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People Confess The Shadiest Practices From Their Profession Most People Don't Know About

People Confess The Shadiest Practices From Their Profession Most People Don't Know About
Free-Images / Pixabay

One Reddit user asked:

What are some shady practices in your line of work that the average person doesn't know about?


So listen ... normally we start these articles with an intro to set thing up ... but fam. This whole thread was such an eye-opening dumpster fire that there really isn't anything to say.

Just look at this mess. Look at it. Look at it and cringe.

Dispatch Lies To Hospitals All The Time

Ambo GIF by St John AmbulanceGiphy

Worked for a private ambulance service that would still run high priority calls out of hospitals (if the sending hospital couldn't provide a service, either due to no personnel or equipment) or nursing homes/care facilities that didn't want to overuse 911.

Dispatch would lie ALL THE TIME about our ETA's to facilities. Say one of our units was 40 minutes away. Hospital would call us, dispatch would say 20 minutes, that way the hospital wouldn't call another service that might be closer. And by the time the sending hospital realized we weren't there in the time quoted, it would be too late/silly to call another service.

In other words, critical care was often delayed to make a set number of calls since calls = money.

- Proverbs10_4

Specialty Boxes

Many moving companies will force you to buy overpriced specialty boxes--I'm talking like thirty-forty bucks--for things like your tv or mattress so ask about that beforehand. We do charge $10 for a mattress bag if it's unwrapped as a bedbug precaution but that is clearly stated in writing beforehand and price is not jacked up.

Also, especially in NYC and Philly, many movers will charge the client for a parking ticket--that is not legal.

- manwithavandotcom

Lawyer's Intimidation Tactics

Lawyers have a bunch of opportunities to be shady. Just going to list one of the worst offenders below. Standard disclaimer that this isn't legal advice and I'm not your attorney.

Shady lawyers bully average people ALL the time with sh!tty intimidation tactics. These bad lawyers count on you not knowing your rights or just shutting down because 'a lawyer' is yelling legal terms (I know it sounds like a commercial but it's absolutely true).

For example, debt collection companies routinely hassle people with debt that is past the statute of limitations (SOL). When a claim is past the SOL, that means its almost impossible to sue someone on the claim. But that doesn't stop them from being cunts and sending scary letters with big red font. They are just hoping you give up, don't ask an independent attorney for help, and pay them.

- MeowSchwitzInThere

End Of The Fiscal Year Spending Spree

In case you didn't know, the government is incredibly irresponsible with your money, particularly as the fiscal year comes to a close.

Everybody is familiar with the concept of fallout money or spend down- the idea where you spend your remaining budget in an all out-spending-spree in order to justify retaining the same budget for next year. It's so wasteful.

My office of appx 40 people spent 120k in a week on sh!t none of us need. We had brand new office chairs last year. Bought new ones, the most expensive ones we could find, at that. We all got new monitors (that we didn't need) and four 70' plasma TVs that we're trying to figure out where to hang.

We didn't need any of this stuff. We blew through all of that money and we are a SMALL office. At the end of every fiscal year, the federal government pisses away hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars on dumb sh!t just so we can all say, "Yup, gonna need that same budget for next year."

If we didn't penalize being responsible spenders, we could fund all sorts of programs without needing to raise taxes/draft new legislation/enter the political mudslinging arena, but nope- instead, I have a brand new chair, monitor, and giant TV in my office.

- WatchTheBoom

Spotify Is Making Bank

Jimmy Fallon Dancing GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonGiphy

Oh man - musician here - there are so many layers. But I'll start with the biggest issue. That song you heard on the radio? The artist or band who played it? They're the last people to get paid and often paid the least.

For example, a single Spotify stream returns about .00034 cents per stream to the artist. Meaning if you listened to the song 1000 times they're still not receiving a dollar. While Spotify is making BANK.

- stikkybiscuits

Here's Why You Hate Your Bank's Customer Service

When you call your bank, there's a better than solid chance you're not talking to anyone who works for your bank. You're probably talking to someone who works for a company like Fiserv. Any single employee can be answering calls for 20+ banks at a time. Say you're calling Navy Federal Credit union. The Fiserv employee gets your call. Just before you come on the line, an automated message tells the agent you're calling Navy Federal, so they say "Thanks for calling Navy Federal." The call they got just before yours was answered as: "Thanks for calling Bank of America."

And here's the worst part, they can't really do sh!t to help you besides reset your password for your online account or something of that nature. They're trained to just transfer you if you need any actual help with your account. But when they transfer you over to the actual bank, that bank may be backed up. If the wait is really long, they'll just reroute you back to the Fiserv queue. Right back to someone who cannot help you.

If you hate your bank's customer service, this is probably why.

- CDC_

Passengers Mail And Luggage

I work in the airline industry. Heard a story from my coworker about another station going through passengers mail and luggage and stealing any valuables. Laptops, phones, gift cards but mainly electronics. There was a system of maybe 20 workers in on it including people working the cameras. They got busted and there was a deep police investigation. A lot more than 20 people got fired and charged.

One thing that was messed up, the thieves would bribe other workers with the valuables they stole and if that person accepted without knowing what was really going on then they got fired too.

"Hey can you cover my shift? I'll give you this 100 dollar gift card." Unknowing worker accepts thinking its a sweet deal and gets fired during investigation. Smh

- CyberPunk77

Re-Sticker The Store

I used to work for a well known supplement store... Let's say it's 3 letters that start with G and ends with C.

The week before any big sales, we would have to re-sticker everything in the store. The items that were due to go on sale would go up in price, so that "save 30%" was actually more like saving 5%

- PokeyGumdrops

The Poor Schmuck Who Got Stuck With The Bag

I'm an attorney so nothing shady we do isn't well known but there is one area of law that really bothers me. There's something called the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Basically, don't do something oversees that is illegal here.

Big example is bribery. The fines for it are a joke for the company but for the individual can be life destroying. Here is what happens and EVERYONE knows it except for the poor schmuck who go stuck with the bag.

They hire some business student fresh out of school and give him the job of export manager in some country that basically requires bribes. They offer a salary that anyone would jump at. The poor schmuck eventually finds himself in a situation where he pretty much has to offer a bribe in order to meet a quota/deadline. He does.

The company then does an "investigation" and are shocked (shocked, I tell you) to find this guy paid a sunshine payment. They self report to the government and pay some tiny little fine. The fine is less or sometimes nothing since it's just an "oopsie" and the government goes after the poor schmuck instead. And the schmuck get his life destroyed.

The company then goes back to some business school and find another schmuck. Rinse and repeat. I always feel so sorry for these guys.

- voice_of_craisin

Through Another Office

I work for a major market research company. We fudge the numbers heavily and do business with countries that are illegal to do business with. The work around is that we have an office in a country that can work with the country that we can't work with so we do business with them through another office.

- Preparation_Asleep

Driven By Money And Greed

I worked for a cardiac holter monitoring company as a holter technician. In the beginning when I started working there it was a small amount of patients, then our small company got bought out by a large corporation.

This meant that we had more doctors' offices signed up with our service, more patients and a shit ton more reports to do. In order to keep the dollars rolling in and scans rolling out, they basically had asked us to let the program run the EKG with little to no editing, which was literally never accurate due to artifact and interference as the patient wore the monitor. Jeopardizing people's lives in the process.

I brought this up multiple times how this wasn't right and there's just no way we could possibly be sending these reports out to doctors offices. Got fired. LOL.

Also heard by my friend still working there they have gotten in trouble for a patient passing away on the monitor and it was not on the report as asystole.

As much as I had dreamed all my life to get into healthcare, I found it is pretty much always driven by money and greed.

- xccrunky

Attracting Anti-Mark Tourists

I don't work here anymore, but I worked a part time job in the tourist trap part of town until my actual job started this past summer.

They instructed us to not wear masks because it would bring in foot traffic from the anti-mask tourists. It worked, but holy shit did I quit so quickly and have to borrow money from my parents so I could pay rent without putting myself and others at risk.

F*ck that place.

- FunkySpiders

Sure To End Up Sick With Something

I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but as someone who works in catering/parties, it's pretty unsanitary. It's true for most food-oriented businesses, but it's a pretty big deal right now.

We have parties back to back in the middle of a pandemic with no sanitary measurements in between.

Hell, the bathrooms don't get cleaned for days at a time. You're touching stuff potentially hundreds of other people touched before you. Masks aren't enforced either.

I can't fathom how people think they're safe not wearing masks in a room full of hundreds of others not wearing masks. You're just one of many - and if something as basic as masks aren't enforced, what makes you think something as complicated as complete sanitation would be, either?

We're not allowed to leave the floor or wash our hands, so I'm putting straws into your drinks and handing you food right after picking used plates and dirty silverware up. Even if you don't wind up with COVID, you're sure to end up sick with something.

- colakit

Whatever Ashes

I work for a veterinary who also owns a crematory. My boss is a very upstanding person and would never do this, but some crematories will stack a bunch of animals together and give them whatever they scoop out, so you may not even be getting any of your pet back even if you are paying more for individual cremation.

- Spare_Volume_8025

It's All A Scam

I work in commercial construction.

It's all a scam. The price the contractor gives you isn't what it will really cost to do the job. The first price you get is just to get their foot in the door. Then they nickel and dime you with change-orders.

Some contractors are actually honest, but you'll almost always get screwed if you're going low bid. Good rule of thumb:

  1. Always have 15% extra money for contingency....but never let your contractor know that it exists.
-

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Two identical goats stare into the camera while standing in a field.
Photo by Jørgen Håland

When discussing love and relationships, the motto is usually less is more.

But what if there is more of one partner?

Being involved with identical twins can be quite the experience.

Can you really tell them apart?

Is everything identical?

If you're attracted to one, aren't you automatically attracted to the other?

So many questions.

Now we need some answers.

Redditor nicknamesofdaveryder wanted to hear about love and the twin experience, so they asked:

"Redditors who married someone with an identical twin sibling, why are you glad you're not with the other twin instead?"

I've never met a lot of twins, let alone gotten involved with a pair.

I have questions.

Hopefully I get some answers.

Saved

Comedy Central Wink GIF by Drunk HistoryGiphy

"My late husband's twin was a non-functioning alcoholic and my husband wasn’t. My husband says joining the navy was what saved him from going down that road."

iteachag5

Falling Asleep

"Story time! I am an identical twin (we still look so much alike!) and one night I spent the night at her house. She and I fell asleep in the same bed because we were up late talking, etc. Her husband slept on the couch. The next morning my twin went to take a shower and her husband laid down on the bed with me (thinking it was her of course). I jokingly said 'Hey sailor, looking for a little variety?' He shot off the bed and said 'If I was looking for variety, do you think I'd choose you??'"

tanyagal2

The Good Guy And The Other One

"I didn't marry him but I dated an identical twin. His twin's girlfriend and I used to joke around that she got the evil twin. He was just a selfish, messed-up person. One of the benefits of breaking up with my boyfriend was no longer having his twin in my life. Plus, his ex gf and I are still great friends! The good guy was just the lesser evil. She wanted to get as far away from that family as I did. The best thing to come out of those relationships was our friendship."

super-ro

Love Wins

"My dad's an identical twin. People have a hard time distinguishing them, but to my mom and me, they look like two completely different people because of the way they walk/talk/etc. Obviously, my mom only fell in love with this one person. When you love someone it's actually pretty easy to tell identical twins apart."

michaelsgavin

Issues

Threaten Ashley Olsen GIFGiphy

"The other twin has the same personality as I do. We argue readily and are super competitive with each other. We butt heads on a lot of issues."

why_not_send_a_nude

Personality clashes aren't just a twin thing.

It's a human thing.

We can't help ourselves.

Different People

Triplets GIF by RuPaul's Drag RaceGiphy

"I work with a guy who married an identical triplet, one of the triplets also works with us. I asked him one day if it was weird working with someone who looked just like his wife. He got a little pissed and basically said they are all very different people and he doesn't see much of his wife in her."

LeafMeAlone_99

He's Evil

"We’re not married but known each other since we were 12 and have been together 3 and a half years. His twin is a massive di**head who tried to break us up multiple times, was madly in love with me in his own words, and after 2 years of pursuing me declared I was a terrible person and put him through hell. Because I didn’t break up with his TWIN BROTHER to date him."

xMollyP

Life Choices

"My husband and his twin brother look very different to me, although they are identical and get mistaken for one another all the time. They couldn’t be more different in terms of personality. They have different values and life goals, hobbies, one is introverted and the other is extroverted. If they were two people who didn’t look alike, I would automatically not be attracted to my brother-in-law simply because we are not remotely compatible personality-wise."

"Also they have very different styles. I do not find the way my husband’s twin dresses/grooms his hair attractive. It’s so wild to me when people can’t tell them apart because they couldn’t be more different in my eyes."

lanieeeeeeee

Opposites

"Well, my wife and I have been together for 30 years. She has a 'mirror' twin. Even now, if you don’t know them well or interact frequently you will not be able to tell them apart. They are complete opposites. I married the extrovert, she has never met a stranger, will try anything at least once, and can find a positive aspect in almost everything she encounters, they are also best friends, my wife drags her sister along all the time."

"Once she’s out she enjoys our activities. I love my SIL, all three of them, but so glad I married the one like me. The mirror part even goes for looks, when I see my wife’s reflection I see my SIL, it’s weird sometimes. Also, attitude and personality are everything, I have never been 'attracted' to her twin."

redbonecouchhound

The Look

Sexy Damon Wayans Jr GIF by Global TVGiphy

"I used to date an identical twin. Although I found his brother objectively handsome, I wasn't attracted to him at all. It was cool to directly experience how attraction goes far beyond just the looks."

Liatessa

I've never been intrigued by twins, and now I never will be.

confused man in blue t-shirt

Sander Sammy on Unsplash

My Father was considered a genius.

At 16 he graduated high school as Valedictorian, joined the United States Navy as soon as he turned 17 then was promptly recruited by Admiral Hyman Rickover's team converting the Navy from diesel to nuclear power.

He served as a nuclear and electrical engineer on naval vessels after the conversion project ended, then as a reactor inspector for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after retiring from the Navy.

He also needed a full time babysitter in order to survive. Things like paying bills, buying groceries, feeding himself all escaped him. He lacked any semblance of common sense.

Really smart people doing very unsmart things isn't uncommon.

And sometimes a person is labeled a genius who's really an idiot with good brand marketing.

Keep reading...Show less

Corporations don't get big overnight.

A lot of tough decisions, big wins, and sometimes even bigger losses, go into their growth.

But sometimes companies make mistakes that the public simply cannot let slide, and it can be hard to imagine how the company could stay afloat after the backlash.

Redditor Astro_Shogun asked:

"What decision by a company received the most amount of backlash from the public?"

Dang It, Photobucket

"When Photobucket decided to take the whole internet hostage by asking for 400 dollars a year for what was previously a free image storage solution. The move broke years of forum posting and erased a significant portion of the web collective knowledge."

- denpo

"Yup. And now they're holding almost all of my son's childhood photos (some of which I managed to save in other places) hostage."

- KnockMeYourLobes

"Browse any forum thread from the early 2000s and practically all the images are gone because everyone used Photobucket back then. It will be the same way with Reddit whenever Imgur goes under."

- NothingOld7527

So Salesy

"JCPenny doing away with sales and trying to present itself as a more upscale store. Sales immediately plummeted, and they reversed course quickly."

- flyingcircusdog

Cheap Jewelry

"Gerald Ratner said the reason his jewelry company could sell stuff so cheap was because the products were crap. It destroyed the company overnight."

- simplemtbman

Front Wheel Drive

"Ford, in the '80s, tried to replace the aging Fox body Mustang with a front-wheel drive, Mazda-based car. This was pre-internet, but car people got UPSET and deluged Ford with a letter expressing their anger."

"Ford backtracked, kept the Fox body around, and released the vehicle that was going to be the new Mustang as the Probe. It lasted two generations, but the Mustang soldiers on."

- StillN0tATony

Online Only

"Microsoft got roasted when they announced Kinect and always-online were required for the Xbox One. Took all the momentum they had from the 360 era and put them miles behind Sony."

- Jerry_Williams89

Childhood: Destroyed

"Sonic having human teeth."

- LightDash

"I just immediately pictured teeth in a Sonic milkshake and had a horrified reaction before my brain caught up to you meaning the character."

- Rolizas

Questionable Upgrades

"Very recently, T-Mobile. A company that 10 years ago called itself the Uncarrier by making a series of pro-consumer changes to its plans and the previous CEO built almost a sort of cult of fans of the company. Then T-Mobile acquired Sprint and got a new CEO."

"A couple of weeks ago, T-Mobile internal documentation revealed it was going to automatically upgrade customers on old grandfathered plans up to new plans, which were more expensive. Customers would have to call in to opt out of the change. 'They weren’t raising customers’ rates, they were moving them to better plans.'"

"Well, major tech news got ahold of that, and then even some local news stations, and T-Mobile quietly 'clarified' a week later via internal communications that only one percent of their customers would be affected."

- artimaticus8

Coming Together in Hate

"Anyone remember the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad when she solved police brutality?"

- vernon3

"Those moments are precious. There are a few things these days that bring everyone on the Internet together. That was one of those things. We all hated the Pepsi ad that solved police brutality."

"That ad had it all. Pandering, ignorance, arrogance, and talking down to their audience."

- notwoutmyprob

"And a Kardashian."

- Kitchen_action

With Every Purchase

"I couple of years back a local Detroit area car dealership decided the best way to celebrate MLK day was to give away free car alarms with every purchase."

"Nobody liked that."

- graveybrains

A Sale Gone Too Well

"Hoover UK offering two free flights to America if you spend £100 on their products. They anticipated that people would spend a lot more than the minimum required which would cover the approximately £600 value of the tickets."

"When the company was deluged with purchases around the £100 mark, they reneged on the offer, which prompted a very expensive lawsuit. The fallout was so bad that the UK division of the firm was sold to a rival company."

- Live-Dance-2641

New Drink, Who Dis?

"New Coke."

- PeggyWithPhatA**

"After the relations disaster, the public clamored for the decision to be reversed, and Coca-Cola released 'Coke Classic.'"

"Coke Classic soon had an even higher market share than Coke did before the public relations fiasco, and a new theory made the rounds: that Coca-Cola deliberately made these decisions, simply to gain publicity, and increase market share."

"The reaction from Coca-Cola’s executives was, 'We aren’t that smart, and we aren’t that stupid.'"

- Malthus1

A Tweet Turned Sexist

"Burger King stating that 'Women Belong in the Kitchen.' What they were TRYING to say was that they wanted more diversity. People didn't see it that way, and in the end, they had to issue an apology."

- zerbey

The Downfall of an Incredible Publication

"Here’s one there should be a public outcry about."

"Disney bought National Geographic and controls everything it does. This is the last year the iconic magazine will be available. I’m incensed."

- redheadMInerd2

(The writer of this article is equally incensed.)

Predicting the Future

"I feel like whatever YouTube is cooking up lately will be the next one."

- Just_Aioli_1233

"Tech companies sure know how to kill off highly popular and profitable apps, super quick. It’s interesting to watch it happen in real-time. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, all losing tons of followers and destroying their own stock."

- Eleanor_of_Accutane

It's easy to see how all of these mistakes resulted in huge backlash, sometimes at the total expense and downfall of the business.

But some of these mistakes were made by companies that are still huge today, and to a certain extent, that's kind of surprising.