Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Biggest Scams That Everyone Seems To Accept

People Share The Biggest Scams That Everyone Seems To Accept
Image by TheDigitalWay from Pixabay

While there are plenty of scams out there that scream "SKETCHY" and drive most people away immediately, there are other shake-downs that operate pretty far below the radar.


In fact, these all-too-common ploys make one wonder exactly where the line between scam and rip off actually is.

They're not scams in the formal sense. Nothing illegal is happening and nobody ever lies per se. But all the while we're shelling out way more cash than we'd like for reasons we don't quite understand.

jungledolphiiin asked, "What's the biggest scam we all just accept?"

Knowledge is Power

"COLLEGE TEXT BOOKS."

"You need edition 10 for this class. They change one chapter in the book make it a new edition over price it and f*** the college kids. Always drove me nuts when I was I college."

-- coptivity

Inch by Inch

"Commercials on subscription tv." -- Fatalis_Drakk

"This was the original point of cable TV, that you'd pay a fee for it and the shows would be commercial free." -- throwawayobviqxy

"That will bring back piracy" -- liquidsh**sinmypants

Multiple Streams of Income

"Academic journals."

"Authors need to pay to get published, but readers need to pay to read them. What a load of bullsh**." -- Nekronous

The Earliest Scam

"Mom: tell me the truth and I wont be mad" -- SkysHorrorPlace

"Or Principal: if you are the person who did this one bad thing, tell us who you are now and we won't punish you" -- go_away-im_not_here

"Same with the cops." -- mumsheila

Very Inconvenient

"Ticket master 'convenience' fees" -- s32ddd

"Convenience fees for paying online" -- __flatline__

"I always ask them, convenience to who?" -- dcotoz

"The DMV is the worst one, IMO. There's a convenience fee to pay it online, and there's a 'counter fee' to pay in person." -- JonesNate

Honoring Properly, For a Price

"How expensive funerals are. Companies are taking advantage of emotions, and it's actually cruel."

"Someone died for goodness sake, and now you want to break people's banks over it because 'it's what grandma would have wanted'!!!"

-- Funnybunnie_

Some Strategic Pricing

"Large popcorn."

"Hear me out. When the only options are a large and a small, if the large is $5 but the small is $2, the theaters don't want you to pick the small. So they'll invent a medium size."

"But instead of pricing the medium as perfectly between $2 and $5 ($3.50), they'll price the medium as slightly less than the large."

"So, in your mind, you think 'well, I could get even more popcorn for just a little bit more. I'd be a fool to miss out on that deal.'"

"The theater never wanted you to pick the medium. They just artificially made the large more attractive."

-- nWo1997

Arbitrary Valuation

"Data caps" -- TheHeroicOnion

"Seriously. It's like a nickel a TB in electricity, maybe less."

"But the ISPs and Cell Phone providers act like the data is being handled by a switchboard where people have to manually move cables around so that you can get your Facebook feed." -- Snoo74401

Growing Numb

"Being forced to always click 'I accept terms and conditions' by every company online for everything, no matter what those conditions are."

"Need to pay some medical bills? Well, you can only do it on xxx.paythedoc.cm and if you DON'T agree to terms and conditions, you can't get it done."

"Need to order a specific part from a company? Same thing. Even agreeing to Zoom meetings, if I remember correctly."

"So we've raised an entire generation of people who don't even bother reading contracts because they are conditioned to believe you have no choice but to agree to the contract."

"This is extremely insidious and there's no real recourse."

-- buggytoujour

Who Decided?

"The value of diamonds" -- C**tyMcGiggles

"My wife was talking about how she wants more/bigger diamonds for her ring for our 10 year. It's a few years away but sh** if she wants that I better start saving now."

"Then I asked how she felt about the lab diamonds. Game changer. She said they look exactly the same and would be fine with it."

"I'll possibly financially recover from this." -- Yakstein

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Joe Pesci; Donald Trump
PBS; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Resurfaced Clips From 'Sesame Street' Shed Light On Why Trump Hates PBS So Much

Friends, family, and professional associates of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump have all called out a serious lack of emotional maturity in the 78-year-old.

They've highlighted multiple instances of the former reality show host harming his own self interests for the sake of petty revenge against anyone or anything that bruises his fragile ego.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elmo
Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Headspace

Fake LinkedIn Post From 'Elmo' About Getting Laid Off From 'Sesame Street' Goes Viral—And It's Brutal

One of the Trump Administration's most recent rounds of budget-slashing was aimed squarely at NPR and PBS, the latter of which gave us one of American culture's most iconic institutions: Sesame Street.

The show's future now of course hangs in the balance, and one of its most beloved characters, Elmo, is calling it a layoff.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from video of Ken Turner, the tank, and the Tesla
Led By Donkeys

98-Year-Old WWII Vet Uses Tank To 'Crush Fascism' By Literally Crushing A Tesla In Viral Video

98-year-old British World War II veteran Ken Turner has gone viral after using a Sherman tank to crush a Tesla vehicle in an act of protest against Elon Musk and the rise of fascism around the globe.

Turner, a former Royal Engineer, crushed a Tesla electric vehicle bearing the license plate “FASCISM” in a bold protest organized by the activist group Led by Donkeys. The car, donated by a Tesla owner who said they were “appalled” by Musk’s embrace of far-right politics in Europe, was used in the dramatic stunt to symbolize resistance to rising authoritarianism.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marjorie Taylor Greene
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

MTG Just Made 'Weirdos' Jab At Dems—And Critics Turned It Right Back Around On Her

Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene found herself on the receiving end of her own attack after social media users flipped the script following Greene's criticism of Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury during a hearing about transgender athletes.

On Wednesday, Greene chaired a hearing aimed at spotlighting the stories of two activists who say they were negatively affected by the inclusion of transgender athletes in their sports leagues.

Keep ReadingShow less
Messy paint and palette set
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Hobbies People Picked Up As Adults That Made Them Unexpectedly Happy

Everyone needs something to do in their lives that's purely for joy, not for fame or work or money. It's a relaxing and enjoyable escape and can be a key part of someone's personality and lifestyle.

But sometimes, a new hobby will come in unexpectedly, when we didn't even think anything would come of it.

Keep ReadingShow less