Ripped-off: 'Fess Up!

tbh

On Pigheads records thread myself and connundrum were talking about how we'd paid way over the odds for stuff.

So, how much is the most you've ever been ripped off for? How did you find out, and did you do anything about it?

I was in Hong Kong, and was looking for a PSP when I got talked into looking at a video camera. I ended up paying 300 for it, even tho I kinda knew it wasn't worth anything near that. For some reason I just found myself going along with it, I tried to haggle a bit or whatever, but I guess I was excited at getting a video camera - I always get a little 'rush' when I'm buying gadgets. Anyway, I got back to the hotel and saw it was retailing for about $100 (US), it was an end-of-line, soon-to-be-obseleted model and worse, was the US model. I was thinking of going back to the shop, but I figured it was my mistake...probably would go back if it happened now. At the time I kind of figured it was just best to chalk it up to experience

Ponster

Bought 512Mb of RAM from ebay in 2000 for €120 (I think). I was living in LA, needed it badly and was stuck for cash. So I found someone selling it for about $15 cheaper than I could get it in town and it was someone from Dublin so how could I go wrong?

What's that? You don't accept Paypal? Postal money order into your account is the only way? No problem....

I did **** all about it because I'm typically Irish.

Creamy Goodness

i paid 90 euros for a rare 3 track ep from biffy clyro. only 1000 of them made so...

but 90 euros is the going rate for them on ebay when (if they pop up).

GrumPy

I paid €150 for an amd 3500+ So939 processor about 2 months ago, I could get a 3700+ on komplett now for €135.

TerrorFirmer

Irish GrumPy wrote:

I paid €150 for an amd 3500+ So939 processor about 2 months ago, I could get a 3700+ on komplett now for €135.

Ah thats not so bad. At least you still have a good cpu. Same with Cremo - expensive, but thats the going rate. Sounds like tbh and especially ponster - at least tbh still has something to show - got ripped off big style though!!

I've not been really ever ripped off before, I'm really careful about buying electronics/comp parts etc....trying to think of a tale but none spring to mind! In fact I'm the opposite - I go to places like Spain, Portugal, where those cheap shops sell all the dodgey equipemnt and I love haggling with those foreign middle eastern guys.... I have bought loads of stuff for chips, like an mp3 player for 20 euro, a 512mb mmc card for 15 euro (back when they were really expensive, about 2002).....:D

FillSpectre

You weren't ripped of you were stupid. In my opinion if you have a choice then you aren't ripped off. You bought goods for an agreed price and the goods were exactly as they were described.
A rip off is where the product doesn't do what it was meant to do or you have no choice but to buy at an over inflated.

To verify a rip of you need to know it is over inflated price. The fact some goods are more expensive in this country is not proof of a rip off either unless you know the expense break down. People will disagree with this but end price proves nothing. A different tax system,employment rates, insurance etc... will always effect price.

The likes of Eddie Hobbes misleading people to compare in this manner are the real rip offs. They make people unhappy and remove responsibility from the consumer and increase resentment while disgusing their entertianmnet as fact. I have always been suprised he didn't start quoting how he could pay somebodye €10 to kill somebody in South Africa yet it is €500 here.:rolleyes:

tbh

FillSpectre wrote:

You weren't ripped of you were stupid.

ah totally, but I don't want to get into the whole "what constitutes a rip-off" thing, I just want a few anecdotes from people have shopped in the "shop with the big windows", so to speak.

Slice

I know Brown Thomas mark up their shoes.

I used to work in a shoe shop and the price difference between a line of designer shoes between ourselves and the only other stockist (Brown Thomas) was a hefty €50-60.

I would say if buying anything from Brown Thomas to check if there are any other stockists on the product's website beforehand

Stephen

I bought a mobile phone off ebay for what was then the going rate for that particular model. It turned out to be stolen/reported lost (i.e. insurance scam) and barred from all UK networks. Luckily I traveled to england the week after I bought it and found out that it was barred, and managed to get my money back from the bastard through paypal's protection.

mel123

Slice wrote:

I know Brown Thomas mark up their shoes.

Well of course, every retailer marks up everything????

Slice

My point is that the mark up with Brown Thomas was €50 greater than the mark up in my shop - I think most people would agree that's a rip off.

FillSpectre

Slice wrote:

I know Brown Thomas mark up their shoes.

I used to work in a shoe shop and the price difference between a line of designer shoes between ourselves and the only other stockist (Brown Thomas) was a hefty €50-60.

I would say if buying anything from Brown Thomas to check if there are any other stockists on the product's website beforehand

Do you know how much money it costs to light and insure their shop? Do they pay their staff better? Is your store on the same high priced street? Do you know the cost to BT from the manufacturer?

More expensive doesn't make it a rip off, it makes it more expensive.

I am sure you will get people to agree it is a rip iff but it still doesn't make it fact

Slice

Well given the fact that the place I worked is in the same area as Brown Thomas and didn't have the same economies of scale that Brown Thomas would enjoy then: YES, I would go so far as to say their price is a rip off.

I don't know what point you're trying to make Fillspectre or what interests you're serving but you seem to be very hostile to points made in this thread.

I would say from a consumer's point of view being asked to pay €50 more for a pair of trainers in Brown Thomas compared to a shop just down the road is a rip off whatever way you want to look at it. What's more I wouldn't say anyone walks into Brown Thomas and thinks "Yea, I will pay significantly more for this product because I can see that this shop has higher overheads and pays their staff more".

I was just trying to make the point that prices can be lower elsewhere and I don't think that just because someone didn't get something at the cheapest price makes them an 'idiot' as you would put it.

parsi

Slice wrote:

Well given the fact that the place I worked is in the same area as Brown Thomas and didn't have the same economies of scale that Brown Thomas would enjoy then: YES, I would go so far as to say their price is a rip off.

I don't know what point you're trying to make Fillspectre or what interests you're serving but you seem to be very hostile to points made in this thread.

I would say from a consumer's point of view being asked to pay €50 more for a pair of trainers in Brown Thomas compared to a shop just down the road is a rip off whatever way you want to look at it. What's more I wouldn't say anyone walks into Brown Thomas and thinks "Yea, I will pay significantly more for this product because I can see that this shop has higher overheads and pays their staff more".

I was just trying to make the point that prices can be lower elsewhere and I don't think that just because someone didn't get something at the cheapest price makes them an 'idiot' as you would put it.

When all petrol stations in an area charge the same for petrol it's described as a cartel. If one of them charges more than the rest it's called a rip-off.... (or so the AA would say).

I think it's good that we can find shops that sell for less than other shops - that's why people look for a bargain and shop around. If all shops were charging the same for a particular item one would wonder is there a cartel in action. How come no-one sells 2litres of milk for less than 1.19 ?

What is a ripoff is the "booking fees" on tickets - there's no way to avoid paying them. So why not quote the prices as including fees ? Ripoffs take place in situations where there's no competition and no way of avoiding the charges...