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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.
What a totally reasonable, well thought out response. I hardly know how to respond without hateful rhetoric (not yours, just in general)!
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That's how cinemas make money. Without $12 popcorn and $10 soda your movie tickets will be $20+ each for the cinemas to break even. Just enjoy your movie and your popcorn.
But movie tickets are almost $20 each depending on where you live.
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Cinemas don't make any profit from ticket sales. Concessions are their main source of income.
Would you rather pay $50 a ticket and not have popcorn? Cinema contracts often pay close to 100% of ticket sales to the copyright holder. The popcorn is what is keeping the lights on.
I stop at a shop on the way, and fill a bag with popcorn and other goodies. It saves me a fortune.
Some places do not permit outside food, because the food stand is where they actually make their money, not on tickets. Our local multiplex charges an eye-watering amount for a popcorn, but offers a free refill (coupon attached to the box or bucket). I do tuck a water bottle into my purse because I'm not paying $5 for 20 ounces at the theater.
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That's how theaters make their money. They don't make any money off the ticket, that money goes to the people that made the movie.
my family have all worked at the movie theater for years now and so many of my friends have always bothered me about "well, how come the popcorn and drinks are so expensive" and I had to explain that's how theaters made their money as the box office was to the studio. Seeing sooo many people explain that in the comments because it is becoming more common knowledge makes my heart warm like buttered popcorn.
They make their money on the food, the movies basically break even. This allows poor people to still see movies. Would you rather they double the ticket price and give the food away for grocery store prices? Then the poor could not get in to see the movie, but you would feel better about buying popcorn.
Yeah, that is so most probably due to greedy Hollywood executives. A director of a famous cinema chain in Brazil (Cinemark) once told that they're in the restaurant industry, not the cinema industry.
The cinemas get the best popcorn through brokers. Without charging more for concessions, film houses would be broke. Nearly all the money from admittance goes to pay production companies who license the films to be shown. Through contract (you don't get first run films without them) with the distributers, the film houses also have to pay for, and run the not so good films out. Not a rip off on the part of the cinemas.
Only after the film runs for a week or so, does the film house get to make a profit on the movies they show, and with a lesser attending audience at that.
Load More Replies... I'd rather stay home, don't have to pay an extra$2,50 for a squirt of phony butter on my popcorn, have some kid kicking the back of my chair or someone behind me yelling what happens next.
We just bring it in. No one’s stopped us so far, and no one will because those kids aren’t paid enough to give a damn
To be fair when I was a shift manager (even though I never came close to making enough money to put up with all the crazy things that actually go on in theaters; trust me there are many stories.) I did kick a guy out when the bottle of liquor he was trying to sneak in fell out of his coat and smashed on the floor at the box office.
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I actually don't mind paying the high prices at the local theatre. Especially now. There are two cineplexes in my town, and they are suffering much lower attendance rates than ever before. I joined the local "movie goers club", and they give a small popcorn with the purchase of a ticket, then upgrade to a medium for a dollar, then large for two dollars. Still a pretty good deal overall.
All box office money goes to Hollywood. The concession stand is the only money that actually goes to the theater and pays the employees. Just remember the employees working concessions make minimum wage and are told multiple times a day how outrageous the prices are. No one says you have to purchase anything from the concession stand, so please if you purchase something be nice to the employees and keep your mouth shut about the prices.
I worked at a movie theater once. The popcorn came in 50lb bags and was not anything special.
Not in theaters where they have machines that actually pop the popcorn in front of the customers
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That's why taking a backpack full of snacks bought from the local shop around the corner is a must have for cinema visits. You can get a massive bag of popcorn for £1 and some skittles for 60p. No way I'm paying £12 for the same from the cinema. A couple of cans of shop bought pop and you're sorted.
Save the money for big screen tv and sound system. Get $200 popcorn popper. Never go to a theatre again. See how fast they change their business model.
The issue is the movie theaters have to charge crazy amounts for refreshments because the big movie studios only pay those theaters pennies to show the movies. They don't make money off showing movies, they make their money on food and merch!
If we didn't pay actors/actresses, musicians, athletes etc so ridiculously, then there wouldn't be a need for such expensive mark-ups on things.
Did nobody learn about opportunity cost and convenience in any sort of basic economics class?
This is what they make their money on---huge servings too...Pretty much all events with concessions do this--sports events, etc. Gas stations are the worst, BUT people pay this by the millions every day...soooo...
Cinemas make 40% of their income from sales of food and drink. I refuse to pay those prices.
They make close to 100% of their profit off food and drink, as they barely break even on ticket sales. If everyone took the same approach, there wouldn't be cinemas to go to in the first place.
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Yeah that's real nice. Break the rules. Teach your kids to be a scumbag.
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lol as a teenager i would bring dinner left overs pull out my tupperware knife and fork and enjoy a tasty chicken dinner lol
I bet the people sitting nearby absolutely loved teenage you (not).
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I used to work at a theater for years as a projectionist. We would get 50 lb. bags of popcorn seeds for the popper. The whole bag cost probably about $100, but the theater would make thousands of dollars off that one bag. Save your money. Popcorn isn't that good.
It's against the rules to take outside food into movie theaters
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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.
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... 