Car Dealership
I don't often get ripped off, but when I do, it's pretty big rip off...

I worked at a car dealership for a few months. I needed to find a new job damn quick, and thought I'd give it a shot.

I was given training by an "outside consultant" who told us (a class of about eight blokes), halfway through the first day, that the training would cost $600.

Not to worry - I managed to work a deal with them whereby $300 would be deducted on my first two pay days.

We were bombarded with a load of promises: excellent pay plan - a quarter of the gross profit on each car, plus decent bonuses and spiffs.

Trouble is, you can't pay a percentage of a negative number. That's right, folks - they were taking a loss on pretty much every new car (and some used, too) and paying the salesmen "minis". The spiffs stopped the week I got there. And the bonuses were damn near impossible to achieve.

Did I mention the sixty-to-seventy-hour weeks? Oh, and the fact that you had to fight like a bastard to get ANYTHING sorted out ("A scratch on the door? Oh, I'll deal with it...later...")? And that no one's pay was right? I think I had one paycheck that was correct, and I was one of the lucky few.

There was a change of management while I was there, and that was only four months. The longest-serving salesman had been there just under one year, and he had seen a staggering FOUR management changes.

I worked out that, during four months of working my balls off, I had made less per hour than someone working on the counter at WalMart.
(Nardis, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 14:24, Reply)

I was sold this job.....
I was told that it was a friendly, people orientated company who really invested in their staff and their development. Now I find I'm working for a bunch of power crazed dictators who believe in getting blood out of their terrorised IT support staff and who pay the absolute minimum to the lower levels they can get a way with. And of course, because they get most of their people in young who don't know any better most of the poor barstewards in IT support are too demoralised and scared to look elsewhere for a job. Not me, I'm out of here...
(mrsfluffles Bitter & twisted? Probably., Thu 22 Feb 2007, 13:57, Reply)

Plastic Pig...
Was walking past a shop (whilst drunk), when out of the corner of my eye I spotted a full size* plastic pig. Well it had to be bought! So went into said shop and and purchased the pig for the bargin price of £50. I then had no money for beer so sobbered up pretty quickly adn realised that a plastic pig is not worth 50 quid, I had been ripped off and the money would have been better wasted on drink. Although it is doing pretty well as a makeshift close pig at the momment.

* I don't think I have ever seen pig that wasn't in the form of bacon or sausage, but its about 1.2m long and about 0.5m high.

I guess the above * qualifys for a lenght comment. Don't think plastic pig has any apologies he has a pretty smug look on his face.
(Hello?, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 13:56, Reply)

Vietnam
All travellers get ripped off, however i liked to feel i was above such things. That was before a group of twunts in a hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam.

On leaving the airport in a crowded mini-van, a woman and i were the last to be dropped off at the hotel we'd chosen from the Rough Guide. Unsurprisingly we were told it was 'gone', and that they knew somewhere. Late at night we didn't have much choice. The place turned out to be nice and $10 a night, plus tax. The next day i booked my onward ticket to Hue as well as a trip to Halong Bay, both involving tax.

As i left the hotel, they refused to give me my train ticket, insisting they would take me. 2 hours later after waiting in the hotel lobby. One of the young twunts summoned me to a taxi, which i had to pay for, to the station. The young twunt showed me to the carriage dorm where'd i'd stay. Then gave me my ticket and quickly left the carriage. Looking at the cost of the ticket, i had been ripped off as it was half the price i'd paid.

On reaching Hue, i got to a hotel. I was told the room was $12. I asked did that include tax? "tax" they queried, there is no tax.
me: "Arghhhhhhhhh"

Those little twunts had ripped me off good and proper.

no apologies for length, just girth
(EveningVicar, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 13:26, Reply)

Rules of being ripped off:
You have been ripped off when you have paid for something which clearly is isn't e.g the watch you got in Tenerife is unlikely to be a Tag Heuer.

You have not been ripped off when:

What you've paid for is exactly what it's supposed to be but you don't have a clue how to use it or

What you've paid for is exactly what it's supposed to be but you failed to ask the right questions or

What you've paid for is exactly what it's supposed to be but you never read the instructions / conditions / limitations.

In short, the fact that you've been stupid enough to pay out for something you can't use is not my fault and it doesn't matter how many times you ask the same question, threaten to call Trading Standards (or Trade And Standards - sheesh), write to_______* (*insert publication of your choice that you picked at random as you collected your 'usual magazine' from the newsagents), phone local radio / Watchdog etc you will never be able to absolve the fact that the two miracles that brought you into this world (those being that you beat the other 5m sperm and mustered sufficient effort to find your way out 9 months later) are not enough and at some point you will need to admit you are stupid.

This message brought to you by everyone who works in any customer service environment.
(Danny Fishcharge Half arsed, smart arsed, on & off a lard arse sinc, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 13:21, Reply)

On the subject of rip offs...
Just read my email from the Prime Minister, saying that in response to an on line petition from myself and 1.8 million other people, his latest pet cash cow - Oops! I mean, "Road Pricing Scheme" isn't about a "big-brother state". Oh, so that's okay then.

There I was hoping for clear and explicit guidelines as to what safeguards will be in place to ensure that road pricing data won't be abused and how the billions of £s from a captive customer base will be spent on ensuring my train will actually turn up and not smell of vomit, but seeing as the email came from the PM himself then that's all okay then. I'll happily let the cunt put his hand in my wallet up to the wrist so that I can actually get to work.

To make matters worse, I hear that Gordon Brown is penning his fifteen volume tome entitled "Social problems which may be solved through excessive and thinly disguised taxation".

I soon expect him to install a camera on the end of my knob so that a "Length pricing scheme" is calculated accordingly.

If Watchdog was allowed to investigate the current bunch of robbing cretins in charge then they'd have a field day. Cunts.
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Thu 22 Feb 2007, 12:46, Reply)

I've just remebered...
...that I bought an MP3 player from a website for a m8's xmas present and it didn't arrive in time, so I got one twice as good for the same price on the high street - go figure.

Between one thing and another I've not thought about it since until reading this QOTW today - do you know, the fucking thing still hasn't arrived?. The cheek of it.

Thing is, if I was them and some chap contacted them 3 months after-the-fact to say thay they never received Item A, I'd be skeptical, and probably tell said chap to piss off in as diplomatic a manner as possible. What are my chances, do you think?
(thatblokeoverthere not quite as much an arsehole as I thought, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 12:02, Reply)

REALLY DULL...
But my bank, with whom I have a credit card too that I pay for by DD decided to change my payment date without telling me to the day BEFORE I get paid. So my payment bounced and I got hammered for charges on my card and by my bank. I wrote to my bank manager who didnt even trouble himself to reply.

I know its rubbish and girly but I was upset - it was so cynical.

If they do it again I am going to set Flibbley on them, they will soil themselves when they see him storm through the door..
(Siouxfan I'm not staring at you, I am just short sighted, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 11:47, Reply)

british gas 3
76 hours, 3 plumbers, 15 hours spent waiting in and 137 phone calls later (all from me to them at £145 a minute from a BT line) and i still have no heating, no hot water, no pretty gas fire and no cooking facilities.

when i rang last night, i was told that all the important people went home at 5pm. yes. home to their nice warm houses for a hot bath and a freshly cooked meal.

i hate them. i hate them all. they must die. preferably by being gassed.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 11:36, Reply)

Morrissey
was good at sport at school.

I...I'm sorry, I can't talk about it.
(apeloverage committed the vile act of onanism on, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 11:03, Reply)

A friend
who worked in a second hand record shop told us about a Japanese guy who regularly bought "rare" records in their shop. One time, he was looking for a signed copy of "Never Mind the Bollocks".

They didn't have one. Four people and one magic marker later, they did. Ker-ching!

Then there was the time I took 'rip-off' too literally.
(apeloverage committed the vile act of onanism on, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 11:02, Reply)

On watchdog 5 times
I used to work for a company that was on watchdog 5 times and later got shut down by the DTI. It sold concert tickets well above face value,
me on the phone 'Yes we have madonna tickets face value is £150, our price is £1779 per ticket.' We were always the company that was featured in papers when they talked about the excessive prices of tickets.

It wasn't just that we sold tickets at such a high price it was that often the people didn't get their tickets in the end and they were cancelled at the last minute/5 minutes before the show.

One of the biggest cons was 'venue representative' someone hasn't got their tickets and had to go and get the tickets from a tout minutes before the gig started. We would give his 'contact details' aka his fake name and his 2nd mobile phone number which he wouldn't turn on until he had enough tickets.On some venue collection nights we used to unplug the phones in the office so people couldn't bother us as eventually they'd get through to the tout and get their tickets(hopefully)

Within a week of the company getting shut down by the DTI, another company was up'n'running supposedly not connected with the boss but owned by someone who worked for the company. Also another company with london in the name was set up in hungary by the boss to sell tickets. Both sites have since been on watchdog. Nothing changes.
(can_you_guess_what_it_is, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 10:52, Reply)

Bath Spa Railway station
Having just been fleeced for your ticket downstairs, the nightmare doesn't end once you're in the station. The shop on Platform 2 sells McCoy's crisps for 68p a bag, whereas in the vending machine RIGHT NEXT TO THE SHOP the same crisps are 60p. This flagrant rip-off irritates me so much I've taken to redirecting fellow commuters outside when I see them picking crisps up in the shop.

I see myself as a sort of Robin Hood figure, really. Those 8p's add up, you know.
( Olembe Refuses to write in this space, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 10:30, Reply)

For all those complaining about car parts
Find a decent breakers yard, get a second hand part, fit it yourself. Some jobs may need a garage, in which case find a decent independant one, and not a dealer who wants every penny possible out of you.
( Greenbat, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 8:19, Reply)

Dodgy Chinese taxi drivers always try to rip-off foreigners
About 4 this morning, my friend and I got back into town from a holiday in the Philippines. The usual fare between our part of town and the airport is about 80 RMB, so we thought we had it covered.
About halfway through the trip, the guy's meter fell off the dashboard and reset. No problem, we think, might get a cheaper fare!
Imagine our reaction when the fare magically turns out to be 282 RMB ... after 24 hours of travelling, transferring (we got a cheap route, no direct flight!) and airport delays and two days of not being able to shower, we frikkin lost it.
The guy wouldn't let us out of the taxi, and we couldn't get our bags out of the boot of the car without his key, so we had to sit for over half an hour yelling with this guy.
He didn't speak English, we don't speak Chinese, but the message was pretty clear - we weren't paying more than 100, and he was threatening to take US to the police for trying to rip HIM off!
I started trying to ring the Chinese manager of our school (at 5 am, she wasn't too impressed), and when I got through I explained, then handed him my mobile.
He started yelling at HER, too, with the typical attitude of Chinese men towards women.
Eventually he let us go for the 'bargain' price of 150 RMB. Cunt.

*Yeah, I know it isn't that high a price if you convert RMB into dollars, but it's the principle*
(Celerydemon, Thu 22 Feb 2007, 3:31, Reply)

It must be true what the papers say...
...we really are living in rip-off Britain...
(spangledonkey I've got a mouse. His name is Gerald., Wed 21 Feb 2007, 23:18, Reply)

Had a new clutch
put in the car about six months ago. On Sunday, one of the springs sheered off at 70 miles hour, wrecking the clutch and sending sharp pieces of metal straight into the gearbox, puncturing the housing, which pissed oil down into the shaft.

I was seeing friends in York and the clutch blew up just north of Nottingham on the return journey. Had to rapidly join the AA and pay £200 for a tow home. Got home at half past two in the morning after breaking down at half past eight.

The car is now on stilts without its front feet and half the engine lying in pieces underneath it.

One shonky clutch from VAG has now cost me approximately 900 pounds, all in. Am I justified in feeling ripped off? Possibly. Am I going after VW? Definitely. And oh deary deary me, it would seem that the breakdown has given me pains in my neck and made me nervous to drive. How about that.
( Kroney, Wed 21 Feb 2007, 21:54, Reply)

I inadvertently ripped off an Amazon seller
Bought a DS game off Amazon Marketplace a few days after Christmas. Waited. Sent chasing email. Waited. Excuses/Lies. Waited. More of the same. Asked for refund. Was then given refund. Next day I received the game- effectively for nothing. No more has been said, and I'd rather not deal with them because they'd just lose the money. (This process lasted about a month.)

On a geekier note. I've been building a computer from individual components, and Dallas/Maxim do a free 'samples' thing on some of their parts, I suppose for companies developing prototypes. Thing is, it's wide open for people who only want a couple of parts each time. I've had ten chips out of them for nowt, the latest being half a meg of battery-backed RAM.

Edit: Also, my parents, who I live with, are BT customers (for phone but not internet) and British Gas customers (for central heating contract but not actual gas). BT used to regularly send us red bills but not the originals. British Gas, well when they are supposed to fix something they don't come at the right time and have minimal understanding of the actual problem. Arse, elbow.
( idonthaveafunnynickname Drink-Aware? Sure. I'm aware I want another drink., Wed 21 Feb 2007, 19:33, Reply)

Being ripped off:
Well, I live in America. I am constantly being ripped off.

As far as RIPPING people off? I once worked for a contract employer who sent me double checks in one week. I didn't say anything.
( Scoopzilla http://www.slapwatch.com now get to fuck, Wed 21 Feb 2007, 19:27, Reply)

One bird
I was once out at a bar and met a bird with a brickhouse body; young, firm, pert. Attitude wasn't bad either. Dealbreaker? Invisible but definately feelable shaved moustache.

I don't know who feels more ripped off...me, or her for being cursed with an abnormally hairy lip.
(denki, Wed 21 Feb 2007, 19:21, Reply)

Kambar coke
There is a nightclub in Cambridge called Kambar. They sell coke for £2.50 a swally. That wouldn't be to bad but they pour it in front of you into a plastic cup out of a 15p Tesco value bottle.

Mind you, that is probably a bargain compared to draft coke.
(thrain, Wed 21 Feb 2007, 18:52, Reply)

Restaurant shenanigans
Was with friends in a small Thai place, where the food had been pretty good. One of the friends we brought, unfortunately, had very bad luck eating in restaurants and said that every time she did, something bad would happen. I dismissed it as emo-womanly rambling.

Saw the truth tho when a few minutes after we sat down, we found a little catterpillar in her salad. It was green and waved its head around, and would have been cute in another time and place.

The rip-off came when they charged us for everything but the salad, even the "complementary" green tea. Boo.

Complain: Sure you might as well!
(RitalinFreak is dying in a clichéd manner, Wed 21 Feb 2007, 18:37, Reply)

Smoke filter ashtray
I recently bought a USB powered carbon filter ashtray from some dude in Hong Kong, off E-Bay.

Basically, its got a fan and a filter in it, so when the cigarette is actually sitting in the ashtray, all of the smoke gets sucked through the filter, and you room stops stinking of smoke.....

In reality, I plugged it into my USB hub and it powered up. 30 seconds later, the USB hub disconnects itself. Then reconnects itself, then disconnects itself, all the while making that incredibly annoying 'BOODIM.... BEEDUM' noise.

My Wacom is connected to said hub, so my mouse/stylus stops responding.

Not only that, the whole thing is put together so shoddily that it vibrates and just hovers around the table top (think of you mobile when its on vibrate mode). And as if it needs anything else to render it useless, the fan doesn't even suck the smoke up. Again, the shonky manufacturing standards mean that the majority of the 'suction' (think asthmatic lung cancer victim) actually blows out around the edges of the lid.

So instead of sucking the smelly smoke up and leaving my room smelling halfway clean, it just blows ash all over my desk.

Length? about 5 inches with a shiny red bulbous top.
( HoratioFellatio Taking the the out of psychotherapist, Wed 21 Feb 2007, 18:10, Reply)

Life?
I think I've lost more of my life than I should have because of b3ta!

Wacca wacca :-)
(james_tiger_woods is going to start his killing spree on the, Wed 21 Feb 2007, 17:53, Reply)