Insurance And Large Corporations

These Redditors were almost taken for a ride by greedy companies but were wise to their ways

Really Bad Connection

"My utility company overcharged me $266.00 for random 'connection fees' when I'd already been a customer for a dozen years. It took weeks of arguing with them, speaking to various customer service reps (who each provided slightly different answers) for them to finally agree that they made an error and would refund the money."

"'Ok sir, our apologies for the error. You'll receive the funds via cheque in 6 - 8 weeks.'"

"Uhhhh, what the ever loving kind of bullsh*t is this? I have direct deposit set up with you, you withdrew the incorrect funds instantaneously. Just put the money back. Or e-transfer it to me. If I took 8 weeks to send you funds when I made an error you'd cut me off or send me to collections."

– kor_hookmaster

Change Of Tune

"Got called into a meeting with a former boss. Turns out some product I'd shipped went to the buyer's house instead of the shop's address. My boss, someone from HR, and the sales person were in the meeting. Boss went up one side of me and down the other, telling me I'm an idiot for making the mistake, he thought I was smarter than that, blah blah blah. The customer canceled the huge order so we had to pay to get the product back. It was going to cost thousands of dollars."

"Then the salesperson gave me a copy of the order to look at. Yup, looks like I'd shipped it to the wrong place. So I grabbed my copy of the order, with my initials on it to say I'd picked and shipped it...and the addresses were reversed. The salesperson swapped them. I had no idea, I'm just in shipping. I ship to the 'Ship To' address. I point this out to my boss, HR, and the salesperson.

"My boss said 'oh, that's a simple mistake. Could have happened to anyone. No big deal. Let's just go back to work.'"

"What. The. F'K. I was livid. I asked why ten seconds prior I was an a**hole about to be written up but now that it's the sales person's fault it's no biggie? Never got an answer."

Shady Insurance Company

"I looked at my health insurance statement/bill after an ACL surgery. The statement had a section that said 'here's what you would have paid without insurance: $101,895' but because I had insurance the 'negotiated rate' was like $6,000. So by paying for insurance I was saving something like $95k! Well, I started doing some research and discovered that the initial number over $100k is just a made up figure. The insurance company didn't pay $95k, they just 'negotiated' the cost down and claimed that means they covered that $95k cost that never really existed. I then did some more math and realized that I paid more out of pocket for my surgery between my deductible, copay, and coinsurance than my insurance actually paid. And those rat f'ks still take a piece of every paycheck. That was when I leaned just how f'king useless the private healthcare system in the US is."

– backcountry8591

Billing Error

"I lived in a house share and through a series of unfortunate events, ended up with the water & power bill in my name. Then the utility company didn't read my meters for 22 months. A bill showed up one day in my name for $15,000. I wasn't the person in charge of the revolving door of short term roommates so I got stuck with most of the bill to the tune of $800/month. 2 years after I paid it off, I received a letter in the mail from the company saying there was a billing error and a check for $8000. A**holes. They ruined my life and I almost had to file for bankruptcy."

– wine_n_mrbean

Lowest Wages

"The owner of the last company I worked for used to say 'low skill, low wages.' He'd pay his warehouse guys minimum wage, and give maybe a 2% raise each year. He'd also be shocked when guys would quit without giving notice because they found a job paying above minimum wage elsewhere."

"One time half the employees quit in a single week and the owner was confused why so many people quit at once. He even went so far as to call a meeting and ask the remaining guys if they'd quit without notice. When they all said yes, he told them he was sad to learn loyalty was dead. Those dudes laughed in his face."

– Papabearto2

Being Served

We live in one of the most litigious countries in the world. These Redditors were furious over how much people took advantage of the system in the hopes of getting an exorbitant amount of money from them.

Exploitation Of Preexisting Injuries

"Came home to a summons last Friday. It was from a guy I got into a fender bender with (less than 10 mph, I was backing out of a parking spot onto the road) in 2018. He is trying to get $70k from me because of medical bills and lost wages. My insurance agency has been telling him to pound sand for the last 2 years (he was trying to pass off pre-existing injuries as a result from the accident). He was initially trying to get $30k from them. His 'last option' after getting nothing from my insurance is to sue me directly. My insurance is now hiring a lawyer on my behalf to fight him for me."

– Sirhc978

Who Is Responsible?

"My daughter fell down in Walmart and broke her arm. She fell down on a clean, dry section of the floor. Not at all the store's fault. One of their loss prevention people asked me what they could have done to prevent the accident. I said, 'Not let eight-year-old girls into your store.'"

"Later on when relating the incident, people ask me why I still have to work. As if I was supposed to immediately jump onto the litigation gravy train. I'm making a mental note to not trust people with that attitude."

– EvilSnack

Speaking Of Walmart

"Worked for walmart, can confirm this is basically what they would say."

"One of my coworkers fell off of a ladder and broke her leg. Someone had packed a box too full and put it on the top shelf and so she lost her balance. Walmart wouldnt pay any kind of workmans comp or anything because they said 'she didnt do the company-prescribed pre work stretches prior to clocking in' and so that meant she was 'working unsafely', so it was her fault. She also got docked on attendance for missing the rest of the day and the next shift."

– EcceMachina

Greedy Pizza Guy

"I hit a pizza delivery guy (100% my fault) He was out of work for 3 days while the shop fixed his car. My insurance company paid for the repairs and offered him the $50k from the policy limits. He refused. He tried to sue me for $100k for missed work and medical treatments. He couldn't provide proof injury or even a visit to the doctor. My insurance company hired a lawyer and he got $0. The original $50 grand is probably a lot more than a pizza delivery driver makes in a year but this guy got greedy and received nothing in return."

– BlackSwann0316

Ignoring Dog Warning Signs

"Welp... A state Marshall came to serve me papers. I was in my back yard after work with my dogs running around playing. I was expecting a friend so i thought nothing of it when they ran down the driveway (out of my site). Instead of trying to go to my front door this a**hole walks past the white flags indicating an electric dog fence, and the beware of dogs sign. My female dog jumped on him. He then punched her in the head. At which point she NIPPED him. One tiny little puncture. He called the cops, and an ambulance... He asked the emt how many stitches hed need and they sort of scoffed and said u just need a band-aid. So he subsequently sued me for 15k citing that he can no longer live his life to it's fullest and lost partial use of his arm."

– MattyRixz

Challenging Institutions

When grade school teachers feel like they are being challenged by a young student, their instinct is to punish them.

As kids, these Redditors were pushed into various zones of "punishment" by their teachers for doing nothing wrong.

Things were not any better at a youth group for one Redditor who was genuinely a very curious person.

Stuck In The Red Zone

"When I was in primary school, one of my teachers was, for some reason, telling us about bees. She said the normal stuff like the social hierarchy, different roles in a hive, ect. But then she gets into the differences of different types of bees' bodies, and tells us that bees sting with their feet. Obviously I raised my hand to dispute this, and explained that bees actually do not sting with their feet, and she tells me of for 'talking back' for a few minutes, and makes me move my name into the 'red zone' (it seemed like a big deal at the time, ok?). After the lesson, I go up to her and ask if she can look it up, and the says no, I ask why, and she yells at me again, leaving 7 year old me almost in tears. For the rest of my time there I had no respect for her, and she was one of the most hated teachers in school."

– Interesting-Health36

In The Yellow Zone

"Aw man, when I was 5, my tutor told everybody to go to the front to sit on the rug. The person who sat beside me left their seat out, so I was unable to get past. So naturally, I push the seat in, as well as my own. Took barely any time, and although I was one of the last to get to the rug, nobody was waiting for me (others were slower). I was one of the furthest away from the front, so obviously it would take me longer to get there, and I knew this so went fast."

"The tutor told me off for 'dilly dallying' and 'wasting time'. She moved my name into the yellow zone. This was the first time I had ever had my name in the yellow zone (and the next time was 5 YEARS after that - I was a good kid). I was determined not to get upset as she'd told a kid off for that a few days prior. So she left me, a tiny 5 year old goody-two-shoes, desperately fighting tears for PUSHING IN TWO SEATS while on the way to do as she'd asked. Go to hell, Ms S."

– IHateTheLetter-C-

Consequences Of Being Inquisitive

"First time I went to a youth group at my local Christian church, and I got kicked out by the pastors son, for simply asking questions. I wasn't trying to show anyone up or prove a point...I wasn't raised in a traditionally religious home, I really knew nothing at that time."

– yellowgrizzlyfucker

Curses For Catholic School

"I identify with this so hard. In the 3rd grade, me and another kid got a 'referral' (basically one step lower than detention, it was a piece of paper we had to get signed by our parents that let them know we got in trouble) for pretending to push each other after an assembly. Mind you, we were not actually pushing each other, but merely miming the hand movements of a push, and laughing about it. God d*mn Catholic school, god d*mn Mrs. MacDermot."

– SuicideBonger

Kicked Out Of Youth Group

"First time I went to a youth group at my local Christian church, and I got kicked out by the pastors son, for simply asking questions. I wasn't trying to show anyone up or prove a point...I wasn't raised in a traditionally religious home, I really knew nothing at that time."

– yellowgrizzlyfucker

Attendance Rule

"When I was in college there was a class were you had to be present for at least 80% of the lessons or you would fail. Last 2 weeks of the class and I get really sick, Pfeiffers."

"I already did so much work on my assignment by then I didnt wanna fail the class on the stupid attendace rule. So I show up looking like a zombie, high fever, drugged on too much advil, naproxen and Redbull. The professor sends me home, and sais we will work out a way around the attendance rule. I thank her so much and go back to bed. Finish everything to pass from home, got a good grade. The b*tch failed me anyway because I wasnt present for at least 80%."

– CoastalFred

Calling BS on a situation is a good thing. For the most part.

Whether it is someone trying to defraud you of your finances or even in casual situations where an unqualified person is spouting falsehoods to come off as an expert on a given topic, putting these charlatans in their place can prevent them from continuing to take advantage of others.

But just make sure you tell your smart kids not to piss off their teachers if they detect BS in class.

Otherwise, they may find themselves in the red zone and still talk about it after they've grown up.