $30k more a year by the time we retired.
My brother, through hard work and perseverance, makes a six figure salary. No college education, barely graduated high school. He been with the same company for 21 years, they've always treated him exceptionally well, and given him every opportunity for advancement. He started out as a service tech and worked his way up to lead mechanical engineer.
I did an accounting degree then further studies to join the accounting professional body but what a waste. No one has ever checked if I did either and I'm 51 now. I should have just told every employer that I had studied. You don't need to go to Uni for accounting either, if you can add 1 + 1 you'll learn it all on the job.
My parents decided I was going to college. I guess I wasn’t ready but still pursued two different careers and wasted thousands of dollars chasing something I ultimately wasn’t interested in, just to keep up with their expectations. Didn’t really figure out what I truly wanted to do until I was 27. Now I’m 29, worked my way up into a not-entry-level marketing manager job on salary by studying on my own (and a healthy dose of luck and hard work). Sure glad I wasted all that money on web development and hair stylist training, thanks mom and dad 😂
That is because a BS/BA does not train you for a job. If colleges did things like trade schools and get you in there to learn how to do it, at least you can have practical experience. Then of course there is the issue with how many jobs are available. That's why STEM is not the panacea it claims to be.
The only way I got my degree was by having my company pay for it. Literally nothing changed once I got the degree at current job. Figured if I moved on, at least I can check off the BS box.
My father always pushed that if I didn't go to university, I wouldn't get a decent job. Blew that myth right out of the water by working, being a single mum and attending TAFE ( trade school). My now adult son went to Uni straight out of high school to do a double degree in accounting and law. He hated it and left it after 18 months. He now makes a lot of money as a train driver. My dad though, still hopes he will go back to uni and finish his degrees to get a decent job. SMH
The majority of people ending up in jobs they didn't get their education for is because they 1) needed a job and settled for the first one they could get, and/or 2) didn't think about the practical/financial aspects of a career in the field they received an education in.
Do you know how many marine biologists are unemployed and how much plumbers and electricians make?
That is an issue of the government's employment targets and how they manage the universities' enrolment figures. In our country we have a department of higher ed which has a general policy of targeting what the department of employment and labour asks for... so if you need more engineers, they tell higher ed... who then fund the universities' subsidies on the basis of priorities (usually STEM). However, in practice, it's up to the kids who enrol and what their interests are. You can't really MAKE people be interested in STEM if they aren't. Obviously marine biology falls under STEM but sure, it's a low demand job. That doesn't mean that all higher ed is worth less than practical skills. So I'm not sure what this specific example is meant to illustrate.
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I think there is a misconception here. It has only become like this due to a large number of us attaining degrees, at least where I live. It is worth while but what you must consider is the saturated job market. What I always tell people is consider carefully want you would like to do in the future? Don't do something you know isn't in high demand if your aim is to get a high paying job right out of uni.
True, and again it depends on country. We (SA) have a huge shortage of high skills and a glut of low skills, so signing up to be a plumber will probably guarantee poverty, but signing up as an electrical or mechanical engineer will probably guarantee a job, and a good paying one at that.
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There was no need for me to get a degree. Im a seamstress. You dont need a degree for that. Certainly not a BS in Biology/Chemistry. smh and then when i did try to go back and get a BA in fiber arts or textiles or something I got so much pushback from my family telling me it was redundant to get a 2nd Bachelors (it wasnt), employers dont care (they do as the several more technical jobs i wanted turned me down), and telling me to get a Masters (for what?? the only ppl who need those are teachers). I gave up on getting that 2nd Bachelors.
I have two bachelor's degrees: one in English another in Computer Science. I don't have to tell you which one puts food on my table and a roof over my head. If students want degrees in liberal arts, social sciences and humanities, they will be living a hard life if they don't get a second degree in business or the like. Take a look at this webpage: https://wgs.tcnj.edu/for-students/careers-and-graduate-school/what-you-can-do-with-a-wgs-major/ You think that's an impressive list until you realize that none of these occupations require a WGS degree and most need additional training and credentials.
Maybe just don't do Arts, History or English literature, etc., but get an actual useful degree?
It's strange that a person with art as an icon and speaks in English considers why it is necessary to study it. Maybe you need a bit of History to understand why they are so important.
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Payment plans for phones and just paying $1000 for a phone in general.
Any company that makes you go to their dealers for repairs, like Apple, just so you have to pay triple the amount. If you had gotten an android and watched a youtube video, you could have fixed the problem yourself in 20 minutes for about 10 bucks.
The shopping channel, they just get some common product, slap a few mouthy salesmen on it with an infomercial and sell it for 10x the price.
They're just screwing over pre internet senior citizens.
I'm a 'pre internet senior citizen' and do not watch these appalling channels at all
Workout/meal plan apps that you have to pay for. All of their workouts and meal recipes are google'able and extremely generic. There’s no face time between you and the app people so there’s no individuality in it. I don’t get how people fall for it at all
Some people (including me) will more likely stick to something if they have paid for it. Sounds stupid, is stupid, but if it works...
The cost of mobile Data plans.
I'm from Sweden and here I currently pay $15 for 8 GB. I lived in Canada for the winter and they wanted $50 for like 3GB.
I can't easily split out what I pay for data from mine, as it also includes the phone, but I am on unlimited data and unlimited calls. I can even take it roaming for a very small daily fee. The freedom of being able to watch streaming services on the move, or connect my laptop to the internet from practically anywhere without worry about data charges and limits is liberating - previously I had a limit and hardly dared use it for fear of overrunning it.
High School rings. I don’t know why people buy them. What do you use them for?
For those who don’t know what a class ring is, it’s a ring that you can buy when you’re going to graduate. Details vary from ring to ring, but it generally has the school’s logo on it, can be customized a bit, and costs anywhere from $100-$1000 depending on the materials, what school you go to, etc.
Went to high school in the US and remember them trying to get us to buy one... super expensive and SO ugly! The best part is, everyone was trying to convince me I'd regret not getting one... now I never see anyone wearing theirs. If it's something that makes you happy, go for it, but my school pushed these so hard and plenty of people wasted their money on something they never wear.
Fruit juice and most breakfast cereals. They're full of sugar and so obviously terrible for your health and teeth, but they also lead to an energy slump that makes late mornings at work unnecessarily irksome.
Subscriptions like xbox live gold, playstation plus, etcetera...
It feels odd to have to own a console + monitor/tv, buy a game, have an already paid internet subscription and then above that, before you can even play the game (not all of them, it's clearly stated which games you need a subscription for and which not) you need a paid subscription to your console's online service?
They aren't too expensive but it just feels a little odd.. (I do not own any consoles myself nor am I trying to speak bad about console players. It just feels odd to me personally)
Pancake mix. You literally only need flour and baking powder plus a bit of salt. That's it. That's all it is. The liquid ingredients (milk, eggs) are still the same. Don't spend your money on boxed pancake mix.
A box of pancake mix is $1. How are you saving money by buying all of the ingredients separately, especially if you don't bake and don't keep baking ingredients on hand?
Credit repair companies.
I used to sell this stuff.
You pay $100 a month to send letters to credit companies to fight the debt. If they don't respond in X days, it goes off your credit. You can also dispute it if a name is barely spelt wrong or an address.
You can do this 100% on your own and there are templates online you can print out.
Note: this post originally had 56 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
I feel like most of these things are american things, hadn't heard of half of them.
Planned obsolescence. Crap for the consumer, terrible for the environment and no real reason it should happen.
And heavily disputed by Apple and the likes, because "Innovation would stop if devices could be used for more than 3 years." It's the same argument that Apple used to oppose "Right to repair" legislation or in their effort to block the "One charging connection for mobile devices." law. If "Innovation" means "Making more profit" they are not lying.
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Let's add "the subscription model." Adobe is a prime example. You no longer purchase Photoshop; you purchase a subscription to Photoshop. This means that, if you can no longer afford it, you no longer have the software to use. At all. Adobe shuts off your access to it. (Use Gimp instead. It's free and does nearly everything Photoshop does. The things it doesn't do are only crucial to a graphic designer.)
Yes!! Add to that Microsoft Office 365. I refuse to pay for that.
Load More Replies... I don't fully agree with #28- I agree that university degree doesn't automatically mean someone is intelligent and someone in trade without a degree isn't, but tertiary education is so important in developing critical thinking abilities and just gaining more perspective in so many different topics that you wouldn't get in high school. Just the amount of anti-vaxxers and other conspiracy theorists that fail to even recognise credible sources of information alone proves that the general level of critical thinking skill of the human race is dangerously on the decline..
US Jails are a con. People who do wrong should pay for their crimes but to receive inadequate food, live in dirty rodent infested housing is wrong. Families have to pay a large fee to deposit money in their loved one's commissary accounts which are then used to buy adequate undergarments so they don't freeze, overpriced ramen noodles so they don't starve, soap that is actually soap, toothpaste that doesn't taste like ajax, and pay for phone calls over crappy phone lines. There is nothing rehabilitating about jail. Prisons aren't quite as bad but are still not doing what they are supposed to do. And, prisoners have to pay for their medical care - not a lot but when all you have in our account is $20, having $15 taken for an infirmary call means you don't eat that week.
Price markups are wrong- especially on food items. I can understand the jail needing to break even but don’t make a profit on bare necessities.
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Homeopathic and alternative 'medicine'. There is no alternative medicine: there is only medicine that works. Anything else is a scam and should be illegal.
I happen to agree that homeopathy is a scam, but to say all alternative medicines or treatments are a scam is false. Alternative means not prescribed by a GP and regulated by the pharmaceutical industry. Ginger biscuits are an "alternative" treatment for travel sickness.(ginger has been proven in trials to help with nausea, but that doesn't qualify it as a medicine). St John's Wort is considered alternative because it is herbal (never quite understood why the distinction is there, but whatever) but it must be mentioned to a GP because it can interfere with "conventional" medicine. It shouldn't be illegal, because it had proven results. What I think you mean is powdered rhino horn and tiger blood. Those already are in many places illegal because of the poaching of endangered animals involved. A blanket ban on anything "alternative" to stop stuff that is already illegal is pointless.
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'Business accreditation organisations'. Supposedly to maintain standards and protect consumers against cowboy traders, but all that is needed is a fat fee to get a certificate and a few stickers/logos to fool the gullible.
Medical bills - go to our local hospital - yearly brand new furniture in all waiting rooms and offices, New flat screen TV's. We then get notified that our doctor has a financial stake in the clinic/ hospital aka he/she gets a share of the PROFIT the hospital makes. At the same time I am being sent to collections because they do not like that I can only afford to pay them 20/month. STOP making a profit on my health!
There are some places that should be run barely above breaking even. I consider hospitals and churches to fit into that category. You want to buy a new CT Scan Machine? Great! Do it! But do all the rooms really need furniture and tv upgrades?
Load More Replies... Phone provider: "For just £25 per month, you get unlimited data and 100 free minutes". Me: "I don't need unlimited data; I'll just have the 100 minutes for free please." Them: "No, you only get the free minutes if you pay the £25 a month". Me: "Huh, how are they free then?" Amazing how many customers are taken in by this BS and still talk about having "free" minutes which they have paid For!!
Ugh, America is awful. Can Europe take me please? (Not that I'm saying this is just America, but it is mostly America)
I'd like to add any business, charity, product, or service with the name of the Biggest Loser (the Tangerine Toddler) on it.
These might be UK specific but..........when supermarkets ask you to donate to X charity I believe they can use the amount as a kickback to pay less tax. Also the same sort of thing if you're at an airport buying stuff and the shop asks to see your ticket. Unless you're buying something out of duty free which requires you to be on an international flight or something like that, you're under no obligation to show your ticket. Again, its a way of companies paying less tax
Nope Lee, it happens at many American stores too, not just the supermarkets.
Load More Replies...
I feel like most of these things are american things, hadn't heard of half of them.
Planned obsolescence. Crap for the consumer, terrible for the environment and no real reason it should happen.
And heavily disputed by Apple and the likes, because "Innovation would stop if devices could be used for more than 3 years." It's the same argument that Apple used to oppose "Right to repair" legislation or in their effort to block the "One charging connection for mobile devices." law. If "Innovation" means "Making more profit" they are not lying.
Load More Replies... Let's add "the subscription model." Adobe is a prime example. You no longer purchase Photoshop; you purchase a subscription to Photoshop. This means that, if you can no longer afford it, you no longer have the software to use. At all. Adobe shuts off your access to it. (Use Gimp instead. It's free and does nearly everything Photoshop does. The things it doesn't do are only crucial to a graphic designer.)
Yes!! Add to that Microsoft Office 365. I refuse to pay for that.
Load More Replies... I don't fully agree with #28- I agree that university degree doesn't automatically mean someone is intelligent and someone in trade without a degree isn't, but tertiary education is so important in developing critical thinking abilities and just gaining more perspective in so many different topics that you wouldn't get in high school. Just the amount of anti-vaxxers and other conspiracy theorists that fail to even recognise credible sources of information alone proves that the general level of critical thinking skill of the human race is dangerously on the decline..
US Jails are a con. People who do wrong should pay for their crimes but to receive inadequate food, live in dirty rodent infested housing is wrong. Families have to pay a large fee to deposit money in their loved one's commissary accounts which are then used to buy adequate undergarments so they don't freeze, overpriced ramen noodles so they don't starve, soap that is actually soap, toothpaste that doesn't taste like ajax, and pay for phone calls over crappy phone lines. There is nothing rehabilitating about jail. Prisons aren't quite as bad but are still not doing what they are supposed to do. And, prisoners have to pay for their medical care - not a lot but when all you have in our account is $20, having $15 taken for an infirmary call means you don't eat that week.
Price markups are wrong- especially on food items. I can understand the jail needing to break even but don’t make a profit on bare necessities.
Load More Replies... Homeopathic and alternative 'medicine'. There is no alternative medicine: there is only medicine that works. Anything else is a scam and should be illegal.
I happen to agree that homeopathy is a scam, but to say all alternative medicines or treatments are a scam is false. Alternative means not prescribed by a GP and regulated by the pharmaceutical industry. Ginger biscuits are an "alternative" treatment for travel sickness.(ginger has been proven in trials to help with nausea, but that doesn't qualify it as a medicine). St John's Wort is considered alternative because it is herbal (never quite understood why the distinction is there, but whatever) but it must be mentioned to a GP because it can interfere with "conventional" medicine. It shouldn't be illegal, because it had proven results. What I think you mean is powdered rhino horn and tiger blood. Those already are in many places illegal because of the poaching of endangered animals involved. A blanket ban on anything "alternative" to stop stuff that is already illegal is pointless.
Load More Replies... 'Business accreditation organisations'. Supposedly to maintain standards and protect consumers against cowboy traders, but all that is needed is a fat fee to get a certificate and a few stickers/logos to fool the gullible.
Medical bills - go to our local hospital - yearly brand new furniture in all waiting rooms and offices, New flat screen TV's. We then get notified that our doctor has a financial stake in the clinic/ hospital aka he/she gets a share of the PROFIT the hospital makes. At the same time I am being sent to collections because they do not like that I can only afford to pay them 20/month. STOP making a profit on my health!
There are some places that should be run barely above breaking even. I consider hospitals and churches to fit into that category. You want to buy a new CT Scan Machine? Great! Do it! But do all the rooms really need furniture and tv upgrades?
Load More Replies... Phone provider: "For just £25 per month, you get unlimited data and 100 free minutes". Me: "I don't need unlimited data; I'll just have the 100 minutes for free please." Them: "No, you only get the free minutes if you pay the £25 a month". Me: "Huh, how are they free then?" Amazing how many customers are taken in by this BS and still talk about having "free" minutes which they have paid For!!
Ugh, America is awful. Can Europe take me please? (Not that I'm saying this is just America, but it is mostly America)
I'd like to add any business, charity, product, or service with the name of the Biggest Loser (the Tangerine Toddler) on it.
These might be UK specific but..........when supermarkets ask you to donate to X charity I believe they can use the amount as a kickback to pay less tax. Also the same sort of thing if you're at an airport buying stuff and the shop asks to see your ticket. Unless you're buying something out of duty free which requires you to be on an international flight or something like that, you're under no obligation to show your ticket. Again, its a way of companies paying less tax
Nope Lee, it happens at many American stores too, not just the supermarkets.
Load More Replies... 