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10 Ways You're Getting Ripped Off!

                                           If you think you're getting gypped out of your money?   You are!

 

                                                               

 

The Economists call them "market inefficiencies.  Consumers call them rip-offs.  It is not considered fraud. We're talking about all the legal ways that we allow ourselves to be taken advantage of.

"Rip-off" implies choice. If there's truly no substitute for a particular good or service, then you'll put up with sticker shock. (i.e. movie theater snacks and certain life-saving medications.) That's good work for businesses that can get it, but plenty rely
on our collective naiveté, distraction, shortsightedness and high stress levels when pushing this flimflam.

To be sure, in some cases we know we're being taken but we put up with it anyway. What you may not know is just how flagrant the overchargings are.

In 2009 studies were done on these specific items.  Maybe you were effected by one of them.

#1 - Airline Club Memberships    

 

The Rip-Off: A year of access to United Airlines' Red Carpet Club costs $425, plus a $50 sign-up fee. For that you get cushy chairs, short customer service lines and peace and quiet at some of America's busiest airports. Sounds nice, except that the airline is taking you for a ride.

How to Avoid It: For $375 a year you can get a United Mileage Plus Club Visa card that earns airline miles and includes a Red Carpet Club membership. Delta Air Lines (DAL - News) and Continental offer similar deals.

#2 - Fitness Shoes     

 

The Rip-Off: Reebok's "EasyTone"; Skechers, the ShapeUp. These curved-sole shoes, transforming people into human rocking chairs, cost up to $130 and promise to keep you fit even while grocery shopping. During 2009 sales grew 14-fold to $245 million, estimates market researcher NPD. One problem: "They mostly affect the foot and ankle," says Dr. Michael Ross, director of Rothman Institute's Sports Performance Lab, which counts the Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies and Flyers among its clients. "There is no evidence they will help you tone better or quicker than a regular shoe."

How to Avoid It: Join a gym, go walking, or just exercise at home.

#3 - College Textbooks    

The Rip-Off: Textbooks cost a MINT.  Well, actually, the average American student about $900 per year. New editions often come out every three years and tend to run 45% more than used copies of previous editions. Between 1995 and 2004 textbook prices rose at more than four times the rate of inflation.  Nicole Allen, a director at Student Public Interest Research Group, a student advocacy group says that students are a captive audience since professors decide what books they need to buy.

How to Avoid It: Sites like ecampus.com and alibris.com offer better deals than campus bookstores. Then there's chegg.com, a textbook rental site.

#4 - Travel Insurance

The Rip-Off: Americans spend more than $1 billion on travel insurance (paid to agents) to guard against cancelled flights and stolen bags. Thing is, other policies usually cover the same stuff. Some homeowners' policies and credit cards cover lost luggage; airlines reimburse travelers for up to $3,000 worth of goods. "It's not a good economic decision for most people," says Robert Hunter, director of insurance at the Consumer Federation of America.

How to Avoid It: If you just can't sleep without insurance, "don't buy from someone who's selling you something else," say Hunter. "It's almost always a bad deal involving kickbacks to whoever's offering the service."

#5 - Ready-to-Drink Baby Formula    

The Rip-Off: Is it that hard to mix powder with water to feed your child? Take Enfamil's Premium Lipil. A 32-ounce can that you can crack open and serve might last a day or two. On Diapers.com a 6-pack of 32-ounce cans (192 fluid ounces of formula) costs $45, while a container of Enfamil's water-mix powder that makes 168 ounces goes for $25. That's 23.4 cents an ounce for liquid vs. 14.9 cents an ounce for powdered--a 57% markup.

How to Avoid It: Buy a $30 Brita pitcher (to purify the water), add powder, shake.

#6 - Credit Card Gift Cards      

The Rip-Off: Consumer protection types are coming down hard on aggressive credit card companies. Sometimes with gift cards, too. American Express charges $3.95 for its cards, whether you're buying a $25 card or a $3,000 one; Visa charges $3.50 for cards purchased at bank branches and tacks on a $2.50 monthly fee after the first 12 months following the purchase date. Another rub: Merchants often reject cards bearing amounts less than the price of an item. (So much for that $2.59 left on your card.)

 

How to Avoid It: Pay for it in cash, that way you don't cause yourself any debt by purchasing what you cannot afford.

#7 - Prepackaged Deli Meat

The Rip-Off: Plenty of supermarkets offer pre-sliced, prepackaged deli meats while employing lots of people to slice the same stuff at the deli counter. The grab-and-go premium? Whole Foods (WFMI - News) charges $4.29 for a 4-ounce package of
Applegate Farms soppressata. The same meat (likely fresher) at the deli counter: $13.49 per pound, or $3.37 for 4 ounces. That's a 27% markup for the packaged stuff.

How to Avoid It: Walk over to the deli counter and have them slice it for you.

#8 - "Germ-Fighting" Supplements      

 

The Rip-Off: These products initially claimed to fight germs, help battle colds and boost the immune system. They don't. In 2007 and 2008 the Federal Trade Commission charged manufacturers of three products with making false and deceptive advertising claims. All have since changed their packaging. Airborne Health, marketer of Airborne, paid $23.5 million to settle charges. CVS agreed to pay $2.8 million in consumer refunds and to stop making certain claims.

How to Avoid It: Wash your hands and get enough sleep.

#9 - Title Insurance

 

The Rip-Off: If you need a mortgage, you need title insurance. But costs and regulations vary wildly from state to state. Insurance on a $500,000 home can cost $3,000 in Houston and less than $2,000 in Boston. Your real estate broker will likely steer you to a title company with which the broker has a relationship, but it may NOT offer the best deal.

How to Avoid It: You can't avoid title insurance, but you can shop around. Your best bet: contact the company hired by the previous owner. They've already done most of the work and are likely to give you a good rate.

 

                 And Best... or should I say... the Worst for Last!

#10 - Cable Television    

 

The Rip-Off: All you want is basic cable, but your cable company wants you to have so much more, and pay through the nose for it. That's why it bundles in a whole mess of channels, including dozens that even the most feckless of couch potatoes won't watch.

How to Avoid It: Hulu.com offers thousands of videos, TV episodes (new and old) and full-length movies, all free.  You also have Veoh.com, Crackle.com, and many more.  Just go to google and type in "free online tv".  You will get literally thousands of websites.  Also, Netflix charges as little as $9 a month for access to more than 100,000 TV episodes on DVD, as well as 12,000 movies if you want to pay little for tv watching.

As we get our finances in order, we are free from the financial chains, thus causing us to have a new state of mind.

 

For additional FREE Financial and other Self-Help Articles, click on the link "Living Victoriously"

About the Author

PJ is a Christian.  She is the founder of "Living Victoriously" Company.  She is a Personal and Business Consultant, Advisor, Marketing Specialist, and Finance Coach.  If you are struggling with defeat or have questions about how to overcome certain issues, visit http://ppjones1968.blogspot.com.