Which industry has the biggest laugh at their customers' expense?

Totally…In addition, many consultants are working in both public and private practice.

I’ve worked for companies who had in their contract, terms which rightly and rigidly prohibited employees from doing ANY paid work for anyone else.

there is a notable consultant who works in the Mater, Mater private and another privately owned and ran facility …. How exactly is that permitted. ? I view public healthcare patients as customers due to the fact we pay taxes…

Great thread - Everywhere I look now I see price gouging and the more threads like this that hopefully open peoples eyes the better. keep it up folks.

Possibly not too well known, but in Ireland there is a Long Term Illness Scheme since 1970 which gives free prescription meds to people with specified medical conditions. The problem is that it never added any new medical conditions to the list as far as I know. So people with things like Crohn's do not qualify. Even better than free medicines with a Medical Card, no 50 cent charge, if that is still a thing. No means test, free to millionaires if they want it.

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/drugs_and_medicines/long_term_illness_scheme.html#:~:text=If%20you%20have%20a%20medical,for%20at%20least%20one%20year.

Car insurance. Mandated by law, costs an arm and a leg, and when people get into an accident they will specifically not make a claim OR ELSE.

Zero actual value-add to society, price hikes constantly based on lies.

Institutes of third-level "education".

I never told anybody where to live SO that is all in your head. Just you don't get to dictate our constitution and if you don't like it you will have to move because it isn't going to change.

I worked with people on social services and strangely I don't think they are parasites like you. I am not the one telling people how to live it is you.

I am Irish but never claimed to represent the people but I do know our constitution which you don't. You can be sure more of the tax is mine than yours and I have just as much right as you to complain or applaud how it is spent so we have equal rights. You just don't know what you have a say in. If you don't like the constitution that will remain your problem

You told me to move I'm not moving anyhwee certainly not for some eejit who insists there only viewpoint to being Irish .

We don't have a constitution that forces us to pay humungous taxes really not sure what you are waffling on about. You are just typical of those who like to tell others they are 'wrong' or 'bad people' because they don't agree with you.

Again I never said my view point is the only valid one and said the opposite that our votes are equal. The constitution stands and if you don't like it and want something else you would need to move. Your choice but screaming about social services and what they pay for means nothing. You want to live by different rules but the constitution is there stopping what you want.

Again want to say what percentage of your income is taxed? You proved yourself ignorant of what tax % you pay. You were wrong that is no way my fault. Not sure where I said bad people so I think you made that up. It is no way my fault you are ignorant as you have made the choice not to look up taxes nor our constitution so it is wilful.

Sounds like something a shill for big-pharma would say, I've got a tincture of turmeric in my pantry that will sort you out.

Alcohol, same reason (ok, maybe without the bets)

If a scumbag runs me over or dents my car, 9 in 10 cases they didn't have insurance.

If somebody insured does, they will pay out of pocket, because they're blackmailed to by the insurance industry.

Once the higher price is not above the legal maximum then all is good. Competition kicks in, and you can choose whichever you want. What would be a disgrace is if traders were organising a price fixing cartel.

https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/si/293/made/en/print

And because the margins are so small their call centre staff are underpaid and overworked

How can you choose between competitors if they won't give you a clear fare price in advance?

Catholic Church an the famous money boxes that get passed around to keep the roof fixes or heating on.

To directly answer the question, it has to be the gambling industry.

It's their objective to take your money, and they don't give anything in return (funny tweets aside), they just facilitate your loss*.

They're eveywhere too. All over sport (ad-breaks, jersey sponsors, ad breaks, pitch boards, ad breaks) And on laughing, I've seen Jeff Stelling promoting SkyBet during ad breaks for The Office.

Helps that they've pretty much got free reign to do whatever they want in Ireland too. Regulation non-existent.

I've been away years and am astonished at the number of betting shops and now casinos over the length and breadth of Ireland. That doesn't even cover online gambling obviously. Bit of a shocker and I feel really bad for the gambling addicts out there, no escape.

Besides, they aren't even proper casinos and entertainment venues like you might see in Las Vegas or Macau.

The ‘downloadables’ industry. People are buying journals for €15+ to print out themselves at home or use on tablets.

The only cost for the seller is the time designing it and taking two minutes to email it on (but there’s probably automated software available for that). Maybe time for marketing to start with but once you’re doing well on Etsy, you’ll show up high in the search results anyway.