Worst Time You Got Ripped off

Skinnerr on 31/08/2016 - 16:05

Based on poor muto's 'deal' here It occurred to me ask this question.

For me I'll repost a comment I made about the time I got 'ripped off' by apple and/or JB Hi-Fi.

'I bought an ipod 3rd gen back in '08 or '09 for about $400 from jb-hifi in bourke st. 1 month after the 12 month warranty expired, apple forced some update in itunes and the ipod bricked. Displayed some error message and that was it. I went to jb and they told me I needed to go to apple, went to an apple reseller which at the time I thought was 'apple' but was just a retail shop which deceptively had the apple logo in its logo, they told me I need to go back to the retailer. I had my receipts and cried foul but at the end of the day I got nothing but a $400 paperweight. I even took it to one the numerous phone repair shops that popped up and even they couldnt fix it. I was so soured by that experience I vowed never to consider apple 1st again. Since then Ive only ever bought 1 more apple product, the ipod classic which is now discontinued.

General Discussion

Comments

  • Savas on 31/08/2016 - 16:11
    +3

    Back in Greece my family bought a TV and when we opened the box it was filled with rocks.

    • Skinnerr on 31/08/2016 - 16:13
      +2

      Lol! Your family didnt think to open it 1st? Were the rocks at least HD?

      • shortblack9 on 01/09/2016 - 09:05
        +2

        I'm sure the rocks were 3D

    • Dr Prepper on 31/08/2016 - 16:31
      +1

      When We were moving to Australia we had a 23 hr stopover in Athens. My parents thought lets get a cab into town and see the sights. We got out of the departure lounge and loaded our suitcases into a cab. The cab sped off with all our suit cases.

    • avgbowlofpho on 31/08/2016 - 17:10
      +3

      I always though you were Greek!

    • outlander on 10/09/2016 - 16:01
      +1

      Rock on?

      • Savas on 10/09/2016 - 16:02

        Thanks haha

  • Ryanek on 31/08/2016 - 16:12
    +18

    There was this one time, I met a model holidaying in London and we ended up spending most of my trip together. I didn't get ripped off or anything, I just wanted to share that story.

  • Dr Prepper on 31/08/2016 - 16:25

    1) I have title deeds to 5 properties including land & houses overseas,2 have 180 degree water views of the Mediterranean .All are a short walk from the beach. 1950s & 60s celebs like Agatha Christie, Lawrence Durrell & Bridget Bardot used to holiday there. I can't visit more than 24 hours or live there due to breaches of the 4th Geneva convention on Human Rights.(ethnic cleansing)

    2) I bought a solar hot water system for $4000 & a 5 year warranty. The Muppet who installed it cracked the flange of the tank.The company went into voluntary liquidation then I realised and started trading through another company. Fair trading said stiff shit.

    • Skinnerr on 31/08/2016 - 16:33

      Damn, what country?

    • ilikeradiohead on 31/08/2016 - 17:11

      The solar hot water thing happened to my mum. We're in WA though, so evidently the dodgy practices are nationwide.

  • chumlee on 31/08/2016 - 16:26
    +24

    I agreed with wife to have kids as I thought it would be good to have them get things for me while I'm sitting on the couch, yo know, get the remote for me, make me a coffee, cut the grass etc. Ripped Off!! Gotta still do these things myself as well as look after the kids.

  • inherentchoice on 31/08/2016 - 16:31
    +3

    At the Hong Kong/Shenzhen Border (at Lohu Commercial City) a hawker badgered me about what I want to buy so I gave in and said shoes. He then dragged me (not literally) into a certain shop and there was an Australian guy there who told me that this shop is the best one for shoes in the whole centre.

    They tried to sell me "Asics" for $99 and I bargained it down to $15. They pestered me to buy and I gave in. I thought these fake shoes would still be half-decent but they were wayyy worse than a $15 pair from Kmart.

    • fruit on 31/08/2016 - 18:39

      Watch out for that in Bali too

  • altomic on 31/08/2016 - 16:58
    +9

    when I was Rome (just arrived in Europe for my gap year in London and was naive) and walking down the street with my then girlfriend. A car pulls up with 2 guys in it. One starts speaking in italian. my Italian is average (1st year uni level). Guy realises we aren't locals and breaks in to English. conversation then went like this
    Dude "Where are you from?"
    Me " Australia"
    Dude "my sister is in australia, where in Australia?"
    Me "Melbourne"
    Dude "ah, my sister lives in the city centre"
    Me "ok"
    Dude "why are you in Rome?"
    Me "We just got married" (which was a lie- I just felt like making stuff up)
    Dude "oh, wonderful, I am a fashion industry guy, here (guy reaches in to the back seat and grabs a bag) is a wedding present for you"
    me "wow, thanks" - i look in the back and its some sort of leather clothing/jacket.
    Dude "no problem - say could you help me? my fuel card isnt working and I need to buy petrol, can I have some money"
    Me "I just arrived last night I don't have cash"
    Dude "I gave you a wedding present, I thought we were friends"
    Me - I don't have any lira"
    Dude "that's ok, what sort of cash do you have?"
    Me "GBP20"
    Dude "that'll do" - reaches over and grabs it.
    Me "waa?!?!"
    Dude -"Ciao" and drives off.

    This all happened in 2 minutes, the dude was so smooth and quick and we were so innocent and stunned to be in Rome. My girlfriend and i looked at each other. puzzled, we open the bag and pull out the "leather jacket". it was some really shitty imitation leather jacket. Thin and ugly. We binned it and went and got an espresso.

    It actually was very valuable and not so expensive lesson in trusting people.

    • avgbowlofpho on 31/08/2016 - 17:12

      Shit, that's awful. But couldn't you walk away?

      • altomic on 31/08/2016 - 17:38
        +3

        it happened so fast. the dude was a professional conman. i was young and naive (and had just met up with my girlfriend after 3 months of seperation). good lesson learned

        • MeesusEff on 01/09/2016 - 17:24

          Just wondering, how did he grab the money, did you pull out your wallet to check and he just dipped in?

        • altomic on 01/09/2016 - 17:48

          @kza2610: yep, pulled out my wallet. Young, dumb, naive and in Rome and reunited with my girlfriend. Wasn't aware and wasn't thinking.

      • Sick of This on 31/08/2016 - 21:34
        +2

        Sure he could, but that's not the point. He hadn't yet learned at that point that he was face to face with a douchebag. It's the whole point of the douchebag industry, and it happens in all the big cities with tourists.

        The best piece of travel advice you can give someone is not which sites to see, but how to recognise and avoid the hordes of scammers.

        Anyway, when in Rome… My story of Rome went like this. My wife and I left the airport on the metro and got out at a station that I thought was right near our hotel. Turns out we got out one stop too early, so we were NOT lost, but we were just not quite sure which way to go. Walking down the street with a couple of suitcases on wheels, we probably looked like we had targets on our backs.

        Anyway, this guy walking past spots us looking lost and offers help. He was clearly american and he was very nice, sympathised with us, never said any weird stuff that would have set off alarm bells, never got too close, never seemed dodgy at all. Turns out he really was on the level. We totally dodged a bullet there, because for the rest of the trip in Rome and various other european capitals we were constantly being approached by con artists and eyed off by pickpockets. We didn't suffer any losses at all actually, because we gradually learned how to alter our behaviour and hone our senses to protect ourselves.

        The moral of the story? Trust your instincts, but give them a bit of a tuneup before you go. Lesson 1 is to drop the naivity that such people are rare and would never approach you in broad daylight. Lesson 2, never accept a free gift from a stranger, they will ask you for money afterwards. Lesson 3, keep walking, hands in pockets, say no thanks, no thanks, no thanks. Lesson 4, if you get stuck, yell and attract attention. They hate that, it's bad for business.

        EDIT: One last tip - the dudes who hang around the collisseum in roman legionary outfits are scammers. They will ask for money if you take photos with them.

        • kasumi on 11/09/2016 - 09:05
          +1

          Sigh We were caught out by those Roman Soldier guys outside the collisseum. They hold onto your camera and ask you for the money (after they take a photo of you with their partner/scammer)
          It was a real eye opener. Lots of Gypsies everywhere begging and try to pickpocket. You have to be so much alert than when you're back in Australia.

  • [Deactivated] on 31/08/2016 - 17:26

    Back in my uni days was on holidays in Patong - saw one of those ladyboy cabaret shows and after you get the opportunity to take photos with the "ladies" - anyways only had the equivalent of a $40 note and wanted change from the $10 ask - the dude said no no - no change you take more photos ok didn't want to cause a scene over $30 but was a bit annoyed at the time

  • avgbowlofpho on 31/08/2016 - 17:56
    +3

    I went to Bali last year with some others, the very last night before coming home we went to this place not too far away from the airport, we go in and have this dinner, it was like the suckling pork and stuff, we didn't know what the price was before sitting down to eat, so what happened? Ended getting ripped off like triple the price of the normal dinner, what like $20? I got soooooooo pissed off, funny/worst part was, we didn't get scammed on our holiday until then! (Surprising especially because it's Bali and scams and stuff)

    Moral of the story - Always ask the price before going into practically anywhere that doesn't have signs, if they say you have to get it first then pay later (without any knowledge of the average prices), just leave.

    • KaTst3R on 31/08/2016 - 20:07
      +1

      You were lucky they were selling suckling pork. If it was a seafood restaurant you probably leave there without your wallet and clothes !

  • [Deactivated] on 31/08/2016 - 19:04

    I bought not one, but two fake nutribullets at about $200 each (in the days you could only buy them from TV and not in the shops). Didn't realise it until fellow OzB members pointed it out in this thread.

    Replaced both of them recently for about $120 a pop (one from DJs with AMEX credit and one from Myer eBay 15% off running now) and the legit ones are far better quality.

    Nowadays I never buy anything expensive from eBay unless it's from a well known bricks & mortar retailer. The seller is still active with a 99.8% positive rating so you really can't rely on that

    • Skinnerr on 31/08/2016 - 20:37
      +1

      Ive bought used stuff that I deem ok from ebay. Most 2nd hand sellers in aus are decent. Ebay keeps them honest.

  • GOCAT9 on 01/09/2016 - 11:53
    +1

    In 1980, I was changing money on the street in Egypt. I wanted to change only a small amount (fortunately) since I was leaving the next day. The dude was offering a VERY good rate (that alone should have sent up red flags). Anyway, he counted out the money in front of me, folded it into a small neat bundle and handed it to me. I then gave him my money, we seperated and when I counted the money it was all newspaper except for one wrapper note. Since then (1980), I have NEVER got ripped off like that, by applying just one golden rule: ALWAYS COUNT HIS MONEY BEFORE HANDING OVER YOURS! This is relevant when changing on the street. Doing a booth exchange there is less risk, because you should always count the money in front of them BEFORE leaving. Never trust them counting the money in front of you. Always works!

  • outlander on 10/09/2016 - 16:18

    Driving from melbourne to sydney, pull into a road side stop to stretch. Its about 1 am in the morning and pick black everywhere, when this guy in a rickety van speeds past and comes to a sudden stop just ahead of me. This 6'4 thin man jumps out, and immediately starts speed walking towards me.

    Well, naturally I thought he was a cannibalistic butcher looking for his next slice of prime beef (yo), but as it turns out he just ran out of gas. He was from the Netherlands, and was on his way to catch a flight the next morning. Nearest gas station was 15k up the road, so being the kind gentle hearted soul that I am, I drove to the station, filled up a jerry can, and brought it back for him. Added 40 minutes to my trip.

    He didn't have cash on him, so he promised to pay me back later. Never did, and stopped replying after I stopped skirting around and directly asked for the money.

  • Mumbles on 11/09/2016 - 11:02

    My youngest brother and I were at Perisher trying to snowboard for our first time. Our rental boards felt so uncomfortable that we were about to give up till I suggested we find somebody with a screw driver to help readjust the angle of the bindings.

    We ended up inside Perisher's massive equipment hire building where the bus passengers get fitted. I asked how much it costs to re-adjust the snowboard's bindings and the young man replies "Costs a gold coin donation" and lifts a coffee can on top of his bench. We don't have coins so happily inserted a $10 note meant for the two of us. 30 seconds later and its done. We take the boards away to make sure the screws were properly tightened. A young female customer goes to the same counter, asks the guy how much to adjust her board and he says its a free service.

    Found out the dodgy guy had the only counter with a coffee can on it. That all the counters do adjustments for free.

    • Skinnerr on 11/09/2016 - 18:07

      $10 bucks? Id say you got off pretty easy lol.

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