Unethical Business Practices

[Hilly]

Well, I'm both glad and disheartened to see that this kind of stuff has happened to others.

You know, I'm really beginnning to think the real reason for the turmoil in the world today is not because this person is conservative or that person is liberal, not because this person is a member of a church or that person is an atheist, not because this person is one color and that person is a different color... I think the real problem is that somewhere along the line lots of people in our society decided "Anything is okay as long as you can justify it!" Morals and ethics are thrown out the window in the pursuit of more, more, more.

I wish I was smart enough to know how to fix this. Unfortunately, the only idea I've come up with is to try to set a good example for others. And, I suspect someone else already figured that out, so it's not even MY idea!

Trooper Chuck, I don't think setting a good example in this world will get you anywhere, either. Just think of all us who pay our taxes, work every day, take responsibilitiey for our actions, make our house payments on time, pay our debts, and mind our own business. Where is it getting us? It's sad but true.

[kiwidownunder]

Hello there Trooper Chuck.

Would be great if we could fix that problem but as someone else said it does not work that why in this day and age. My experience is that If you do unto others as we wish them to do to you, you will get taken for the biggest ride of your life. I was bought up that why, and have yet to get much in return. It seems if you act, or try to set an example for others the more others will hurt you in the process. Others do not think of anything but how can I get some money , goods, or free work out of you. And if you know that you are being taken, and tell them to stop, you become a B****** or B*******, not them.

I have had those so called cancelled payments go through and ended up in a major pickle. Very hard to fix as most of the time when you call those places they have a computer talking on thier behalf. Or someone you can not understand from China or somewhere.

And you know with the way the gove's making things a lot tougher it will get worse.

Well thats it from me.

Kiwi

[rhallskid]

Trooper Chuck, I don't think setting a good example in this world will get you anywhere, either. Just think of all us who pay our taxes, work every day, take responsibilitiey for our actions, make our house payments on time, pay our debts, and mind our own business. Where is it getting us? It's sad but true.

Isn't that a shame. But at least WE can sleep at night. Even if it is in a tent at some point. I just wasn't brought up this way. I don't get it, I feel like I teach my kids to be honest and caring, and tolerant, so they can have a better world, so OTHERs can have a better world when we are gone. These big corp thieves need to be punished, it is infuriating. If I speed my A.. gets a ticket! Grrrr... ok moving on

[wildrose]

I'm with rhallskid. I know not everyone here believes in the Bible, but I do, and it clearly says that those who do good are going to suffer for it in their present time. After all, look how much Jesus suffered, and He never did anything wrong.

So should we just give up and follow the crowd? NO. Evil will get its reward in the end.

As to the original point: there definitely are unscrupulous business out there to get every last buck they can. It is up to the discerning consumer to not let them get their way.

[JohnBarton]

The idea behind this business model is to milk as much money from people as possible due to the fact that in general we are a busier people and less apt to track all the small charges we are hit with all the time.

This is the same principle with rebates, and store cash cards, they know that a certain percentage of the population WILL not cash in the value or will forget the small balances and then it becomes free money.

I think that if there were a law that allowed a credit card company to charge a merchant DOUBLE when they falsely charge someone then a lot of this nonsense would stop.

However here is the kicker, the credit card companies have NO INCENTIVE to stop these abusive practices. This is because they make money ON BOTH ENDS - they make money off of the card holder through the fact that they license the use of the VISA/MASTERCARD logo. The banks that back the credit cards make money on the interest and fees. And then VISA makes money off of the credit card processors who accept your card.

Why do you think it is that credit cards are so easy to use? No pin number, most of the time no I.D. needed? Because if they make them harder to use, i.e. merchants have to re-authorize through one-time pin #s, more cumbersome authentications, single-user only, sort of stuff then credit card use will decline by a large margin.

There is a new book out called, I think, Nickled and Dimed, which outlines how we are being bled by all the surcharges, hidden fees, opt-out subscriptions, and the like.

The Eskimos figured out that they can kill a polar bear by lacing a knife with blood and the bear will lick it until he himself bleeds to death. Corporate America has figured out that they can bleed the American consumer to death in the same way.

[Windy]

A few years ago there was a smart guy who had a

great idea. He printed a newspaper on his computer

printer. He was the only subscriber. He then got the

local paper and got the addresses of all the businesses

,that ran classified ads,he could and printed the same

ad in his paper. Then he billed the businesses for running

their ad in his paper. Not surprising he made a ton of

money afore someone discovered what he was doing.

Another good one is the company who prints posters

telling employees their rights. They send me a letter

every year telling me how it is illegal not posting this

poster.Fos a small fee they will mail the poster that

brings me up to par with the law that will put me in

the hoosecow if I do not conform.The return address

sounds like it is a state agency. However upon close

inspection one finds it is a private company scamming

all the business people who have limited reading abilities.

By the way I canceled my subscription to Mother Earth

News two years ago. I was informed by mail last week

that they wanted to keep me in good standing by

renewing my subscription by mail afore it expired next

month. They offered a great price , just the

same I was not interested. Dang gone it if the phone

did not ring the next day. Yep you guesses it , it was

the Mother Earth News calling to let me know my

subscription was about to expire and since I was such

a good customer whom they hated to see miss an issue.

They wanted to renew my subscription for , are you ready,

for fifty percent more than the mail offer.

WINDY....... Not really a conspiracy theorist.

[Shorts]

TrooperChuck, we've found that Sports Illustrated employs the same practice of automatically charging credit cards. We've been trying to cancel the subscription for years yet they still show up and we are still charged. We also subscribed to Men's Health but it went the way of trash as far as content goes for our tastes. There was another men's magazine that seemed to show more mature content but that's neight here nor there for the topic.

Being ripped off with no rightfully easy customer recourseis truly sad. It's along the same lines as a good samaritan jumping in to assist in an emergency situation, then getting sued. Gee, I wonder why society has gone downhill