Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
There’s this ongoing kerfuffle behind the scenes between business owners and consumers. Buyers want to make the most of their money, and sellers want to earn the most from their products. It’s all good and dandy when the commodity is worth the price you paid, but when the high price point doesn’t match up with what you’ve been promised, it can be infuriating, to say the least.
Unfortunately, many of us have been there—saving up for a nice meal or getting our nails done for a celebration—and then left completely in shock because your $20 salad came with three pieces of croutons, and your treat-yourself manicure looked like a child’s coloring.
These scenarios happen more often than we’d like to admit, and what better place to let our purchase frustrations go than on social media? The Bored Panda team has scoured the web to find the most unfair deals that make people feel ripped off. Scroll through the curated list to see expectations vs. reality in this economy that might leave you thinking twice before purchasing something.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Paid $12 To Go To This "Pumpkin Patch", Also Known As A Field With Pumpkins Placed In It
RELATED:
#2
Paid $300 For 3 Nights At This Specific Hotel Because They Advertised A Free Continental Breakfast. This Is Their Continental Breakfast
#3
Got Charged 9k For A Doctor To Tell Me It Was Just Period Cramps, And After Going To Another Doctor, It Was Diagnosed As A Ruptured Ovarian Cyst
Nowadays, trips to the grocery store become more expensive every time. For example, inflation for food in the US was 3.3% in October 2023. However, the cost of a commodity is much more complicated than the business setting a number they deem suitable. In a free market, it’s usually determined by demand and supply. The price will be higher if many buyers are seeking a product and lower if there are only a few.
#4
I Paid $20 For A Burger On My Cruise. Here Is The Result
#5
This Haircut That I Paid $60 For
#6
I Paid $47 To Upgrade To This "Window Seat"
Additionally, product cost is one of the most important factors that affects the price. It includes expenses such as materials, equipment, labor, packaging, marketing, distribution, selling, and even rent. Competition in the market also adds to it. If there aren't any other suppliers in a specific area, the firm can fix a price of its choosing. Additionally, the government usually doesn’t interfere in their determination, except for things like wheat and drugs, which are essential for humans and require set pricing.
#7
My Wedding Cake (Yes, We Paid For This)
Molly Whuppie 1 year ago
If Anne Reardon taught me anything its that with a little imagination, the cake is fixable. But I think that cake would take a whole lot of imagination.
HTakeover 1 year ago
Would have to scrape off all of the current icing & redo that part from scratch. Maybe take a sample of the cake to be sure it's edible.
Load More Replies...
Kiss Army 1 year ago
I could do better with an easy bake oven and one hand tied behind my back!
Sans Serif 1 year ago
Committing to make a 'wedding cake' with obviously very few skills is unconscionable...
Load More Replies...
Karen Krause 1 year ago
My nephew made his mother a better cake for her second wedding and decorated it, too. He's not a baker but had worked part-time at Baskin Robbins, so not an expert.
LauraDragonWench 1 year ago
Unless this cake tastes like literal ambrosia, there's no way in hell I'd pay for this stack of ick, let alone serve and eat it.
Sergio Bicerra 1 year ago
They say the more expensive the wedding the shorter the marriage last, so this means they'll outlive us all.
Gardener of Weeden 1 year ago
May OP's marriage weather the rough patches better than this cake did.
Kim Lorton 1 year ago
“ spread” the word about this place and add this picture for proof and I would go get a refund.
Chris Machabee 1 year ago
Well, not knowing how much you paid, you did get 2 cakes, did you look at the cake pictures before choosing this one?
June Galloway 1 year ago
I assume a relative or friend offered to bake the cake, at least I hope you did not pay a professional business for it.
Naomie Moore 1 year ago
Hope you requested a refund? What were you supposed to get? Was there a book with photos of cakes that the bakery has made for other clients? That cake looks like a 4 year old made the cake. Did it taste good at least. I am by no means a professional, and have made some gorgeous cakes for friends. Just have them pay for supplies and my time and decorating is free. I like to bake and for some of these friends, they do not have a lot of money to begin with and want them to have something beautiful and memorable.
Jennifer Brown 1 year ago
why??? Usually you don't pay for the cake until after it's delivered. My sister's wedding cake slid in the car while they were transporting it and we didn't pay
SilverSkyCloud 1 year ago
it looks like the butter cream melted, maybe the room was too warm or humid?
Pauly Donahue 1 year ago
Ooof. Should have hired one of the cast-offs from The Great British Baking Show Jr.
Brian Droste 1 year ago
I never made a wedding cake before but I probably could of done better than this.
TheBlueBitterfly 1 year ago
My BIL's soon-to-be wife made their wedding cake (it was a casual event, they got married at a local park in the woods by a lake, beautiful setting). The icing was supposed to look like white birch bark. Instead it looked like skid marks, and it was leaning quite a bit. But tasted amazeballs and everybody thought it was hilarious.
#8
This $18 "Caesar Salad" My Girlfriend's Cousins Got In Vegas
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Caesar ate the salad, and Cousin got the leftovers.
#9
Just Paid $300 For This Textbook And Peeled Off A Sticker To Reveal It Shouldn't Have Been Sold
Despite all of these factors constituting a price, it may increase due to something entirely unpredictable. Let’s take unfavorable weather conditions, for example. The summer of 2023 was Earth’s hottest since global records began in 1880, according to scientists at NASA. Due to extreme heat, wildfires, and violent storms, some crops end up being destroyed. As a result, veggies, leafy greens, nuts, berries, and other produce may cost more.
#10
I Paid $45 To Add Ride Photos To My Daughter's Amusement Park's Season Pass. It's An Extra $20/Photo To Download Without The Watermark
#11
$8.99 Kids Buttered Noodles
#12
Ordered Fried Pickles As An Appetizer. I Got 1 Pickle Cut Into 4, Cost Me $10
Affairs between nations can also drive up the costs of some of the most necessary products. The Russia-Ukraine war raised the price of grains by 110% between 2021 and 2022. Ukraine has more than 50% of the world’s cereal market and is also the main supplier of sunflower oil. The export restrictions from the country and the heightened demand for crops due to the pandemic reached near-record prices.
#13
The View From My 30€ Ticket
#14
I Spent $12 On "Anti-Fog" Mirror Film
#15
Just Paid $800 For My School "Books". It's A Loose Leaf Paper
Mass outbreaks of diseases are also known to contribute to the rising costs. In late 2022, highly contagious bird flu forced poultry farmers to reduce their chicken population in the US, which affected the prices of eggs and other livestock products. The outbreak resulted in about 27 to 28 million dozen eggs per week missing on the shelf. The lack of access to necessary food drives up prices and can result in people not being able to meet basic household food needs.
#16
Caprese Salad I Purchased From A Pizza Place. I Should Have Checked The Reviews First
VioletHunter 1 year ago
I mean... that's caprese. It's just presented badly and a small portion.
#17
I Paid $5.50 For These Cheesy Chips At A Football Match
Bad Alchemy 1 year ago
I've seen bad concession food before, but this is pretty high on the scale of the worst.
#18
This Is The Hot Tub At The Airbnb, Which Was Why I Rented The Spot. Smelled Terrible And Was Not Cleaned In Forever
However, it doesn’t mean that business owners don’t take advantage of these circumstances and raise prices just because they can. Even though we spend a lot of money, the purchases we make don’t always meet our expectations.
One way businesses profit without us even knowing it is called "shrinkflation." It's done to reduce the size of a product while maintaining the same price. From a business perspective, it’s a useful way to boost or maintain profits without drawing too much negative attention. Retailers often employ it to level out higher production (e.g., materials, labor) costs. If you spot a packaging redesign, chances are there has been a weight change. Mars Inc. took this path in 2017, shrinking Maltesers and M&Ms in the UK by 15%.
#19
This Restaurant Has An Automatic 18% Service Charge For Parties Of One Or Higher
I’ve seen restaurants include gratuity when it’s a large party but never for parties of 1.
#20
Dinner Provided By My School (On A Trip I Paid $1500 For)
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Just looking at that giant piece of pizza makes me feel full.
#21
Went Out For Dinner With Friends And Got Sausage And Peppers As An Appetizer. This Is What We Got
The internet has also become a convenient space to rip people off. An investigation by Which? has found that Etsy, a global marketplace for unique and creative goods, included product listings with fake handmade products that could be purchased for a fraction of the price from retailers like Amazon and Asda. They also analyzed the first page of items on Etsy and found that 23 out of 192 handmade items were actually mass-produced and were seven times the price. One seller has made nearly 9,000 sales in “custom made” clothing that could be found on Amazon and eBay. In its annual report, Etsy said that it removed 1.9 million listings for violating its policies in 2022.
#22
$17 For Sad Pizza My Friend Ordered
#23
Paid $9 For This. Speechless
#24
I Paid $10.95 For This
Furthermore, you can also accidentally purchase counterfeits, lookalikes, unsafe for use, banned, or mislabeled items on Amazon. CNBC found it has shipped expired foods—including baby formula—to customers, pointing to the lack of capacity to monitor expiration dates. The growth of counterfeit goods and Amazon's unwillingness to help fight them made brands like Birkenstock and Nike pull out of selling on this site. Smaller vendors with fake products now have access to millions of customers online, putting many people at risk of buying counterfeit and unsafe items. In fact, individuals have been burned by using a cheaper fake “Ove’ Glove” alternative.
#25
The Majesty Of An $8.00 Whole Foods Sandwich. The Good News Is The Chicken Salad Is Completely Tasteless
#26
Bought A New Build House And Chose A Location Across From Yet To Be Placed Park Since We Had Kids. Paid A Premium For This Coveted Lot. Here’s The Park They Finally Put In
Molly Whuppie 1 year ago
Don't worry, in a few years it will become The Place Where Teenagers Hang Out and Vape.
#27
Getting Taxed On A Tip Illegally
Robert Beveridge 1 year ago
I'm sure the local tax board would be quite interested in seeing that. (chamber of commerce as well, but who knows, they might have been the ones who offered skimming lessons)
Many of us aren’t really safe from the mind games and tricks of businesses. We don’t read the fine print when we should, and companies act illegally when they shouldn’t. To encourage awareness about brands ripping people off, we ask you, our dear Pandas, what’s the most bizarre thing you wasted your hard-earned money on and regretted it instantly?
#28
This Was Served At A Networking Party. They Paid 500$ For The Venue
#29
Just Arrived At My Hotel In My "Sea Facing Room"
#30
Bought A $44 Handmade Ceramic Mug. It Cracks As I Pour In My First Cup Of Tea
#31
My Mom Paid $20k To Enclose Her Porch. I Saw It Today. All Of The Beams And Joints Look Like This
#32
A "Caesar Salad" At Red Robin
Megan Curl 1 year ago
Red Robin is known for good burgers and free fry refills, not salad. Although is that really a single sad and lonely crouton?
#33
I Ordered A Baby Shower Gift For A Friend From Babies R Us And Paid An Extra $5 For A Gift Wrap With A Gift Message. Gift Message Printed On Invoice With Contents Listed
#34
My School Lunch. Paid $3.25 For This
#35
Power Went Out 20 Minutes Into Oppenheimer. Didn't Get To See The Last 30 Minutes
Waited about an hour for it to be restored, and the movie restarted, only for it to restart again automatically at the next showtime, leading to being kicked out of the theater.
#36
The View Of The Stage At My Concert
#37
The Server Said The Wings Were A "Good" Size
Sergy Yeltsen 1 year ago
I'd be checking to see if the sparrows and pigeons in the closest park are still there, or can still fly.
#38
Glad I Paid For Pre
#39
I Paid $8 For This
#40
I Paid Over 4 Dollars For This. I Just Opened This. There’s More In The Photo On The Front Than In The Bag
#41
2023 Is The Year Of Paying More For Less
#42
My Wife Paid $200 For Front-Row Balcony Seats. They Closed The Balcony And Now This Is Our View
Hippopotamuses 1 year ago
Hopefully, you took this up with the promoters. They can't just downgrade you like that.
#43
Paid Extra For A "Tower" Room At Our Hotel And Were Told We’d Get A Nice View Of The River
#44
We Lost Our Cat Thor On Christmas Day. My Girl Has Been Struggling To Cope Since. She Loves Stuffed Animals So For This Christmas I Ordered Her A Cuddle Clone. I Paid $300 For This
#45
This "Seasonal Fruit" Cup From Wendy's I Paid $1.29 For
#46
Paid $30 To Get Professionally Cropped Out. Photo 1 Is A Family Photo That Was Taken. Photo 2 Is The One That Arrived In The Mail
#47
This Costs $8 At Starbucks
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Add lettuce and tomato, and I'd pay four dollars.
#48
Getting Charged Extra To Remove An Item
#49
Paid $7 For This Hummus And Veggies Platter
Shark Lady 1 year ago
They could have at least peeled the carrots, not that it would have made much of a difference, but still......!
Add New Image
What do you think ?
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
This is why I hate all the Karen-bashing. Yes, there are plenty of evil Karens. But it's morphed on BP and several other social media sites from "Can you get a load of the way this monster is abusing the ways the company listens to and responds to customers" and instead it's become, "customers have no rights to complain about bad service!"
Ima Manimal 1 year ago
If you think about it, with inflation and everything going on, we are seriously ripped off every day. Everything becomes a rip off. Airlines make for a horrible experience. Restaurant quality is way down. And God forbid you need auto repairs.
Jude Laskowski 1 year ago
That's why it's a good idea to get to know a good local mechanic. I rely on word of mouth.
Load More Replies...
Lydsylou (she/her) 1 year ago
A restaurant I'm near sells hot chocolate for 3.50 which you can add cream to for an extra 50p. Then they sell a luxury hot chocolate which is £5.50 and that is exactly the same thing except it comes with like 5 mini marshmallows and a bit of the chocolate powder sprinkled on top
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
you win the internet for the day. shut it all down.
Load More Replies...
Lunamorte Louise 1 year ago
Greed. I bet their employees are not getting cost of living wages while the ceos are buying second and third homes.
Jude Laskowski 1 year ago
How about some facts instead of just bashing owners of companies.
Load More Replies...
Gracie Mae 1 year ago (edited)
I think people need to start blasting these places (add a receipt for proof) - name & shame!
Amelia Jade 1 year ago
We just got a gourmet Christmas gift from family. They had it sent straight from the company. The items were expired. One item had a use by date in the future but was over top of an expiration date from this past July. I contacted the company that assured me the items were fine. Supposedly an employee accidentally put born on dates on the items. Opened the items and they were not fine, definitely expired. I'm sure my relatives would be thrilled to know their money went into the trash.
Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
I once paid £300 for a night in the London Hilton as a Valentine's treat - that was a mid-price room. Breakfast was not included - but one could pay £5 for a pot of tea, more for actual food. This was in 2000. Went to the McDonalds in Hyde Park and had the entire breakfast for £5 for two of us.
David Paterson 1 year ago
"Getting ripped off" doesn't count if you only lose $20 or less. We could have done without the "I paid $3 for this and look what I got" entries.
Mike F 1 year ago
Maybe the poor SOB only had $5 in their pocket for lunch and got rooked with a sandwich the size of a postage stamp. I'd be mighty pissed if it happened to me.
Load More Replies...
SonicAlchemy 1 year ago
The majority of these are about food, portions and quality, to which I just ask why people would ever just accept what they were served/sold and not ask for a refund? Is it worth the $17 for a disgusting pizza to be able to take a picture of it and have a moment on the internet? I know nobody implied that anyone had to "feel sorry" for anyone but I definitely don't for people that just accept s**t and still pay for it then snap pictures and complain about it.
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
This is why I hate all the Karen-bashing. Yes, there are plenty of evil Karens. But it's morphed on BP and several other social media sites from "Can you get a load of the way this monster is abusing the ways the company listens to and responds to customers" and instead it's become, "customers have no rights to complain about bad service!"
Ima Manimal 1 year ago
If you think about it, with inflation and everything going on, we are seriously ripped off every day. Everything becomes a rip off. Airlines make for a horrible experience. Restaurant quality is way down. And God forbid you need auto repairs.
Jude Laskowski 1 year ago
That's why it's a good idea to get to know a good local mechanic. I rely on word of mouth.
Load More Replies... Lydsylou (she/her) 1 year ago
A restaurant I'm near sells hot chocolate for 3.50 which you can add cream to for an extra 50p. Then they sell a luxury hot chocolate which is £5.50 and that is exactly the same thing except it comes with like 5 mini marshmallows and a bit of the chocolate powder sprinkled on top
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
you win the internet for the day. shut it all down.
Load More Replies... Lunamorte Louise 1 year ago
Greed. I bet their employees are not getting cost of living wages while the ceos are buying second and third homes.
Jude Laskowski 1 year ago
How about some facts instead of just bashing owners of companies.
Load More Replies... Gracie Mae 1 year ago (edited)
I think people need to start blasting these places (add a receipt for proof) - name & shame!
Amelia Jade 1 year ago
We just got a gourmet Christmas gift from family. They had it sent straight from the company. The items were expired. One item had a use by date in the future but was over top of an expiration date from this past July. I contacted the company that assured me the items were fine. Supposedly an employee accidentally put born on dates on the items. Opened the items and they were not fine, definitely expired. I'm sure my relatives would be thrilled to know their money went into the trash.
Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
I once paid £300 for a night in the London Hilton as a Valentine's treat - that was a mid-price room. Breakfast was not included - but one could pay £5 for a pot of tea, more for actual food. This was in 2000. Went to the McDonalds in Hyde Park and had the entire breakfast for £5 for two of us.
David Paterson 1 year ago
"Getting ripped off" doesn't count if you only lose $20 or less. We could have done without the "I paid $3 for this and look what I got" entries.
Mike F 1 year ago
Maybe the poor SOB only had $5 in their pocket for lunch and got rooked with a sandwich the size of a postage stamp. I'd be mighty pissed if it happened to me.
Load More Replies... SonicAlchemy 1 year ago
The majority of these are about food, portions and quality, to which I just ask why people would ever just accept what they were served/sold and not ask for a refund? Is it worth the $17 for a disgusting pizza to be able to take a picture of it and have a moment on the internet? I know nobody implied that anyone had to "feel sorry" for anyone but I definitely don't for people that just accept s**t and still pay for it then snap pictures and complain about it.
Related on Bored Panda
