Reddit Aggravating_Week5275 wanted to list all of the swindles we all need to be watching for, so they asked:
"What do you think is a giant scam?"
I have fallen for a few scams. I hate to say it. Ever heard of Columbia House?
Vital Needs
Diabetes Insulin GIF by diababelifeGiphy"Price of insulin."
eaa802
"Can't believe I had to scroll that much to find this answer. Or any other vital medication."
Lummita
Knowledge Scams
"Brand new college textbook prices."
NegativeReplies
"Unethical life pro tip: I’ve bought used copies and told my professor that the card didn’t come with my 'new' copy, they typically contact the publisher and get free codes. Especially if you get an old edition, you just have to skip around as the chapter order has changed but it’s the same material for pennies on the dollar. Also, many books can be downloaded for free at various online site."
Kronikinsanity
Worst ever...
"Every MLM ever."
Illustrious-Chip-245
"I used to be with one but I didn't know it was an MLM until years after I quit. I lost more money than I ever "gained" from it. When I joined I didn't know they had like a minimum amount of orders that had to be done within certain time-frames or whatever. That's part of what led me to quitting. I keep pouring money into it and over time I got less and less orders. Not worth it."
idratherchangemyold1
Digital Crap
"99.9% of NFTs."
darkhorsehance
"It’s digital proof of ownership of something, that can’t be forged, so there’s a market for things like digital tickets to events, exclusive clubs and memberships offered by companies for customers, etc."
"But in those types of cases the value is based on the real world services and goods provided by owning it (in addition to scarcity). I’m sure there will even be digital art that will increase in value over the years too, but your odds of getting one are pretty similar to your odds of winning the lottery, aka a pretty terrible investment."
Just4nsfwpics
Interruptions...
Social Media Marketing GIF by GrowthXGiphy"Majority of ads."
SujammaCartel
"It's bullcrap what I see today, especially on YT. Kids are seeing this garbage."
Efficient_Garden5976
This NFT thing sounds insane. Also... how do I make one?
I'll microwave...
Season 5 Cooking GIF by Living SingleGiphy"Cooking for 1 hour and finishing the food in 10 minutes."
BlockNarrow6745
Not so bright...
"Diamonds."
New-Sir-4662
"My wife is in the relatively minor school of thought that lab-grown diamonds are just as good as dug-out-of-the-ground diamonds. Her wedding jewelry is something like 3 or 4 carats of diamond. probably something like £6000 if we'd bought natural diamonds, but only a fraction of that in reality. We're not telling anyone. :D "
Ruadhan2300
'get a better rate'
"Credit scores. Basically, a few companies convinced us it was totally fine to take all of our financial information and sell it to others, under the guise it would help us 'get a better rate' when we wanted to borrow money. In reality, although banks do care about these credit reports, they are only checking for debt-to-income ratios and other obvious red flags. Regardless, an entire industry has sprung up around optimizing credit scores."
triley368
After we breathe...
"Funerals. This include Majority of funeral homes, coffin stuff, and making the body look pretty for said funeral. It's a pretty American thing and actually also a pretty new concept that dead bodies are gross. Until pretty recently people would keep the bodies of dead loved ones in their homes for days and even pose for pictures with them. It helped with the grieving process and it just doesn't feel natural the way we treat our dead."
yammsandasideofguac
Accolades
season 8 episode 23 GIFGiphy"Most college degrees. Unless you're aiming for an industry that requires one (doctor/lawyer/etc), it really feels like a way to saddle 17 year olds with a lifetime of debt."
CHUNKY_BLOODY_QUEEFS
So much money...
"Health care, medical insurance and medicine. I've been fighting for over a month to get life sustaining medicine approved by insurance. It's 8000 dollars self pay per month for a 10ml vial. Talk about liquid platinum... I work in the medical field and I'm paying for insurance that hasn't done a damn thing for me yet this year."
Jam_Sauce
The Moon
"Companies selling stars and acres of the moon."
Graceoc323
"Actually I did once buy my parents the name of a binary star for their anniversary. Yeah, we all know it was bogus but it was pretty fun to think there was a solar system named Mabel (red dwarf) and Frank (yellow star)."
celticxcross
What's up with that???"
"Having to pay for life-saving medicine. Like insulin. What's up with that???"
KittyMori
"Also medicine expiration dates. Most of the time they just want to make more money by having to re-fill. Or needing more medicine you need to see your doctor first which is more expenses."
Latter-Project536
America
"The American healthcare system provides the same service as most developed nations for twice the price, with the balance going primarily to a bunch of entitled hothouse flowers who inherited shares in publicly traded health insurance companies so they can fuck off and do whatever they want for their entire lives without ever being forced to provide value to other human beings. The idleness of the born rich is paid for in the blood of everyone else."
Flaky-Fellatio
a wonderful thing...
"Prayer for pay. Honestly, anyone who is preaching about the champion of the poor, whose gospel states its easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven (Mark 10:25) then drive off in a Lamborghini to his mansion is a scam artist and horrible person. Religion can be a wonderful thing, it can also be weaponized, monetized, and b**tardized by those with bad hearts, bad judgment, or bad intentions."
WarLawck
Uni
"The fact that spending thousands of money and time for college and being broke doesn't get you anywhere but a related diploma of 6months gets you a job and a better pay?? Not for all the fields of study but for the ones relevant isn't the University just scamming us?"
zakiel_faith
Fun
"Sims 4 and its respective DLCs. It's a bare bones game with like 20 hours of playtime total... and to make it fun, you need DLC. Problem is, each of the largest DLC only gives like 10ish hours of playtime. In addition, whilst playing, you'll always have that itch to buy more DLC to make the game more fun."
"Before you know it, you're $200 down the drain and only have like a chunk of the actual DLC packs, and still feel bored. Only game I am willing to pirate and I encourage others who want to play Sims 4 to do so. It's a f**king scam."
SirChopslice
Sexist
sexist GIFGiphy"The pink tax. Don't know what I'm talking about? Go buy something for men like razors or deodorant then go buy the exact same thing but the women's version. It will be more expensive. For no reason."
PartSwimming
Points
"Credit Score definitely a scam. They be like congrats you've paid your credit cards on time, here's a 7 point increase in your score also them you've spent $50 on a credit card your score has dropped 50 points. 💯 scam designed to keep you poor & in debt!"
Few_Lobster7961
Steer clear of all the scamming succubus. Succubi? You know what I mean. They are strong in numbers.
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Reddit user Ragna_Blade asked:
"Has an ad ever annoyed you enough to never buy that product? If so which one?"
I'm not gonna name names (mostly because Reddit will) but advertisers, pay attention. It turns out being annoying will only get you so far... and by "so far" I mean backwards.
It'll get you backwards.
Nobody likes being screamed at and annoyed into buying things.
Forget It, Fi
"Most recently google fi, but pretty much any unskippable ad is a guaranteed way to get me to never use a product."
- RusstyDog
"I will never buy a pixel or Google-Fi plan. Their incessant, long, and unskippable ads cannot be successful."
- ThePhiff
"NOW YOU CAN SOAK UP THE FUN!"
"HELLO GOOGLE FI! THE PHONE PLAN THAT CAN!"
"That sh*t is in my nightmares at this point."
- AdmiralStarNight
"Hello Google Fi, a phone plan that CAN'T"
- Ph6r60h
"I just got irrationally angry."
- Mumblerumble
GiphyEarning A Vengeance Rating
"Raid shadow legends."
"Every f*cking time I hear about it, it cements the fact I will never play it."
- -M_A_Y_0-
"When a game has to be pushed that much, I figure odds are it's because it isn't good enough to attract a fanbase organically."
- CarbonIceDragon
"I feel so depressed every time a YouTuber launches into their 3 minute Raid Shadow Legends ad read."
- JeromesDream
"I downloaded it specifically just to give it a 1 star rating. Didn't even play it. F those ads."
- stickacupcakeinmyeye
GiphyIt's Called Leaning In
"I get that the Liberty Mutual spokesman, Doug ,is supposed to be silly and off-putting, but holy sh*t is he off-putting!"
"The emu is bad but Doug is insufferable."
- 5-On-A-Toboggan
"Liberty, liberty… lib-er-Ty."
- s56820i
"I always had them on as background noise and never really gave them a second thought - then I actually watched one and realized, 'Wow, Doug is SUPER annoying.' "
- PAKMan1988
"Now that I think of it, ALL of Liberty's ad campaigns were annoying!"
- [Reddit]
"Still like Liberty Biberty bit, though. That one has me laughing just thinking about it."
- Pacer_44
"So I have the commercial free Hulu, my friend doesn't, and we were watching American Dad at his house."
"The Liberty Mutual ads came on Every. 3. Minutes. (It felt like) I hate that a-hole and his dumb ass emu at this point."
- twisted_nipples82
GiphyADHDont
“ 'Students with ADHD save 10 hours studying with this chrome extension. BUT NO. BY ALL MEANS. SKIP THE AD. SAVE A FEW SECONDS.' "
"If you condescend me there is no f*cking way I’m buying your product, ADHD or not."
- cactibob
"Same - I have adhd and since they wanna be such a know-it-all about it they should know I don’t have the attention span for this bullshit."
- ado_adonis
"Worst Part Is That Statistic Is Likely False!"
- AstaTheBakasta
"I have ADHD and that ad was so smug that it made me lose interest in the video it was playing during."
- CDewfus
GiphyScreaming Us INTO A Headache
"HEAD ON! APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD!"
- MrTeeWrecks
"Oh god I just had flashbacks."
"It was so incessant and so LOUD. I didn't have a headache before the ad, but you screamed me into one and I'm sure as hell not buying your product to treat it."
- [Reddit]
"Wait. Was it a real product?!"
"I always assumed it was a joke because no real product would be advertised that annoyingly."
- paulwhite959
GiphyPredatory Advertising
"While we're here, not really a product but US Army commercials trying to appeal to young kids."
"They're all ads promising adventure and a way out of debt - like they recognize the student loan crisis but are trying to capitalize off it."
"The worst ones are the commercials that make it seem like a videogame. It's not a videogame, you're signing a 4 year contract to possibly be shipped overseas to kill people you've never met."
"Those commercials are predatory. They're trying to fool young people to fight a rich man's war."
- Sam-Miller
"Or to be killed by these strangers."
"Honestly, you don’t become bullet-proof in boot camp, and real bullets are…real bullets."
- OldBob10
"Agreed. The ads are very well done and are borderline Call of Duty lookalikes."
- 12VElectronics
"I strongly believe recruiters should be banned from high schools. The only person a kid should be talking to if they're thinking about joining, is a veteran."
"But then no one would join."
- TheMeanGreenGoblin
GiphyPillow Problems
"My Pillow Guys commercials have always been bad, but the new ones really turned me off."
"His new commercials are a joke."
"He's claiming that he's a victim of cancel culture. Dude, you tried to get the former president to overturn the election!"
- TheDeadGunslinger
"How anyone thought a guy who took 5 years (!) to chop up some memory foam and shove it in a bag as a pillow had enough marbles to advise any politician at all, ever, is beyond me."
- UnknownQTY
"I'll never forget that time Trump brought him to the White House to pitch his sh*t from the White House podium during a presidential address or whatever it was."
"Why was there a pillow commercial in the middle of a Presidential speech?! It's not a YouTube ad, dude, and if it was at least it would probably be skippable."
"One of the cringiest things I can recall ever seeing on TV."
- User_492006
"I don’t have cable so I only get a handful of channels."
"My Pillow runs ads on literally every commercial break in the evenings. I am not exaggerating."
"I refuse to buy his products."
- chicagotodetroit
GiphyNo Family Talks About Poop Like This
"Charmin. Those f*ckin' bears, I swear."
- DenverDudeXLI
"It's literally like:"
" 'HEY MOM AND DAD I TOOK A SH*T AND WIPED MY A$$ WITH THIS SOFT TOILET PAPER!' "
" 'WOW SON! I,TOO, LOVE RUBBING THE SOFT TOILET PAPER ON MY A$$!' "
"No family talks like this. Especially about poop or the caress of anything against their anus."
- Hurricaden
GiphyNo Cars, No Kids, Where's The Charity?
"Kars for kids... Hope they all die."
- coolguy1793B
"Whenever someone mentions wanting to donate a used a car I make a point to explain that the 1877kars4kids charity is just funding a cult."
- Dave9387
"When I was younger, I heard that commercial all the time."
"I was unfortunately one of those kids that needed a car and had no emotional or financial support from my parents, they were really abusive."
"I tried reaching out to the company and had a really hard time getting someone on the phone. Once I did, they said they didn’t 'just give out free cars.' "
"I obviously understood that, no need to be so rude about it."
Giphy"I asked what the qualifications or process were to apply for one of the donated vehicles. I felt I might qualify because of my situation. WOW was I wrong. lol"
"The lady vaguely and very carefully explained that they only TAKE donations of cars. They do not PROVIDE cars. There are, in fact, no cars for kids, adults, or anyone else."
"I never understood why they were advertising themselves as a charity. Every time I hear the commercial now, I scoff at it."
"Not sure what cult it is but is seems like some sort of scam or tax write off scheme."
- dirtyredheadhippie
"Did some research and found out in the fine print it explains that the cars will be sold for profit to benefit an Orthodox Jewish organization."
"That organization has ties to homophobia, mistreatment of young girls, anti-education stances, etc. So that's nice."
- [Reddit]
The Strangest 'Wrong Number' Stories | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Before we all had caller ID, wrong numbers phone calls were commonplace. But now that almost everyone screens their calls, it's wrong number texts that have ...I'm Telling Google
"I searched ONE TIME for Spartan Races and got absolutely inundated with those commercials on YouTube afterwards."
"It was so annoying that it got to the point where I actually spent time and figured out how to tell Google I'm not interested (it's somewhere in the advert settings)."
"I will never, ever, ever run one now."
- mr_etymologist
Jimmy Fallon No GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonGiphyDrastically Tone Deaf
"The State Farm ones where it's different customers giving the company rep free steaks or pizza or whatever as a thank-you for the *winkwink* 'special discount' that is just their normal rate."
"Like we should be falling over ourselves to give more money to this corporation in gratitude for the honor of being gouged by the insurance industry?"
"That is just drastically tone deaf."
- FrankyDonkeyBrain
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Ok GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphyLike Clockwork
"Honestly, I largely avoid Procter & Gamble products because of how insulting their cleaning product ads are."
"It’s like clockwork: kid/husband spills or breaks sh*t, is clueless as to how it should be tidied up. Mom/wife steps in with a playfully emasculating grin and does the cleanup."
"It’s beyond stupid, and reinforces exhausted stereotypes."
- CampVictorian
Sponge Bob Reaction GIF by MOODMANGiphyQuiz-NO.
"I have never eaten at Quiznos solely because I've hated all of their ads."
"From the spongmonkeys to the one featuring a chef so obsessed with Quiznos he neglects everything else - there's one I can't find where he walks past his bird cage where we see his dead bird at the bottom, presumably having been there for a while, like wtf?! - I've never liked a single one."
"But the very first Quiznos ad I saw sealed it for me; this guy has a Quiznos sandwich prepared, and when he turns his back to get something, his dog grabs the sandwich."
"The guy chases after the dog, pulls the sandwich out of its mouth, and eats it anyway. I get that they're trying to say 'It's so good, I'll even eat it out of a dog's mouth,' but I was so disgusted by it."
- PAKMan1988
Cbs No GIF by HULUGiphy"Military Grade"
"Literally any VPN advertisement."
"They all promise you 'military grade' protection and privacy, while "military grade" means that there is https before a website, and "privacy" means that there's one additional company having all your data."
"If they at least admitted that the main purpose of VPN's is to do illegal activities (watching content that is banned in your own country)... but no."
"It's just pandering to people who don't know what they're doing, but get off on anything that sounds like it involves guns and explosions or whatever."
- StawberryIchigo
Game Time GIF by HollyoaksGiphySo Tightly Controlled
"I listen to a lot of podcasts, and ads in general make me less likely to buy the product or service advertised, because break up the flow of the content and they immediately get me thinking 'What's the catch/grift here?' "
"Especially when the hosts personally endorse the product/service they've almost certainly been given gratis/at reduced price."
"But a major red flag for me is when the ad copy is so tightly controlled by the sponsor that I hear the exact same script being read out by my favorite podcasters like they've all suddenly become pod people."
"Looking at you, re-skinned Candy Crush– I mean, Best Fiends! Yeah, Best Fiends."
- captainthomas
Laverne Cox Abc GIF by EmmysGiphyLoud Jellyfish
"Prevagen- 'NOW MADE WITH REAL JELLYFISH PROTEIN!' "
"I wouldn’t have bought it anyway, but the fact that the commercial always came on at 120db higher than the show I was watching (and because they were advertising blatant bull) made sure that I wanted to burn all of them to the ground."
"Also advertising using real jellyfish is gross."
- busyB_83
Disney Pixar Ocean GIF by DisneyGiphyOn Repeat
"The ones they repeat over and over and over again."
"Last year it was Academy. This years winner is Disarrono Velvet Cream & Target."
"Ho ho no! You can add any plaque psoriasis and diabetic medication."
"And, for decades now it's a certain CGI gecko who can't decide if it's British or Australian, but who's company obviously has WAY more money than they should."
"Honestly sometimes I feel positively harassed by repeat advertisements. I wish they were regulated like in Britain."
- spacednlost
Exhausting Mariah Carey GIF by Apple TVGiphySo it's my turn to go now, huh?
When I was younger, the 877-Cash-Now commercials drove me bananas, but recently a much worse campaign has wormed its way into my brain. Not because it's annoying, but because it makes me incredulously angry.
Has anyone else seen that "Recharge yourself with dairy" ad featuring the student trying to stretch their 2 page essay into 3?
She's sitting there going "in conclusion, with the conclusive summary whereabouts..." just BS-ing her way through things. The struggle is real.
But then she takes a sip of milk and suddenly has language skills!
That's not how milk works.
Most people are kind of lactose intolerant, so this should be illegal on the grounds of ... like ... inciting a digestive riot? I don't know. It seems aggressive.
But even if you're not lactose intolerant - who is sitting around going "wow I really need a pick me up, let me chug some milk!" ????
Nobody, that's who!
No student is using MILK to power their way through a late-night BS sesh, let's be real. Get that girl a Cuban coffee and stop trying to trick stressed-out students into gastrointestinal distress!
They're already dealing with enough!
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