Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app

Continue in app Continue in browser

106 Dirty Business Tactics That You May Not Know Exist

ADVERTISEMENT

Business is business; it's not kind, forgiving, or even fair sometimes. That being said, there are some businesspeople out there who are so shrewd, so sharply focused on making that extra buck, they're willing to put their very integrity on the line to make it happen - even if it means bending a few laws. The good people of Reddit were recently asked what shady business tactics they've seen used, and the answers they gave may shock and disturb you. Whether you're in business yourself and have seen it all, or you're a regular customer who's curious about where your money is going, you need to be aware of these dirty tricks in order to avoid them. Scroll down to see them all, and let us know which ones you've seen go down under the table in the comments.

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

I worked in the collections department of Discover Card for a while. One thing they did (maybe still do), to lure customers to them is offer 0% APR for the first year. People would jump on this and transfer all their debt onto their new Discover Card, and then the company would "conveniently" not send the first month's bill. In the fine print of the agreement, it states that if you miss even one payment in that first year, your APR will jump to 29.95%. Half of my calls were to these new customers who would then proceed to throw a fit, because they didn't ever get the bill, and I had to explain to them that it was their job to know when the bill was due, and sending one was just a courtesy extended by the company. I hated hated hated that job. It ate away at my soul.

quietman85 Report

Final score:

120points

Aoki 7 years ago

This shouldn't be legal

79points

View More Replies...

View more comments

You May Also Like:

#2

TL;DR: Planned obsolescence and all the different types, with examples.
Planned obsolescence. Basically, products are designed by manufacturers to "wear out" after a certain period of time or amount of use. This is done to force consumers to re-purchase products or purchase new versions of products.
There are a few types of planned obsolescence. First is contrived durability, which means a product is designed to deteriorate quickly. A great example is how disposable razor blades wear out so quickly.
The second type is prevention of repairs, which means a product is designed in such a way that it is either made to be a single-use item (like disposable cameras), or in a way that uses proprietary hardware to prevent repairs and even damage the products if repairs are attempted. Apple is guilty of this with the majority of their product line-up, even seeking legislation to make it illegal to provide the difficult repairs.
The third is perceived obsolescence, which means a manufacturer frequently releases new "versions" of a product to make consumers feel as if the old product is far inferior. This is incredibly common, and in the grand scheme of things, fairly harmless. This type of planned obsolescence doesn't force a consumer to purchase a new product, but rather coerces them to, as do many other marketing campaigns. Common examples include new cars, phones, televisions, apparel, etc. for which new versions are released frequently.
Fourth is systemic obsolescence, which is when a manufacturer deliberately attempts to make a product obsolete by altering the system to make regular use difficult. Many people, including myself, accuse Apple of this when they release a new iPhone. Many people find that their old iPhone begins to run slowly after the latest iOS update following the release of the new iPhone model.
Last is programmed obsolescence, which is when a product contains a mechanical or electrical system that limits the amount of uses the product has. One notable example is printer cartiriges which use software to limit the amount of pages they will print, regardless of the actual ink level. Hewlett Packard was sued on allegations that their ink cartridges would "expire" on a certain date.
Altogether, these practices create an abundance of waste and unethically force consumers to buy more "stuff". This is a great way to make money hand-over-fist, and it is far more common than most people may think. People often complain that "things just don't last as long as they used to," which, excluding survivorship bias, is true because they are built not to.

ncurry18 Report

Final score:

116points

Matt Howell 7 years ago

Apple is FOR SURE guilty of making phones run more slowly after and ios update. I can click on an icon and go get something from the kitchen before it opens. And this, and a number of other "glitches" suddenly occur right after an update. I'm finally going Samsung.

68points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#3

If you're buying a used car - or any car for that matter, the check engine light should temporarily come on when you start the vehicle. If it doesn't, the dash has been tampered with to mask a potential issue

000011110000 Report

Final score:

112points

CelSlade 7 years ago

Every useful to know! Thank you.

37points

View more comments

#4

"Every month" and "every 4 weeks" sound similar, but are different. Paying every month gets you 12 payments, every 4 weeks gets you 13

access547 Report

Final score:

111points

Greg Hoggarth 7 years ago

*in a year.

50points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#5

Not sure if this fits, but if you are offered a raise for taking on new responsibilities, get it in writing. Just learned that the hard way.

pleachchapel Report

Final score:

110points

Hans 7 years ago

Spoken ammendments to contracts can be equally binding if you have witnesses and the original contract does not rule against it.

28points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#6

I waited tables in a restaurant and one time I decided to pour a cup of soup into an empty bowl (a bowl of soup costs a good bit more than a cup of soup at the restaurant). The cup filled up the bowl to the top.

JoeyZasaa Report

Final score:

106points

Queen Ro$ie 7 years ago

SO. FREAKING. LOW. DX

24points

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#7

I was a waitress at a family-owned restaurant that paid me $0.10 more than the minimum wage. They were able to require me to turn over all tips that I never saw again because they paid me over minimum wage. I think this is technically legal, but sleazy nonetheless. I made really great tips and it was hard turning the money over. It's also pretty deceptive to the customer, who thinks their money is going to the wait staff, not the restaurant.

HoosierHasBeen Report

Final score:

105points

depicus 7 years ago

I'd have told the customers not to bother tiping

118points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#8

Mattress stores that have the "find it anywhere else for cheaper, you get your money back!" deal contract with the manufacturer to make the exact same model of bed, but with a model name specific to that store, so nobody can ever cash in on that deal.

hkgolding Report

Final score:

101points

Greg Hoggarth 7 years ago

This is called a confusopoly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confusopoly

32points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#9

When I was in the process of moving into my current home I transferred the title of my old home and land to my sister because she was buying it and moving in when I left. Within the next few weeks she started getting all the "welcome to the neighborhood" coupons and flyers. She didn't even change her address, so I assume companies track title changes with the register of deeds. The sketchiest was a pest control company claiming to have an existing account on the property and recommending she continue to use their services. They detailed dates and changes; referenced termites. It was all lies. All the dates shown were while I owned the property and I never even heard of this company before she received that letter.

Final score:

99points

earringnut 7 years ago

i don't care where you live, that is a crime. did you report them?

64points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#10

I know a guy who does pest control who specializes in raccoon removal. He takes the raccoons from one house in one neighborhood, then takes and releases it in another neighborhood then waits for the people there to reach out to him to remove the raccoon from their home.

icarusOW Report

Final score:

94points

Monika Rhodes 7 years ago

Poor raccoon.

154points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#11

When I was working in sales this is what they taught me to psychologically trick people into buying whatever shit we were selling. Strap in, this could be long.
First up, everything I learnt in sales worked through what they called 'impulse' selling, which means playing on people's tendencies to make a decision based on their current state of emotion. Salesmen will build your level of 'impulse', and then 'close' you. The 'close' is the point at which they seal the deal, and you give them your money in exchange for whatever they have convinced you that you need.
There are five basic ways that salesmen will 'impulse' you. The acronym they taught us was G.I.F.T.S.
The first was 'Greed'. People are naturally greedy. By which I mean they want more for their money. They want a good deal. If people think they can make or save money, they are more inclined to buy. An example of this is basic 'half price' or 'buy X, get Y free' sales.
I stands for 'Indifference'. People can smell desperation. If they sense that you have a motive for wanting them to do something (like buy) they will be more wary, and want to know your reasons. Therefore, a salesman will try to make it seem as though they do not care whether or not you buy (even if they are on commission). After all, they are only offering you this amazing deal for your own benefit.. They have nothing to gain..
Third was 'Fear of Loss'. Causing people to worry that they will miss out if they don't buy. This can be exploited by making people think that this is their one and only opportunity to purchase at a 'reduced rate', or used in conjunction with 'Greed', for example 'buy in the next 60 minutes and get X free!'.
T, 'The Jones' Theory'. If your community is getting on-board with an idea, there is no reason that you shouldn't too. It's safe. 'It's all the rage'. 'Everybody's doing it'. 'Don't miss out'. This also ties in with 'Fear of Loss'.
The last one is 'Sense of Urgency'. Can be used in similar ways as 'Fear of Loss', i.e. 'buy in the next 60 minutes or else X', or as subtly as a salesman saying that they have other appointments and won't be able to come back and offer you this deal for a too-long period of time. A sense of urgency causes people to buy more impulsively, especially when coupled with a fear of loss.
Once salesmen have 'impulsed' you enough, they will try to 'close' you. I was also taught a number techniques to 'close'.
The first was the 'assumptive close'. This is basically assuming that the person will buy and filling out the paperwork. A common example of this is a salesman simply asking for your your name, and the proceeding with the sale. They will fill out an entire form and then just ask you to sign at the end.
This is often assisted by the 'trial close', where a salesman will slowly push you over the line, while at the same time testing you to see if you are 'impulsed' enough to buy. They will do this by asking you closed questions, aimed at steering you down a conversational track which leads to a sale. Charity workers do this a lot when they ask 'Do you like dolphins?' (yes), 'Do you think dolphin's habitats should be protected?' (yes), 'How much do you spend on beer / tea / coffee a week?' ($5-$50), 'Do think you could put $X towards saving the dolphins?' (umm, well, I guess you got me there..)
Another powerful close is the 'alternative close', where salesmen will offer you one of two choices, both of which result in a sale. 'So would you like the regular option or the slique-deluxe?'. Often presented assumptively (see 'assumptive close').
The last was the 'silent close'. Harder to use, but effective with indecisive buyers or people that pull back when pressured. Basically presenting the overwhelming positives with the easily countered negatives, and then shifting control of the conversation to the buyer, and forcing them to say 'yes' or 'no'. Obviously, the salesman has presented the information in such a way that you would be stupid to say 'no'. After building tension and excitement for the product, they let you come to the decision themselves.
Almost every person who sells goods or services has been taught something along these lines, and the most successful salesmen have this information at the forefront of their minds when they are selling to you. Never forget it. These people just want your money, they honestly do not generally care what you get out of it.

philopsilopher Report

Final score:

91points

BoredBirgit 7 years ago

This is very interesting indeed.

27points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#12

I bought a swimming pool several years ago. The slime-ball sales guy was using all the tactics. Last few days of sale, need to put money down today. Yada, yada. This was a major purchase and it irked me the way he was trying to pressure the sale.
I ended up going to another branch of the same pool store and buying the pool. It came out to a few hundred dollars difference.
I had an occasion to stop in the first store as the install was happening. Needed some sort of part or chemical. The original sales guy recognises me and ask about the pending sale. I said "I bought it off the other store because you said the sale was ending. I figured maybe they where running the sale longer" His eyes about blew out of his head. The girl at the register was giggling the whole time. As he stormed off she said" Now that was funny" I just smiled back and walked out the door.

inafishbowl17 Report

Final score:

90points

ZHAO KEVIN 7 years ago

Its called Karma

24points

View more comments

#13

When finding a home for your elderly parents, set up an appointment but come in a few minutes early and say (don't ask) if you can walk around for a quick look. The receptionist likely wont refuse you, and the sales person won't be ready for you. These places like to show you only the stuff they want you to see when being led around by a sales person. Chat with a resident or a staff member, they'll be the most honest with you.

conurecrazy Report

Final score:

78points

Hans 7 years ago

This is obvious, isn't it? If people are involved, talk to people, it is about them!

15points

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#14

Many companies claim to be environmentally friendly by putting made up certifications on their products. Like a frog in a circle that says "rainforest friendly." There are very few legitimate environmental certifications. It's called "green washing."

Too_Much_Prego Report

Final score:

72points

Tiari 7 years ago

He means the Rainforest Alliance, for anyone who wants to know.

17points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#15

If you're buying a used car and it's parked over a puddle - they don't want you to look underneath.

ConroyVanVonvolkvan Report

Final score:

67points

Hans 7 years ago

Who buys a used car without driving it? I would even drive older used cars to a garage and have it ckecked. They typically offer that for a small fee. Similar services are available from automobile clubs.

30points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#16

The "You won a TV / $5,000 / bass boat!" scams at car dealerships.
Generally, you get a flyer in the mail that says "scratch off x to see if you won!"
You always "win" the biggest prize but when you read the fine print, you actually only win the right to spin some wheel or put your name in a box for a drawing.
The employees' friends and family always actually get the boat / TV / cash. Your "win" is just a tactic to get you into the dealership.
A fun thing to do is waste the manager's time.
Go to the dealership, "prize" flyer in hand. Find an nice car. One with all of the options. Ask for every dealer add on they offer and tell them you don't want to waste time negotiating, you have cash. Talk to the manager, and keep going back to him/her. Insist on a test drive with the manager. Convince them you want to buy the car, and get to the paperwork phase.
Then, just before you sign, inform them that they haven't sold you a car. They've sold you on the idea of buying a car. Get the manager's card and tell them you'll be dropping their card in a hat with other dealership manager's cards. A card will be selected at random and that dealership manager will be notified by mail in 4 to 6 weeks. Let them know that the actual car you buy may not be the one used in your "promotion."

kickasstimus Report

Final score:

67points

Greg Hoggarth 7 years ago

I bet whoever wrote this has not done what they've written.

58points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#17

The higher priced items like prime rib and seafood is typically at the end of the buffet line and cheaper more filling options like bread and mashed potatoes are at the front. They hope you fill up your plate space/stomach space by the time you get to the high ticket items.

GrizzlyManOnWire Report

Final score:

63points

varwenea 7 years ago

This is obvious. Always scope out the entire buffet before putting any food on my plate!

38points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#18

Take pics of any existing damage to a rental as soon as you move in and email it to the landlord/leasing office. I did this after a landlord told us he took the last tenant's entire security deposit for damage (to be fair, it sounded like the tenant really messed shit up). I took that as a flag, and sent him a very detailed email of every hint of damage I could find. 12 months later, after we moved out he emailed me to say he was going to deduct $100 from our security for damage. I reminded him of the email I sent him, and never heard from the f*cker again.

chairmanm30w Report

Final score:

62points

CelSlade 7 years ago

Yes yes and yes! I learnt this the hard way. Moved into a place and pointed out the broken kitchen light fitting to the landlady, and she promised to fix it (never did), but never put it in writing. She also told us it was fine to have a dog, but it was not written in the lease. A month later we get a written notification saying we are in breach of our tenancy agreement by owning a dog and it will have to go. We had to give our dog up for adoption as we had signed a 6 month contract! When we left... she kept our security deposit for the damaged light fitting.

17points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#19

Some stores increase the price of a product and then put it "on sale" by a percentage of the fake higher price.

sambeano Report

Final score:

60points

Aahzmandus Pervect 7 years ago

That's no secret!

50points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#20

Made "from" or "with" 100% something
Just because something is made with 100% of something doesn't mean that the thing itself is 100% that thing.

ntwrkconexnprblms Report

Final score:

59points

Meowoui 7 years ago

Nor does "All Natural" many anything, just a gimmick.

14points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#21

Worked in a family owned pharmacy for a few years. Find yourself a family owned pharmacy if you a) don't want to go through your insurance b) don't have insurance or c) you'd like to support the working class and not walmart or CVS. People would call us and ask for a cash price for their medication. We would be hundreds of dollars cheaper than walmart on almost every prescription. I remember quoting someone a 90 day medication at $20 and they said walmart was going to charge $250. The reason I said the things about not going through insurance is because insurance companies tell the pharmacy how much to charge you and tell the pharmacy how much the medications cost. Shit, add insurance companies to this list. Family owned pharmacies are losing so much money because of the way insurance companies work.

gavinagoodtim3 Report

Final score:

58points

Nadine Ducca 7 years ago

I'm so glad that things aren't run that way where I live (Spain). Each medication has a price, and that's it. Pharmacies can't change the price. Most medications are covered by social security so you end up paying next to nothing for your treatment. For example, I took antidepressants for a year and a half and each 60-pill box cost around €1.80. I must have spent about 15 euros during the whole treatment.

54points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#22

Making you pay more for printing your own damn tickets at home.
StubHub, ticketmaster etc.

ironmanmk42 Report

Final score:

53points

Jay Broderick 7 years ago

This drives me crazy! "Convenience fee" is $5. I'm using my own paper and ink, you tool!

48points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#23

The "closing down" sale in the shop that never closes down. It's just in closing down sale mode continuously.
I'm amazed shops are allowed to get away with this.

kochikame Report

Final score:

51points

Paul K. Johnson 7 years ago

Some of those businesses DO go out of business and then open up under a new business name. So technically they're telling the truth but in fact it's a very deceptive practice. I figured that out pretty quickly when I was living in San Francisco and a whole line of stores were "going out of business" the entire time I lived there.

28points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#24

In France it's hard to fire or lay off people, so when big companies need to clean house a bit, they move the office to a new location quite distant from the current one. In the process they reduce the office size from 50,000 seats to 30,000 because they've estimated that amount of people will resign rather than endure a 4 hours commute... But officially "totally you still have your job if you want, we are not laying you off, but I need you in the office everyday... Or you could resign if you don't like the new location..."

CTRL_ALT_DELTRON3030 Report

Final score:

49points

Greg Hoggarth 7 years ago

I wonder how true this actually is. In New Zealand, such a move would amount to Unjustified Disadvantage in could be used as a Constructive Dismissal case in employment court.

48points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#25

"We have many more clients interested in this limited offer."

AnfrageUndNachgebot Report

Final score:

47points

Jade Lorreni💜💙 7 years ago

Nope just you

24points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#26

It's not dirty as it's legal but there is a reason that stores ask you to donate some amount to a charity or fund. They can use your donation to help them get a tax write off.

kukukele Report

Final score:

45points

Paul K. Johnson 7 years ago

I always tell them no. I already make yearly donations to organizations I want to donate to.

27points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#27

Add to that labelling things like "0% cholesterol!" or "Free from saturated fats!" on foods that would never normally contain or be expected to contain those things. Bonus points if it's something really unhealthy like boiled sweets.

Lagaluvin Report

Final score:

43points

Greg Hoggarth 7 years ago

Asbestos free cereal: https://xkcd.com/641/

34points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#28

Offering insurance on anything that does not have the potential to be financially debilitating. "Want to insure your DVD rental?" Fuck off.

dogfish83 Report

Final score:

42points

Mindy Keys 6 years ago

Bless. Domino's is now offering (my hand to God) 'Carry-out Pizza Insurance". In case you crash your car, slip and fall, or a grizzly bear attacks you and steals your pie. I wish I were kidding, I do...

21points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#29

When my grandmother was in the hospital, her landscaper and handyman both contacted me to tell me she hadn't paid them and they'd been trying to to reach her and on and on. I'd already paid both bills from her account and when I questioned them, they remembered real quick.

mymusekilleditself Report

Final score:

41points

CelSlade 7 years ago

Mercenary bastards!

21points

View more comments

#30

Real estate gurus who sell their courses online in downloadable digital format and say that we must buy now since they "only have a few courses remaining and when they're gone, they're gone!". How the f*ck do they run out of digital, downloadable courses? Do their computers run out of binary 1's and 0's after so many downloads? Sounds stupid but people fall for this ploy regularly.

Final score:

41points

Paul K. Johnson 7 years ago

It's lik kyboards can only typ a lttr so many tims bfor it runs out. For xampl, this kyboard is out of 's.

52points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#31

Some companies on Amazon will offer to refund your purchase of their item on paypal if you give them a good review. That way it still looks like a varified purchase through Amazon.

Dark-Vixyn Report

Final score:

41points

Paul K. Johnson 7 years ago

All those, "I was provided this product at a discount or free in exchange for an unbiased review" are frankly, b******t. I've yet to see anyone give a review of less than five stars. I know someone who signed up for that program and she said if she tried to give less than a five star review they would harass her until she changed it. They wanted a chance to "make it right" as if they're going to re-engineer a product and produce a whole new run of them to fix a fundamental defect. Also they will kick you out of the program if you don't give stellar reviews. If the reviews for a product are primarily those kinds of reviews I simply won't buy it because the reviews aren't honest or unbiased.

33points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#32

Stop pre-ordering unfinished games that stay in beta indefinitely

roybringus Report

Final score:

39points

LunasTeam 7 years ago

this should be the first one. Same for those loot crates thing... if its not only cosmetic in those crates you shouldn't get them.. they make kids addicted to gambling real early and they all transforming the gaming industries into a big greedy mess. was already a problem with dlc but now we got dlc AND loot crates ... I am looking at you shadow of war.

8points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#33

When my friends and I rented our first house in college, the landlord told us that he had three different groups of people walking through the house the next couple of days, essentially getting us to sign the lease as quickly as we could. We were excited, so we didn't think much about it.
Fast forward to two years later. A group of college guys were walking through the rental with the landlord. I pulled one aside and chatted with him a bit about the downsides of the property that I felt I couldn't say in front of the landlord. It came up in conversation that there were 'three other groups walking through in the next couple of days'. There weren't (the landlord was obligated to tell us about people walking through).
The bastard tried to take advantage of them the same way that he did with us two years prior.

Brycev46 Report

Final score:

38points

Tobias Meiner 6 years ago

It worked flawlessly last time, so there was no reason to change his tactics.

12points

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#34

My grandfather used to keep doves in his balcony and then sell them on Sunday market. Later the same doves would fly back to him.

Final score:

38points

BoredBirgit 7 years ago

Naughty grandpa!

30points

View more comments

#35

Receipts with "disappearing ink". You know, the ones that scribe with heat, and then completely fade away in a couple of months.
Any receipt of significant value gets scanned as soon as i bring it home. (This includes warranties and other long-term documentation. )

deadbird17 Report

Final score:

37points

Greg Hoggarth 7 years ago

It's not 'disappearing', it's thermal paper. Don't kept your receipts in your wallet / pockets, and store them in a folder, box or drawer that doesn't get direct sunlight or is near sources of heating. In my experience you can expect a receipt to look good for 3-4 years if you follow those steps, and sometimes longer.

41points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#36

I worked in the Oil and Gas industry for a brand marketing internship in college. This company owned a franchised brand and an in-house brand. They would target "New Americans" which were mostly pakistanis or people who smoke limited english and sell them on the idea of owning their own business. Franchising for the company was much cheaper than investing in building their in-house brand. A benefit in the in house brand however was since they had more control over the costs via vertical integration they were able to undercut competitors on gasoline prices.
So the brand marketers would target new Americans and have them invest their own money in opening up a gas station. If the gas station did well this would be a "market test" for the viability of the in house brand. The in house brand would then find a spot typically across the street from the franchise and build their own station. If the franchise didn't do what the in-house brand wanted they would begin undercutting the station on gasoline prices until they were run out of business due to not being able to shoulder the burden of cost like the in-house brand could.
Once the station was gone, prices would rise again and the in-house brand would benefit from not splitting traffic like before.
I figured this out about half way through my internship and essentially just checked out, I was paid well but it was the worst I've ever felt as an employee.

Final score:

36points

CelSlade 7 years ago

I think you just saved your own soul there my friend.

31points

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#37

Saturation competition. A way for bigger, richer Corps to kill smaller local businesses.
Open so many Starbucks (or whatever store) in the area that noone can make money, since there's just way too few customers to go around.
Soak up the loses for a few years with your deep pockets until all the local stores have gone out of business.
Shut down excess stores once you're the only player in town.

PrincessYukon Report

Final score:

36points

Teresa Moore 7 years ago

Tescos Express are good at doing this!

12points

View more comments

#38

A car dealership (this list exists for them) is advertising an old truck for $2,500. I go there to check it out and hear a looooong story about...
How perfect it is, how much the previous owner hated to trade it in after so many years of faithful service, how he's loved it and taken such great care of it, how well it has always run for the owner and the dealership (they've only had to change the oil filter on it and it still runs perfectly!) and how it's just taking up space in their parking lot and they need to get rid of it.
Great! We take it for a test drive, no problems. Great! We'll have it!
So we sit down to make the purchase...It's over $5,000, doubled in price! On top of the $2,500 car, there's...
$850 in tax, tag and title fees
(Actual state tax + state fees are around $300)
$650 in maintenance and repairs
"I thought it didn't need any work...you only had to change the oil filter?"
"Yeah....well, uh.......we have to wash it, too!"
$600 shipping/delivery charge
"This was a trade in! It literally landed on your doorstep! "
$500 dealership fee
"It's just been sitting in the parking lot. Since this is separate from the maintenance fee, I assume this is just paying you and the sales people directly, but you're only making this transaction harder for me."

At the end, I paid $2,500 because they know the rest of the charges are more lies than the truck can haul.

Final score:

36points

Meowoui 7 years ago

Good for you, They didn't see you coming. You got the last laugh.

18points

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#39

Giving someone a promotion just to get them back on a probationary period so they can be fired without cause or repercussion.
Happened to my wife recently. They were able to twist some information to make her look bad enough to can, and with no risk of legal recourse because she was on probation with her new position. Wife said they did the exact same thing to someone within the past year; guy won employee or the year, was promoted and promptly fired.

LowellWatt Report

Final score:

35points

Mixedupste 7 years ago

Do companies still do employee of the month/year?? really???

11points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#40

Pet stores will lie to convince you that their pets come from responsible breeders. They never do, a responsible breeder will always want to screen potential buyers themselves. They would NEVER trust a petstore to find a suitable home for their puppies.
Also their prices are usually more expensive than a purebred dog from a reputable breeder who does health tests to insure the genetic health and physical health of the dog (even if its invisible to a naked eye). A vet check is NOT a health check, theyre more advanced, including xrays of parents, having the parents seen by board certified opthamologists etc.

SnarfraTheEverliving Report

Final score:

33points

CelSlade 7 years ago

We had a scam in SA a few years ago by pet shops selling 'wolf hybrids'. They were really just Alaskan Malamutes but people were paying double for them XD

11points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#41

In Nova Scotia Canada severance pay is paid on the average of your last 30 days of pay. This means that some companies will actually reduce your hours to minimum your last month with them if they are going to lay you off. Happened to me wife. She worked for this company for 5 years, worked 35+ hours per week, suddenly she wasn't getting shifts. BOOM, layoff notice. Happened to other folks too.

Mode1961 Report

Final score:

31points

Nadine Ducca 7 years ago

Disgusting.

34points

View more comments

#42

If you're in the UK, working for an agency or temp work for a company, you will accrue holiday pay. However, the company or agency is not obliged to tell you that.
After a certain period, if you haven't claimed it, the agency gets to keep it so often they'll 'forget' to tell you about it.
They are obliged to payout if you've requested it in writing, though.

AnyOlUsername Report

Final score:

30points

Judy Semmens 7 years ago

That's a very good tip for anyone thinking of doing that kind of work. Thank you.

16points

View more comments

#43

Watch the ever changing price of pre-packaged food goods at most grocery stores. One day the price 'may' seem to go down, but if you checked the weight, it has also gone down. Snack foods do this constantly.

airbreather02 Report

Final score:

28points

tweetybird 7 years ago

toblerone

24points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#44

When I worked at H&M we used to do some sneaky stuff with setting up the mannequins/displays. Whenever we had a supply of shirts that were really ugly, and weren't selling well. We'd put the ugly item on the mannequin, and it would sell out very quickly.
This isn't necessarily the dirtiest trick, but it worked pretty well for pushing really ugly clothes.

ThirdAmbiguousColor Report

Final score:

28points

Steve Bowman 7 years ago

What, you mean H&M has another type of clothing than the ugly one?

51points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#45

Literally anything a corporation does that they can be fined for is taken into account as a business expense. If it's cheaper to pay an illegal dumping fine than it is to change the way they process waste nothing will be done to stop the illegal dumping.

Final score:

27points

Marnee DeRider 7 years ago

One of the main reasons so many kids are being quite literally poisoned in the US.

18points

View more comments

#46

My good friends job at a Medical insurance company was to evaluate existing accounts and do risk assessments and cost analysis. Take over the cost sucking accounts and find a way to eliminate them.
He cut a costly account off and argued for a month with the primary holder because he found some weird rule in their terms the family Violated. My friend got a bigger monthly bonus and he got a call two months later from the dad thanking him because his 10 year old son died.

rebel_alliance05 Report

Final score:

27points

Greg Hoggarth 7 years ago

Not sure what we're supposed to learn from this, except that medical insurance companies are a******s?

48points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#47

In restaurants, the daily special or the 'chef's choice' option for things like cheese plates and desserts means 'the stuff that will expire tonight.'
In the US food laws are stringent, and most of those things won't hurt you, but you will not get the best the restaurant has to offer.

turingtested Report

Final score:

25points

Rama Llama 7 years ago

Would it be better to throw all that good food to the trash?

19points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#48

some telemarketers will ask if you can hear or understand them. if you say yes, they'll call back and say that you ordered their product with a recording of you saying yes.

ryebreadbedhead Report

Final score:

24points

KK 7 years ago

That sounds criminal.

39points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#49

A company having a business model that relies on charging fees for breaking its own rules without justification for them.
Looking at you CreditOne.
*Has a late payment fee but refuses to add any kind of auto-payment. In 2017.
*Takes 5 days to clear a normal payment. Pay 4 days before your bill is due? That's a late payment fee. Want your payment to clear earlier to avoid that fee? Pay an express payment fee! Its the same fee amount? Lordy! What a coincidence!

philipwithpostral Report

Final score:

24points

Paul K. Johnson 7 years ago

As far as I know the law says payment date goes by postmark so if it got postmarked before it was due they shouldn't be able to charge you. I could be wrong about that. I found the best way to get out of b******t fees is to call them and tell them you're cancelling your account because of unjustified fees. They will always "forgive" them to keep you as a customer. The worse fees are "restocking fees". Basically the company is butt-hurt because you aren't buying from them so they want to make some money anyway. I would understand it if it were a custom order or they had to hand count out hundreds of pieces of hardware. But if they're charging you 10% to 20% just to put a box back in inventory it's a b******t fee. If they won't refund the money then I call my credit card company and ask them to deny the payment. And I never do business with that company again.

8points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#50

An older fellow I know had a bodega and he'd put a can of cream corn on the counter by the register. This was some time ago so the van had a price tag of $.17. He sold that can of cream corn to everyone who bought anything there. If they realized they were paying to much he'd just say he thought that was their can of corn. Most people didn't notice though and he sold that same can of cream corn maybe twenty times a day.

Kingtycoon Report

Final score:

23points

Archie Moore 7 years ago

How sad when that's the value you place on your own name. Imagine what he'd do for a whole dollar!

15points

View more comments

#51

Placing the most profitable items at eye level (worst deal for you) and the best value for money items in hard to reach places
Making you walk past all the items in the store due to design

Shniggly Report

Final score:

23points

LunasTeam 7 years ago

also putting colorful cereal box at your kids eye level

19points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#52

Whole Wheat Breads. Double check the ingredients list. If bleached flour is listed at all, put it the f*ck back.
Sara-Lee is noturious for this. Most of their Whole Wheat products are actually just molasses make the bread darker.

PatheticRedditor Report

Final score:

23points

Sean Long 6 years ago

Whole Wheat is a lie. Whole GRAIN is what you want.

21points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#53

I worked at a Nissan dealership as a car salesman and it was made abundantly clear to us that all of the advertised prices and sticker prices where 100% bull shit. I even remember one of the managers telling us a new commercial went out and referred to it as "a bunch of lies that are going to get people in the door".

doctrbatman Report

Final score:

23points

Tinfoil Hatter 6 years ago

Is the trick to add extra costs ? or are the second wave of buyers paying extra ?

1point

#54

Yelp and their blocking off web reviews and photos if you're browsing from a phone. Oh, you want to read this review? DOWNLOAD OUR APP. F*ck that.

ShhImInClass Report

Final score:

23points

Tim Douglass 6 years ago

Are you prepared to pay for the information? It costs them money to get it and deliver it, why should you get it for free? Their app lets them monetize your use of *their* data.

2points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#55

Know the difference between a gigabit and a gigabyte. One gigabit/megabit/kilobit is only equal to 0.125 gigabyte/megabyte/kilobytes. A lot of services (like Verizon) advertise their data caps and data speeds in gigabits so as to confuse customers who don't know the difference. If your plan has a 8 gigabit data cap, then you can only really use 1 gigabyte of data. Likewise, your 100mbit/s internet speed only has a peak download of 12.5 megabytes per second.

I_TROLL_MORMONS Report

Final score:

22points

Amanda Young 6 years ago

Verizon is literally the worst. I've worked for them and the plans are billycock. It's truly the worst cell company to choose.

11points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

See Also on Bored Panda

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

#56

Many nursing home communities require a massive deposit to move in, mid-6-figures. They earn interest on that deposit, but that's not the dirty part. The dirty part is in the fine print:
Marketing staff will tell you that the deposit is returned once the leased unit is relinquished. And that's technically true. But what they don't tell you is that the contract defines "relinquishment" as "whenever the marketing staff fills that unit again."
So if Grandma dies or moves out, and her apartment is vacated, marketing staff will intentionally not fill that unit again for years at a time, to keep earning interest on the deposit. This results in countless retirees and their surviving families becoming financially destitute as they wait for some leasing agent to feel like giving them back their money.

Final score:

21points

Marnee DeRider 7 years ago

I can not understand how some people live with themselves.

20points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#57

Before moving in you should take pictures of areas that show existing damage and note that in their form during your walk-thru. Even though they signed off on the form which I stated the existing damage, they still tried to charge for things like water damage to window sills and cupboards that were already there. Also it'd be wise to take a black light through the place before move-in. They tried to charge me for a urine stain they missed from a previous owner who had pets. And lastly, they tried to charge for cleaning the oven.. Except I cleaned the oven. But I forgot to take out the aluminum foil I put in the bottom to catch drips, and they wanted $50, the price of a full cleaning, to remove it.

Final score:

20points

An Van Meerbeeck 7 years ago

We have a law for that in Belgium. If you don't make a description of the place with the landlord when you move in, it is supposed that you leave it in the same state as when you entered. They can't charge you anything then.

12points

ADVERTISEMENT

See Also on Bored Panda

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

#58

Dish Network's door-to-door salesmen will tell you that's it's fine to use your parent's name and Social Security Number for your account if your credit prevents you from getting service. This is not ok, it's identity theft.

icandoittwice Report

Final score:

20points

Tobias Meiner 6 years ago

For them it is OK. You will get into legal trouble. They won't answer for giving false advice either, because they are not lawyers and are not obliged to tell you what is legal and what is not. It is your duty to know laws in your jurisdiction.

2points

View more comments

#59

Buying a car from a "buy here, pay here" dealership. You put $500 or $1000 down they say you are approved and you drive the car home. Two days later the dealership calls and says that they couldn't get you financed at that down payment and interest rate so we need an additional $2500 down and your interest rate doubles. If you don't have the extra money they take the car and your original down payment. This is in AZ.

mostlymoister Report

Final score:

20points

DW Hunter3 7 years ago

And by the time they can't finance you, they've already sold the car you traded in to an auction house. Never got mine back and ended up losing both vehicles.

18points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#60

People give no f*cks about your luggage or parcel, they get dropped, thrown around everyday behind the close door, especially heavy items.

leyland1989 Report

Final score:

20points

KK 7 years ago

Great song about it: United breaks guitars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

8points

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

See Also on Bored Panda

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

#61

Fake reviews.
I worked for a startup that had a sleezy CEO and got most, if not all, of their business by fake Yelp, Google, Glassdoor and other review sites in our industry. CEO was a compulsive liar and had no morals.
It is easy to see fake reviews now since they are usually a bit more eccentric and polished and I have lost all faith in them.

minimalcollin Report

Final score:

19points

mulk 7 years ago

A recent study found that more of 35% of published advices on the web (on yelp, google, ...) are fake or made by bots.

12points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#62

Try to make it seem like you're going to get some form of extra special deal out of it.
E.g "2 for £10!!" offers on products that are £5 each anyway.

red498cp_ Report

Final score:

18points

Black Dahlia 6 years ago

My local grocery chain commonly advertises products at 10 for $10.

6points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#63

Bottled water. Much of the water is from public sources and is marked up hundreds of times over. I just bought some after a flight and paid more for a liter than I would for a gallon of gas.

Holden_place Report

Final score:

18points

KK 7 years ago

Bottled water is expensive. Just use an own waterbottle and refill it (if the water in your area is of high quality of course).

10points

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

See Also on Bored Panda

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

#64

If you ever get a demonstration of a service from a company they will always use their very best, most experienced staff but once you've signed up you might find you've got the dregs that they couldn't foist on anyone else working for you.

kochikame Report

Final score:

17points

Greg Hoggarth 7 years ago

I've heard of this happening with outsourcing IT work to Indian firms. They've fly out their top-tier talent to your country to meet with the executives and CIO, CFO etc to give the best possible impression for the company. After all, the executives and C-suite won't be directly working with the actual IT engineers. Then once the company signs the contract, the actual rank-and-file outsourced IT workers are thick as bricks and won't deliver anything like what they promise.

6points

#65

Signing people up for shit as addons to an existing bill and hoping they don't notice the extra charges.

mrthewhite Report

Final score:

17points

Kim Lorton 6 years ago

Yes, always look att. Your bills.

6points

View more comments

#66

Maybe not dirty, but incompetent contractors will often way underbid jobs. So if you request a bunch of quotes, and all the bids are relatively close except for one that's way lower, there's roughly a 100% chance that guy will screw it up and you'll have a nightmare on your hands. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

HarrysonTubman Report

Final score:

16points

Archie Moore 7 years ago

My former roomie would offer a better deal if the customer would forgo the "nonsense" of a contract. His customers were 95% unhappy with his tile or repair work and it was always their unreasonable demands that caused the problem. He's a psychopath and like with some politicians and religious leaders, where many psychos are found, couldn't do a good thing even if he wanted to.

9points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#67

Online shopping: Don't trust product reviews and things like amazon best sellers.
Companies have started to put a lot of marketing effort to get their products good reviews and on top of best seller lists.

nakuldhotre Report

Final score:

15points

Melanie Ramos 7 years ago

I have 3 rules when it comes to Amazon product reviews: there needs to be a lot of them (hundreds if possible), there should be several reviews from the last year, and I always read the 1-star reviews to make sure those are risks I'm willing to accept.

38points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

See Also on Bored Panda

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

#68

A local lawn maintenance business takes advantage of unsuspecting customers in 3 ways:
On monthly bills, they double the state tax (instead of being, say, 6%, it'll actually be 12%, if you check the math).
Without discussing it with homeowners, they charge double for "double-cuts" when the grass is a little taller in areas than usual. So, if you had agreed to pay $50 per mowing, the monthly bill says $100 for each visit. They never ask - they just do it and charge double (in most cases, it's just a small "patch" of the yard that has taller grass, not the entire thing).
They're supposed to mow once per week. But without telling customers first, they start mowing every 5 days - which means they get to charge for more mowing visits per month than necessary.

Back2Bach Report

Final score:

14points

Greg Hoggarth 7 years ago

I suspect it won't take long for that company to go out of business. Or, the residents of that neighborhood have more money than sense.

18points

View more comments

#69

Nominal weights and measures that don't match actual weights and measures. My company sells by the each but each item has a nominal weight. We intentionally produce our product approximately 10% light to save raw material costs.

Final score:

14points

Steve Bowman 7 years ago

What, like a folding rule that's 190 cm long instead of 200 cm?

8points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

See Also on Bored Panda

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

Guy Divorced 3 Years Ago Drops Off 3 Y.O. With His Ex-Wife Completely Out Of The Blue

Guy Divorced 3 Years Ago Drops Off 3 Y.O. With His Ex-Wife Completely Out Of The Blue

Guy Divorced 3 Years Ago Drops Off 3 Y.O. With His Ex-Wife Completely Out Of The Blue

#70

Try, try, try to stay sober enough to successfully challenge any erroneous charges on your drink tab. Sometimes if a bartender or server is dealing with a drunk/heavily buzzed customer, they'll charge them for more drinks than they actually consumed. Unfortunately, few people excel at doing math when they're drunk/heavily buzzed.

yeasayerstr Report

Final score:

13points

Zenozenobee 7 years ago

In France, they are not supposed to be allowed to serve drunk people

11points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#71

I work with a lot of different body shops, and in my area the big thing to do is to enhance the damage to customers cars. I don't mean they try and negotiate harder, I mean they actively create more damage to previously undamaged panels, usually in ways that don't affect the function and are hidden to the customer, in order to get the insurance company to pay them more money. In my area, while not every shop does this, I would say the honest ones are the minority.
And it screws the customer over in the long run. The shop might promise that they will "save you your deductible", but in the end you end up with a car that has unrepaired damage or you have to pay out of pocket if the insurance company catches the shop enhancing. And the sad thing is there is almost no way to know which shops do this when you pick a shop.

livious1 Report

Final score:

12points

Lisa Shaw 6 years ago

I actually had this happen to me in the 1988, I was t-bone by a commercial truck driver, I was cut out of the car and taken to hospital with a broken neck and numerous injuries. My husband had a camera in his car when he was called to the scene by the police and the presence of mind to photograph my car extensively ( he was a photographer on the side with his own dark room). When he went to the shop where my car was towed, the whole back in was smashed in, along with the right side of the vehicle, when he questioned them about it, they said that's how the car came in. they were caught when the police arrived to investigate the accident further, since my injuries were so serious, there was a chance it would become a fatality. The police had also photographed the car and scene extensively.

10points

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

See Also on Bored Panda

“All Three Shot Out Pink”: Triplets' Baby Shower Turns Sour, Pregnant Wife Wants A Divorce

“All Three Shot Out Pink”: Triplets' Baby Shower Turns Sour, Pregnant Wife Wants A Divorce

“All Three Shot Out Pink”: Triplets' Baby Shower Turns Sour, Pregnant Wife Wants A Divorce

College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

#72

Sellers targetting retired people. To them, retirement means "old" so potentially easy to trick. They send offer for "retired only" by mail or phone. You're supposed to have win a coffee machin or toaster. You come to the shop to take your prize and thay make you try couch, wine or else, using all their technics to make you think it is a good deal, proposing staggering plan with high interest rate to people would answer them they can affort to buy their stuff. And that shop disappears after few weeks before too many kids come to complain that their parents got swindle.

Final score:

12points

KK 7 years ago

This! It is a sad reality. If you are retired, watch out for all kinds of dirty tricks.

11points

View more comments

#73

At theatres the price of medium cup of popcorn is usually very close to the price of the large popcorn making people more likely to buy the larger one.

Barack-YoMama Report

Final score:

11points

Paul K. Johnson 7 years ago

I used to work with a guy who worked at a movie theater. He told me that between movies they would spray "buttered popcorn" scent all over the theater to entice people to buy popcorn and snacks.

11points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#74

When you go to buy a used car some dealers will have unrealistically low prices for some of their cars that's lower than their actual value. This is to attract you in, and then once they have you in and you're considering buying the car, they'll add what is called a "dealer prep fee" that will range around 500 dollars. This is just a fake fee they will use in order to make up for lost profit for putting the attention grabbing low sticker price.

tyler1233 Report

Final score:

11points

Bookdoc 6 years ago

You need to find a better set of dealers. I sold cars for 21 years at 5 different dealerships and, while some use a large "Pack" (money deducted from the profit on the car before your commission is figured) to lower your commission, I never hear of a customer charge for "dealer prep".

1point

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#75

Not sure if this counts but at my local store they have packets of candy that's often on sale as 2 for $4, but they always make sure to cover up the original price... which is $2 each

Final score:

11points

Melanie Ramos 7 years ago

Always, always check the unit price! This is a common practice for Vons and my husband falls for it all the time!

7points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#76

When moving out of a rental apartment/house make sure to take lots of pictures and ask the owner/landlord to do a walkthrough with you. Video the walk through. That way if they do not give you all your deposit back you have something to take to court VS a he said he said which you generally lose.
When you turn in cable/internet equipment make sure to get a FULL receipt showing what they took in and the date it was received. Scan this and e-mail to a couple different e-mail accounts. Comcast and others are bad about "losing" the equipment a couple years later, after you forget, and then billing you. CYA!!!

Final score:

10points

ADVERTISEMENT

#77

Jacking google business pages. Basically if a google business listing isn't claimed and controlled by a company, a competing company can weasel their way in and direct people to their business by, say, changing the phone number.
There was an article recently about how drug counselors in the Philadelphia area had it happen to them. Their listing phone number was changed to an 800 number, which directed callers to an inpatient rehab facility in Florida. It was discovered when one of these counselors started noticing his patients suddenly not showing up. He called one of them and found out he was at this facility in florida.

surfnsound Report

Final score:

10points

Tinfoil Hatter 6 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

#78

Offering a great deal over the phone to get you to buy or upgrade, then refusing to acknowledge the deal later on because there's nothing in writing.

LobsterGarden Report

Final score:

10points

Tobias Meiner 6 years ago

If it is not in writing, it is not a deal.

8points

View more comments

#79

Customer wants Product X from a European Manufacturer.
But Product X from Europe is too expensive. Profit margins will be low.
So we just buy Product X from some no name Chinese Manufacturer and switch labels.
These are high volume products that contractors send out tenders for. It's an open secret anyways. The contractor person in charge knows all the shit. Everyone vying for the order are ready to hand the person a cut (a bribe basically) for the order. So ultimately the client is the one getting screwed, but even he knows what shit goes around, because he ends up saving big time by paying Chinese prices for "European" products, which he goes on to sell to individual customers.
And honestly, every European manufacturer has a factory in China. Even if you get a legit European product, it's from China.

poopellar Report

Final score:

10points

Tobias Meiner 6 years ago

Companies based in EU are obliged by law to indicate the place of actual manufacture (in some cases - also of assembly), but sometimes you may find only an indication 'Made in EU', what may mean that the company based in, say, Germany, produces the items in the plant located in Romania or Bulgaria. This is not as big an issue, as this is usually the matter of cheaper work, with technologies and quality control being as good as the original.

6points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#80

Whatever your employer says is not true if you can't prove it.
My employer started putting random clauses into my contract verbally. They didn't exist in writing.

sendmeassandtitties Report

Final score:

10points

CelSlade 7 years ago

This counts for prospective employers too - I just recently got headhunted by a company who made me so many promises I got suspicious (massive red flag - they told me, didn't offer, but told me that they were going to give me a month's advance on my pay. Why? I never asked for it! Oh right, so I would be in debt to them and leaving would be a pain). They were putting me under a great deal of pressure to sign the contract, but when I asked them to put all their promises in writing they had a sudden and regrettable case of amnesia. Always get EVERYTHING in writing and be super wary of 'generosity' you didn't ask for.

15points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#81

Debt collectors will have "detectives" call you from a number that appears to be a legitimate law enforcement agency when you Google it. It's actually a spoofed caller ID using a legitimate agency's fax number. The "detective" will threaten arrest and throw around names of local judges. The debt collector will claim to not know the "detective" who left the message, but will be willing to take care of your debt.

MattsWorldoWonders Report

Final score:

9points

Tobias Meiner 6 years ago

Hard to believe. One report to the authorities (you know, law enforcement agencies do not handle debt collection) and the debt collector and their associates is enough for the real agencies to put the collector and his associate in jail for impersonating a law enforcement official. This being a felony also means end of career for the collector.

5points

View more comments

#82

Selling a customer a wireless phone package that you claim is "unlimited," then throttling their speed when they surpass some arbitrary limit of data used.

archangel09 Report

Final score:

9points

Amanda Young 6 years ago

Verizon calls it deprioritizion ...

12points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#83

Getting solar panels on your house by lease or "power purchase agreement" is a horrible deal for a homeowner. You save a small amount on your bill, but are tied to the agreement for 20+ years while the company that actually owns them retains all of the tax benefits.

ggravelle Report

Final score:

9points

Chris Cox 6 years ago

Ok - This is UK, but if you have one of these “lease” agreements it makes it very, very difficult to sell your property. The prospective owner is bound to the lease, there will be legal fees in transferring it because their solicitor will go through the lease with a fine tooth comb which lengthens the whole procedure and cost the purchaser hundred if not thousands. So you will have to accept a reduced selling price to reflect this - and that is IF you can find a buyer.

2points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#84

Mechanics and other car servicing places will often put many additional tasks/replacements on your bill or imply that you should do things immediately. While many of their recommendations are things to keep in mind, often the tasks they are talking about are not immediately necessary and can be put off for a while before there is an issue. (This in no means is me saying that you shouldn't regularly take your car for servicing)

s1apshot Report

Final score:

9points

CelSlade 7 years ago

Or they will straight up lie to you and tell you the noise you brought the car in for is the CV joint that needs replacing (very expensive) instead of a straight forward ball bearing replacement (quite cheap). I find mechanics try tactics with me quite often as I'm female. Which is why I never just go to the first mechanic I see but get a range of quotes.

12points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#85

Rental companies, specifically for vacation. They will say a certain condo/house is available on their website but then when you call, they'll say it is now unavailable or just got booked very recently. Then they'll try and show you a different place which is like $50 more a night, banking on the desperation of the tourists to just say "f*ck it" and rent it.

MrSlipperySnake Report

Final score:

9points

Skink Dog 6 years ago

Also read the fine prints. Often they show the best looking out, and while the prices remain the same, you get lodged at an "older" model etc.

2points

View more comments

#86

I've seen many videos of cops pull drivers over, put them in handcuffs and sit them on the curb "for their safety," and then ask for their keys so they can get their registration. You know, to get the stop over with so they can get out of the handcuffs and go on their way.
This is how cops legally obtain permission to search your vehicle. Any time you are compelled out of your car, lock the car, put the keys in your pocket, and don't hand them over under any circumstances.

jimmyjazz2000 Report

Final score:

9points

Black Dahlia 6 years ago

If a law enforcement officer has a right to search your vehicle they will search it without your permission; there's no need to ask. Giving them permission to search is giving up your rights and will never exonerate you.

6points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#87

If political campaigns are calling you, they never actually remove you from the list when you get asked to be removed. Most of the time the refused option needs to be selected multiple times in your database profile to actually be removed.

Final score:

9points

Samantha Dowdy 6 years ago

I have my number and the numbers for my family on the Do Not Call registry. If we receive calls after being requested for removal, we can report them and potentially receive a small settlement from the fines they are given for violating the terms, depending on how many times they continue to violate.

0points

#88

Petco will sell you non-aquatic plants specifically for your aquarium that will poison everything in the tank.

IAmKnightSolaire Report

Final score:

8points

BoredBirgit 7 years ago

Poor fishes. :-(

12points

View more comments

#89

At home depot and lowes there are cacti with plastic flowers glued on to them.

catjuggler Report

Final score:

8points

Lillukka79 7 years ago

This is sadly quite common.

5points

View more comments

#90

Offering people in debt credit cards with incredibly low initial interest rates for the first year and then raising the rate dramatically to keep them paying off new interest debt forever

macbook_pancakes Report

Final score:

8points

Cat Meow 7 years ago

Might as well just end with " offering people in debt credit cards".

10points

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#91

I recently paid for a riverboat dinner cruise, the cruise was cancelled cuz the boat broke and they wouldn't refund my money citing "they told me so" when I paid for them. There is a clause that if they have to cancel they'll do the event in the dock...

MollyJenkins69 Report

Final score:

8points

maranda davis 6 years ago

if they do it at the dock, they should still give a partial refund. it's not the same experience

1point

#92

In high end IT, vendors will often "go dark" in the months before a service contract renewal or infrastructure refresh is needed. The idea behind this is that the customer is forced to come to them, or they can come to the customer with little enough time to complete the refresh that they are either forced to make a purchase on bad footing for price negotiations or renew service agreements for an additional year at a higher rate while migrating to new gear.

dicks1jo Report

Final score:

7points

#93

Places that change your oil put a sticker on your wind shield to remind you to get it changed again after 3000 miles. In reality you could go at least double that distance and it will probably be fine

A1_ThickandHearty Report

Final score:

7points

Carlin Scott 7 years ago

The car and oil manufacturers also recommend that many miles between oil changes; so it's not the oil change place making that number up. You're right that 6,000 miles is fine if it's mostly freeway driving but I ride a motorcycle and push it hard the whole time, so the oil is black after 3,000 miles and ready for a change.

11points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#94

Best Buy: With an HDTV like this you're going to want these gold plated HDMI cables which are rated for 720Hz ($80) and you'll want a router that can take advantage of full 360° panoramic WiFi too.

CreoMech Report

Final score:

7points

Paul K. Johnson 7 years ago

I was in a Staples one day and an older lady brought her computer in because - she claimed - her daughter had been using it and got a virus going to unsavory websites. Staples' "computer guy" had no idea what he was doing. He told her she would probably have to buy a new computer. WTF??? At worst she'd have to wipe out the drive and reload everything from scratch. So I stood there and told them how to fix it and it took all of 2 minutes. It wasn't even a virus. It was just a malicious program written by a script-kiddie that would take over the windows desktop with a laughing skull. I normally don't go into someone else house and do things like that but it really pissed me off he was going to try to sell this lady a new computer because he didn't know s**t about computers.

32points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#95

Automatic renewal/evergreen clauses in equipment leases where the service/maintenance payment is bundled in with the equipment payment. Terms are normally 90-day advance notice with annual renewal. Lessor has to enforce the annual renewal - to amortize the residual cost of the equipment, and give sales leverage to the servicing dealer. Usually by this time in a five-year lease the service portion has increased incrementally due to automatic increase clauses in the lease contract. Lessee: I want to return my equipment. Lessor: You cannot, unless you pay 12 months of rental+service, and then ship back the gear at your own expense. But the dealer can sell you a new machine that we can finance for a much lower payment! Total fucking scam and I was responsible for enforcing those terms for many years. Left with an indelible stain on my soul.

RiverAdmiral27 Report

Final score:

7points

CelSlade 7 years ago

Sales and insurance (often one and the same thing) - two areas I will never work in again for exactly that reason. You have to be a soulless shark to get ahead in them.

4points

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#96

If you go anywhere to get your oil changed, check what your interval is first. Some will insist on an oil change every time you go in, which you do not always need. Toyotas are a good example. They have a 10k synthetic oil and need to be changed every other service appointment (5k service intervals).

fckyesiswallow Report

Final score:

7points

Tim Jesse 6 years ago

My experience with oil change "professionals" was such that they showed me my oil cap which had some sludge from condensation build up. Not a blown gasket, just a car that burned oil. Kid said he couldn't change my oil unless I agreed to an engine flush. I said fine, I'll leave. He then told me he had already emptied the oil from my car and pulled out the filter. I told him he can either finish the change without the flush, or I will call the police. Oil was changed. But then somehow, my washer fluid pump began, not just leaking, spewing washer fluid all over the floor when i walk into the service bay to retrieve my car. Wierd, it worked just fine on the way in. I know because I had used it. So I look underneath the bumper at the housing and the hose clamp on the inlet is missing and the hose is off of it. Guy proceeds to tell me the pump must have broke and I need a new one. Police were called. Aparently I wasnt the first

1point

#97

Delaying pay day because the "big boss" is not around and we "need his/her signature". Rinse and repeat, until the employees get used to it or forget and the delay is so big that it reaches the next pay day and they can completely skip a month's pay.

Final score:

7points

Melanie Ramos 7 years ago

If you're in the U.S., both state and federal employment laws establish deadlines for when employees MUST be paid. The bottom line is, your employer cannot withhold pay, and can be sued for doing so. Forcing employees to work for free when they're supposed to be paid is a practice otherwise known as slavery, which was outlawed by constitutional fiat like... a really long time ago.

19points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#98

Roadside assistance through your car insurance can be reported as a claim. You have no way to argue against it.

Final score:

6points

Archie Moore 7 years ago

I have had GEICO help me twice and they didn't use that tactic.

8points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#99

When dealing with a salesperson, they will wait for a third "Hard no" before ending their sales pitch

juiceboxheero Report

Final score:

5points

Tobias Meiner 6 years ago

If they continue their pitch after your second 'no', it means they are not in the least concerned about you. Leave and never do business with that establishment.

8points

View more comments

#100

Data caps on mobile internet plans.

Aplejax04 Report

Final score:

4points

Carlin Scott 7 years ago

T-mobile unlimited high-speed data* *slows to a crawl after 2GB.

6points

View more comments

#101

If you work at a place that sells lottery tickets--scratch offs--you can grab a roll, scratch off as many as you want until you find a winner, then buy all the ones you've scratched, including the winner, of course, and maybe a few beyond that. Anyway, there's no way to prove you didn't buy them first, so cash in!
I've read a couple of news accounts where convenience store employees won big doing this.

Final score:

4points

Victor Calamity

Black Dahlia 6 years ago

Except most rolls contain far more losers than winners and the sales price is almost always larger than the winnings. This tactic will seldom work.

17points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#102

Extreme markup for quick, shitty quality.
Worked here for six years but not anymore so f*ck it.
Getting a large job done at Kinkos (FedEx Office)? Don't need it for a few days to a week? Don't be a shithead and say, "I need this done now/ASAP". If you do that, it gets produced "in-house" and you'll pay up the ASS. Instead, ask for a bid.
If your bid is over $250, say no. They WILL drop your price by 10%. It's called "10 to win" as in they drop your bid by 10% to win your business.
If your bid is over $750, say HELL NO. Tell them you wish to speak directly with their National Bid Center. You will get a call within 24 hours and your price will be dropped DRAMATICALLY. I've literally seen a $5k order get dropped to $750.
They then send your order off either to their CPC (Central Production Center), OR they literally call another local company and they do it. Either way, the quality of work will be a million times better than if they ran it on their shitty Canon machines that break down constantly.
One last thing: NEVER print from their computers. If you need something small done quickly, AT LEAST have your file(s) on a USB stick or in your email as attachments so that you may use their (hit & miss) cloud service. You're looking at minimum $0.99/page for color plus computer time charged per minute v. around $0.50/page for color and no computer charges.
Better yet, befriend an employee and find out what company they send shit out to locally. Look up their web page, call them for a quote, and be amazed as your price literally drops 50% (100% markup when they outsource).
Edit: Forgot to add that the employee you want to befriend will need to be at minimum an LPC, or lead project coordinator, and even then they might have no clue where it gets sent to. You want the one you see behind the printing counter that seems to ignore you until someone else helps you.

DanaLovesVidya Report

Final score:

3points

Black Dahlia 6 years ago

I read this twice and still don't understand what it's about.

12points

View More Replies...

View more comments

ADVERTISEMENT

#103

Making an "expansion pass" and only including 2 of your 4 DLC in it.

jeff5551 Report

Final score:

3points

ispeak catanese 7 years ago

I have no idea what this means *find myself buying it anyway*

7points

View more comments

#104

Wage theft. That shit is way too common.

Bootziscool Report

Final score:

1point

Tinfoil Hatter 6 years ago

Yea , steeling is bad hmkay !

1point

View more comments

#105

This submission is hidden. Click here to view.

#105

Leave collection .....they just trow it back if no one is looking

Final score:

-5points

Phillip Moderow 6 years ago

Octopus growing toothpaste.

4points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#106

This submission is hidden. Click here to view.

#106

Any food that has garlic added to them, contains spoiled food. If you ever see a garlic shrimp special, it is unsafe to eat.

Garlic is there to hide the flavour of spoilt food.

Final score:

-8points

George Beckingham 7 years ago

So all Italian food is spoiled? I call BS.

23points

View More Replies...

View more comments

Greta Jaruševičiūtė

Greta is a Photo Editor-in-Chief at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication.In 2016, she graduated from Digital Advertising courses where she had an opportunity to meet and learn from industry professionals. In the same year, she started working at Bored Panda as a photo editor.Greta is a coffeeholic and cannot survive a day without 5 cups of coffee... and her cute, big-eared dog.Her biggest open secret: she is a gamer with a giant gaming backlog.

Greta is a Photo Editor-in-Chief at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication.In 2016, she graduated from Digital Advertising courses where she had an opportunity to meet and learn from industry professionals. In the same year, she started working at Bored Panda as a photo editor.Greta is a coffeeholic and cannot survive a day without 5 cups of coffee... and her cute, big-eared dog.Her biggest open secret: she is a gamer with a giant gaming backlog.

What do you think ?

Colin Bayler 7 years ago

Buying a home? Always talk to the letter carrier for that route. He/she will let you know about any problems or bad neighbors.

6points

CelSlade 7 years ago

I'd like to add one - Scratch and Win cards in magazines and newspapers. You always 'win' the most valuable item, and to claim it you have to call this extremely expensive number and hold on for up to half an hour while they spout bumf at you. So you get a massive phone bill and never see your 'prize'.

3points

.gas. 7 years ago

Not sure why people didn't know this stuff. Stores purposely create a false sense of urgency ("only two more left at this price!") to make you think you're getting a good deal. And they wonder why everyone's going online where they can instantly compare prices...

3points

Load More Comments

Colin Bayler 7 years ago

Buying a home? Always talk to the letter carrier for that route. He/she will let you know about any problems or bad neighbors.

6points

CelSlade 7 years ago

I'd like to add one - Scratch and Win cards in magazines and newspapers. You always 'win' the most valuable item, and to claim it you have to call this extremely expensive number and hold on for up to half an hour while they spout bumf at you. So you get a massive phone bill and never see your 'prize'.

3points

.gas. 7 years ago

Not sure why people didn't know this stuff. Stores purposely create a false sense of urgency ("only two more left at this price!") to make you think you're getting a good deal. And they wonder why everyone's going online where they can instantly compare prices...

3points

Load More Comments

Related on Bored Panda

Related on Bored Panda

Trending on Bored Panda

Also on Bored Panda