Ripoffs more frequent by the day.

[Die Judicii]

It’s thoroughly downheartening, the sheer volume of recently published accounts of adverts or instances where the general public are being ripped off. Ranging from Easter eggs to Superannuation. Especially of late, this trend has exploded. One in particular that i absolutely deplore is from most of the tire companies. Is the average consumer that stupid to believe,,, “Buy three and get the fourth one free”. ?? Can anyone post up an example of a genuine Ad that doesn’t rip consumers off or that is NOT misleading ??

[straightshooter]

Advertising, to some extent and scams in totality rely on gullibility.
If one traces the etymology of the word gullible through it's various usage it goes back all the way to the Latin word gula which simply means greed.
The 'something for nothing' mindset is as pervasive and exploitable today as it ever was.

[alexjones]

Who is the idiot? The consumer who buys this crap or the merchant who makes the money selling it? I would say the consumer.

[alexjones]

Like at the servo. Would you like to buy this drink and chocolate bar and you will save 8c a litre. So i save $4 on fuel but have to spend $8 to get it? So I am out of pocket $4.

A lot of idiots fall for that type of stuff because they can not do basic maths.

[Wapiti]

Who is the idiot? The consumer who buys this crap or the merchant who makes the money selling it? I would say the consumer.

Alex, don't you need to buy anything?

I went in to get some blue-stripe poly fittings to connect some shed tanks to a new pump to the house tanks, (hasnt meaningfully rained along the Qld/NSW border rivers area since July 25, not that anyone even cares) and the irrigation supply joint said,

" Lucky you're getting all this now, next supplier delivery the maker (Aussie made) is upping the prices by 45%"
I said, WTF?
"Yes, they say the cost of the poly beads has risen 60% just this week, why? The cost of oil and gas for the manufacturer, they've just sent us info what this mess has caused them to be exposed to."
I said, you've got heaps of these, how will you know which ones will go up?
"All of them, we can't spend days separating thousands of pieces of old stock in hundreds of sizes from new stock, they all are used in different volumes depending on size, demand and agricultural needs of day-by-day... who pays for that? Margins are at rock bottom now"

That's just a drop in the ocean of the hundreds of items we use and need out here ON TOP of everything else you do too like groceries and energy to the home.
For me to go get this stuff is a 250km round trip.
No buses running on batteries down the street.
No couriers come out here. If you could afford them.

I wanted 4 steel castors for a workshop crane yesterday. On top of the $200 each was a courier charge from NSW for $300, to send to the nearest depot... another 250km round trip in time and fuel. Ain't no posty dropping that stuff off.

Respectfully, I don't think anyone can see past the concrete gutter out in front of their suburban house.
Unless this is sorted out real fast, comfortable society as we all know it is going to decend into madness. Oh well, at least down south there aren't any machetes.

[deye243]

Just look at fuel prices here we are paying 36% more but the rest of the Western world only paying between 16 and 13% extra

[mchughcb]

Ironically I buy 3, get the 4th free from bob jane t marts. Nothing is free but buying 4 separately costs way more than changing all tires at once assuming you regularly rotate them.

[Die Judicii]

Just look at fuel prices here we are paying 36% more but the rest of the Western world only paying between 16 and 13% extra

Not doubting you in the slightest Mate, (I certainly havnt researched it) but if your correct,, where are the xtra $$ going and who is getting it

[GQshayne]

It’s thoroughly downheartening, the sheer volume of recently published accounts of adverts or instances where the general public are being ripped off. Ranging from Easter eggs to Superannuation. Especially of late, this trend has exploded. One in particular that i absolutely deplore is from most of the tire companies. Is the average consumer that stupid to believe,,, “Buy three and get the fourth one free”. ?? Can anyone post up an example of a genuine Ad that doesn’t rip consumers off or that is NOT misleading ??

My last lot of tyres for my Patrol had me looking for a well priced option, as at about $400 per tyre if you can save a dollar you need to. Enter Yokohama with "buy 3 get one free", which applied to the Geolander AT that was on the short list of quality tyres. I think they are as good if not better than others I have used. So instead of about $1600 it cost me about $1300 with a wheel alignment.

[deye243]

You don't have to be a bloody brain surgeon to work out you're buying 4 bloody tires for Christ's sake look at the cost go to another place I bet you it's dearer and if they're saying pay for three get one free divide it belying 4 you'll soon know what you're paying per tyre around here there are two places doing that and yeah they're way cheaper than the other mobs like bridge stone who don't do it

[mchughcb]

Last time I checked I bought eco tires and they were 135 each. So they rounded it down gave me 4 for $400. Ill be getting close to 60k+ with those and dropped my consumption by 0.5l/100km as they are 51psi