What are the largest rip offs in society today and what do you do about it??

johnsazzr · 04-20-2009, 03:41 PM

I'll start with some emotional, timeless ripoffs that really piss me off :

1) Weddings ..been married twice...was widowed..

2) Babies..got 3

3) Funerals. have dealt with 2 directly..my first wife and my father...

archanfel · 04-20-2009, 03:46 PM

What do you mean by "rip offs"? Are you saying they are too costly or are you saying they are unnecessary?

johnsazzr · 04-20-2009, 03:59 PM

They are certainly necessary but the majority play on the emotions of consumers in the worst way..hence rip-offs

canabiz · 04-20-2009, 04:04 PM

#2 is a matter of personal choice. Different people have different reasons to have kids and not to have them. You may as well add pets to your list.

lb71 · 04-20-2009, 04:06 PM

I understand where you are coming from. Thankfully up to now I have not had to deal with #3, but I can understand how someone in an unexpected emotional state could be taken advantage of. #1 and #2 are all a matter of personal preferences and how much you want to conform to society's norms.

johnsazzr · 04-20-2009, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by canabiz

#2 is a matter of personal choice. Different people have different reasons to have kids and not to have them. You may as well add pets to your list.

I was referring more to the discretionary costs associated with having babies...ie have you ever been into a higher end baby store....I remember walking into one in Sudbury of all places prior to our first child being born and they had a lovely selection of baby gear, goodies and furniture. I particularily noticed a nice crib which appeared to be hardwood.. maple me thinks..and I noticed the price tag of $350 (1994) I commented to my wife that this did not seem unreasonable for an attractive, seemingly well built crib....she proceeded to CORRECT me by indicating that the price tag I was looking at was just for the bedding "ensemble" !....how I hate that word.."ensemble"

But then we even used cloth diapers..which were free, as my mother-in-law made them on her surger...

Spidey · 05-16-2009, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnsazzr

I'll start with some emotional, timeless ripoffs that really piss me off :

1) Weddings ..been married twice...was widowed..

2) Babies..got 3

3) Funerals. have dealt with 2 directly..my first wife and my father...

Respectfully, I don't agree that any of the above are necessarily ripoffs, because at least you have choices on how much you want to spend and where you spend your money. To take the first example, its totally up to the couple whether they want an inexpensive or lavish wedding.

What I find to be ripoffs are expenses where the consumer doesn't have realistic choices. Utility companies really bug me -- when you open a new account they charge an account opening fee which I believe is somewhere in the neighbourhood of $150. What business without a monopoly would charge you for becoming a client? On top of that, instead of a straight charge per kilowatt hour on our hydro bill, we are charged for delivery charges, debt repayment charges, etc.

mfd · 05-16-2009, 11:44 AM

I understand where John is coming from. All of the things he's listed people tend to have emotional responses to and can cause a lot of stress in ones life which makes them susceptible to bad financial decisions.

I would have to add major home renovations. I'm not talking about looking for someone to paint a room. I'm talking about the renovations that impact your life. Things like kitchen and bathroom remodels. These are always delayed and in the end you get to a point where you'll pay anything to get the job done.

Rickson9 · 05-16-2009, 12:56 PM

Cool topic!

1) Cars
2) Jewelry
3) Pharmaceuticals
4) Cigarettes

Working in the pharmaceutical industry I am familiar with the amount of profit the companies make and although we don't smoke, I have a feeling the margins are very similar.

We didn't think our wedding was a rip off because we both have small families and it was a family-only wedding. We don't consider children a rip off only because we know beforehand that children will be very expensive (financially and emotionally). Fortunately we haven't had to deal with a funeral.

msimms · 05-16-2009, 01:40 PM

1) Cars
2) Fixing the Cars
3) Pretty Women
4) Booze
5) Cigs
7) Food purchased at the Airport or Hockey Game / Organic Food
8) Gasoline
9) Real-estate purchased in the Greater Vancouver Area.

05-16-2009, 11:44 AM	#8
mfd Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 185	I understand where John is coming from. All of the things he's listed people tend to have emotional responses to and can cause a lot of stress in ones life which makes them susceptible to bad financial decisions. I would have to add major home renovations. I'm not talking about looking for someone to paint a room. I'm talking about the renovations that impact your life. Things like kitchen and bathroom remodels. These are always delayed and in the end you get to a point where you'll pay anything to get the job done. __________________ My Findependence Day My Wealth, Savings and Investing Goals to Reaching Financial Independence

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04-20-2009, 03:41 PM	#1
johnsazzr Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ontario Posts: 26	What are the largest rip offs in society today and what do you do about it?? I'll start with some emotional, timeless ripoffs that really piss me off : 1) Weddings ..been married twice...was widowed.. 2) Babies..got 3 3) Funerals. have dealt with 2 directly..my first wife and my father...

04-20-2009, 03:46 PM	#2
archanfel Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 154	What do you mean by "rip offs"? Are you saying they are too costly or are you saying they are unnecessary?

04-20-2009, 03:59 PM	#3
johnsazzr Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ontario Posts: 26	They are certainly necessary but the majority play on the emotions of consumers in the worst way..hence rip-offs

04-20-2009, 04:04 PM	#4
canabiz Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 151	#2 is a matter of personal choice. Different people have different reasons to have kids and not to have them. You may as well add pets to your list.

04-20-2009, 04:06 PM	#5
lb71 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 184	I understand where you are coming from. Thankfully up to now I have not had to deal with #3, but I can understand how someone in an unexpected emotional state could be taken advantage of. #1 and #2 are all a matter of personal preferences and how much you want to conform to society's norms.

05-16-2009, 12:56 PM	#9
Rickson9 Banned Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Mississauga, Ontario Posts: 702	Cool topic! 1) Cars 2) Jewelry 3) Pharmaceuticals 4) Cigarettes Working in the pharmaceutical industry I am familiar with the amount of profit the companies make and although we don't smoke, I have a feeling the margins are very similar. We didn't think our wedding was a rip off because we both have small families and it was a family-only wedding. We don't consider children a rip off only because we know beforehand that children will be very expensive (financially and emotionally). Fortunately we haven't had to deal with a funeral.

05-16-2009, 01:40 PM	#10
msimms Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 37	1) Cars 2) Fixing the Cars 3) Pretty Women 4) Booze 5) Cigs 7) Food purchased at the Airport or Hockey Game / Organic Food 8) Gasoline 9) Real-estate purchased in the Greater Vancouver Area.