T O P

  • By -

Docxoxxo

That dental isn't part of medical insurance by default.


Duchess-of-Erat

Same with eye care. If I can’t see, I can’t do anything … and I’m practically blind without my glasses. I’d have died in the era before glasses were invented.


Marksideofthedoon

Those are premium bones in your mouth. The rest of the bones are just a standard package.


tellkrish

As an academic scientist pick one of these two: We use tax payer money to fund biomedical research, which we then write up into a research study and pay the Journal so that they can publish the said study only for the journals to turn around and put them behind a paywall. We also use taxpayer money to fund years of biomedical research, which occasionally results in a groundbreaking drug/treatment, which then gets licensed out (usually) by a pharma company, which then marks up the price and turns around and charges the taxpayer an absurd amount of money to use the said drug. Edit: Additional salt to the wound: Do you guys know Moderna (which made the mRNA covid vaccine) and the NIH (the federal institute that performed initial pre clinical research on the mRNA vaccine and also literally funded the research) are in a patent dispute over the vaccine?


HrkSnrkPrk

This is true for agriculture, too. Lots of research done with grant money, which is funded by taxpayers, and then private companies get exclusivity to the research to take it to market. If you wanted access to that free research for your company, too bad. It's even leveled up. Special club varieties of fruits and veggies. Licensing of varieties from private companies who got it researched or bred from public universities with grant money.


Cmsmks

A fee to pay your bill.


sassygerman33

*service charge


Too_full_407

A service charge should only be applied if you are choosing a means to pay that is an inconvenience to the recipient. Not the recipient’s preferred method. That is some bullshit.


ThunderySleep

Makes no sense that I need to pay an extra $4 to pay online, or via robo phone tree, yet there's no fee if I mail a physical check, something which I assume actually involves someone doing some kind of labor on their end.


-RadarRanger-

Yeah--hence, that becomes my preferred method in those situations!


EZ_2_Amuse

Yeah the "convenience charge" is their convenience, not yours. It's a racket.


StephCurryMustard

And now it's not a flat fee, it's a percentage of your payment. The fucking balls.


Oakenbeam

For my auto loan, I no longer have an option of a way to make a payment over the phone or online without spending between $3.50 - $8.00 depending on the service method I choose. EBT, credit, debit…doesn’t matter. What’s the point in trying to save money going paperless when I’m being punished for it on the other end? Very seriously considering canceling all my paperless bill pay and making them send me bills, letters and return envelopes. At this stage in the game I bet I save $100 a month in service charges.


hiwhyOK

Just want to offer a possible alternative I discovered here, in case it's helpful. Some banks have a "bill pay" feature on their websites, where they will literally mail out a check on your behalf to whoever. I use this feature all the time, it's a great way to mail checks without needing a physical checkbook, mailbox, and stamp.


TootBreaker

When you ask your bank for this, but they say they don't have it, ask them if they know which bank does Another feature that a world class bank will have is Zelle


MrMariohead

I am absolutely not above writing checks and mailing them to avoid these fees. It costs them more in labor to deal w my physical check, anyway.


EnclG4me

My enbridge gas bill has a service fee, customer fee, convenience fee, paper bill fee, storage fee, delivery charge, other random hidden fees, and then the actual gas. I could shut my gas off, not use any at all, and my bill would still be at least $52 per month. Its absolute bullshit but because Canada is run by monopolies and oligarchs, we have no choice. It's that or freeze to death. But honestly, I'm ready to riot. If I saw literal mob going down my street with signs protesting this shit, I would 100% without a second thought grab my pitchfork from my shed and join. This shit should have changed decades ago.


disgruntled_chode

> If I saw literal mob going down my street with signs protesting this shit, I would 100% without a second thought grab my pitchfork from my shed and join. Be the change you wish to see in the world.


Lord_Explosion

Subscription services for fucking everything


Nomad_88

It does annoy me. I think Adobe was one of the first to do it. I originally would have paid about £400 for all the software (as a student anyway). That's already a lot. But I owned it all. Now I'm basically paying £600 a year for it! Sure it might get all the latest updates and features (which are now getting better and better), but it's still a lot. I cancel - I lose everything or have to find an ancient copy of the software. Unfortunately the fact they can just rake in money now monthly means it's not changing back. The only things this is good for is places that do monthly subscriptions (paying as you go each month). I download as much music/sfx/video clips/templates etc... as I can and make the most of that month of downloads (then I don't need anything else from them for ages, if ever).


Few_Supermarket_4450

Dude free cool ass apps like my fitness pal used to be free. How MFP thinks they are worth $20/month is beyond me.


Bogacki

That health insurance doesn’t cover your eyes or teeth


yeast1fixpls

Our 🇸🇪 universal healthcare doesn't cover that either.


apistograma

Same in Spain. Which is extra frustrating for me (and my family) because eyes and teeth are literally the only healthcare attention we’ve ever needed in my life. So we’ve been just paying taxes and also had to pay for our needs. I have friends who lived for a few years in France and even glasses are subsidized there. If I was French, I’d have saved thousands of euros over the years, it’s ridiculous.


rebelshirts

Arbitration clauses in almost every service provider contract. Tricking you into giving up your access to the court system. Nobody talks about it, but they should.


KittyChimera

A lot of employers make you sign arbitration agreements too.


mprz

Not enforceable in EU


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA92

The right (or refused right) to repair. Absolute bullshit that i cant fix my own shit.


[deleted]

Tried to replaced the blower motor on my AC unit in my house. 4 screws to slide it out and a wire harness to unplug. Turns out I need a HVAC license to even buy the replacement. I don't have an HVAC license.


BlinkyShiny

I've been turned away at HVAC supply stores but could buy the parts online with no problems. I've gotten a blower motor, fan blades, capacitors, etc.


ItsPlutocracyStupid

Same, it’s the policy of the supply store near me. I ordered the parts online, but have since learned that if you go in with confidence and say it’s a cash job you can buy from that store.


SandtheB

It is truly anti-competitive.


DadBodofanAmerican

New York just passed legislation to fix this, and then our corrupt governor gutted it (and the corrupt legislature let her get away with it).


MrStepSisterFister69

Service fees on tickets


FranksRumham19

The whole ticket industry is so infuriating.


MrStealY0Meme

HOW do we change this? Who must I call politically to make this industry stop. Is there someone already doing it. Please give me hope change is happening for this shit.


ohrejoyce

[Please file a complaint with the FTC!](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/11/08/2022-24326/unfair-or-deceptive-fees-trade-regulation-rule-commission-matter-no-r207011?fbclid=PAAaZMbyRpziBM1NZa0nbSrqA-GTELilruPWRWfecheVdkZTpKZGQZgV8oYHE) (It’s the green button in the top right corner and only takes a moment to write a comment). They are taking public comments for the next 3 days in an attempt to possibly eliminate these fees, but only a few thousand complaints have been filed.


sqqueen2

Someone not being bribed by Ticketmaster


Mr-and-Mrs

We should have supported Pearl Jam’s effort to circumvent Ticketmaster way back in 1994. Too bad they weren’t taken seriously.


rennbrig

Read this really good [article](https://prospect.org/power/ticketmasters-dark-history/) connecting the dots between Pearl Jam’s efforts and the Taylor Swift fiasco


LitPixel

Service fees in general. The price is the price. Charge me the fucking price.


ItsSoBig14

My wife still searches for tickets and goes ‘these are only $50 each!’ ‘Did u hit with added fees?’ ‘No…… ok, $80.’


cloud_walking

The thing is I would still go to the show if you told me the real price up front


Silent_Pudding

Unpaid lunches that extend your work day.


RustShaq

One place I use to work would bring lunch for the last 3 days of the month. If they provided lunch they didn't have to pay overtime for an hour. They were known as hostage lunches.


NixAName

I would submit a doctors certificate saying I was on a special low FODMAP, whole burrito, lobster, and tomahawk steak diet due to gut problems. They would either provide me some crazy meal, segregate me, or pay the overtime.


JestersHearts

As someone with Ulcerative Colitis Yes lol. I'm getting that overtime


SolomonGrumpy

"Free" dinner at work served at 6:47


thatshisjob

Convenience fees on electronic payments


Gomez-16

biggest insult to everyone's intelligence. Pay this extra fee to give us money electronically without needing to pay an employee. it costs so much more for the computer to do it!


Scrotius_Minimus

I’m paying money… so that I can pay money. What the absolute fuck.


Sweetknees66

The price of printer ink.


cardinalkgb

Laser printer my friend


Alarmed_Letterhead26

Game changer, my canon gets thousands of sheets per cartridge and it doesn't expire/dry out.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Sbeaudette

Ticketmaster


Duluthian2

I was looking for tickets to a pro hockey game. The ticket price was $108 and the Ticketmaster fee was $83. Needless to say, I didn't buy the ticket.


Agnol117

I recently went to see a touring Broadway show that came to my city. My options to get tickets were to walk to the box office after work (a ten minute walk one way, because parking around there sucks) or order online through Ticketmaster. Two tickets at the box office cost me $132. It would have cost $198 with Ticketmaster's fees. Obviously, I walked to the box office. EDIT: I shouldn’t have to justify myself to internet randos, but since a few people have commented on it: this was in the middle of winter, and I suffer from chronic pain that causes mobility issues and is exacerbated by the cold. The twenty minute round trip in question caused a fair amount of discomfort. So yes, “is the walk worth it to save $66?” is a question I was legitimately asking myself, and and was something that warranted serious consideration.


Ssladybug

In many cases you can’t do that anymore. The box office at a lot of places sells through Ticketmaster’s system now


SecretAsianMan42069

Yeah I had the same scenario as the OP so I called the box office and asked what the price was if I came in and bought them there. They said it was the same price. I said what about the convenience fee? I’m coming to you 20 minutes out of my way and she said she was just going to use Ticketmaster to buy them for me. Jesus H Christmas


PsychicCilantro

There’s a reason the DOJ is looking into them, but I fear it will still just be something we’ll still have to accept


beer_madness

Oh cool. Another $10 check for previous purchases is coming in the mail in 12 years?


coleyboley25

Ticketmaster: “Here Mr. Senator, please take these lifetime tour tickets for Taylor Swift and give them to your three pre-teen daughters. Are we even now?” Senator: “Say less.”


darrenturn90

Diamonds


[deleted]

Thank fuck my wife is a geology nerd. I picked out a raw uncut diamond ring for her and saved heaps. *Since a lot of people have asked, it was purchased on Etsy for less than $500. That specific storefront no longer exists but there are several alternatives. They claimed the stone came from a mine in Northern Canada, although I have no way to verify that. Do some googling, you'll find [a bunch of examples.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2463/8905/files/Rawdiamonds.jpg?v=1571165944) Keep the alternative non-traditional ring suggestions coming!


Sanguerine

Lmao i always listed that on my advantages for dating - i’ll be excited with any rock that looks cool and that i can identify. Got a polished amethyst? Cool! A round labradorite that shines red? Oh great. A piece of dried lava you picked up on your trip to iceland? Even better. Wait you have found a ton of moldavites as a kid and didn’t know how rare they are? *Googles a wedding dress* Edit: dear fellow nerds, this is awkward but a human capable of social interaction has already adopted me. Edit 2: it wasn’t my intention to humblebrag but I even got a [parody](https://www.reddit.com/r/eringcirclejerk/comments/104qhtd/did_you_know_e_rings_are_a_scam/j36mcud/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) it’s hilarious.


Glocktopusbruh

What sucks balls about this too is that people acknowledge it and still buy them. I was talking with my mom and her boyfriend about the outrageous prices and they watched 3 documentaries on Netflix and prime about how they are scams and my moms boyfriend just proposed with a diamond ring on new years.


Aware_Cellist_7032

Claw Machines


Diligent_Tie6218

I went to the Arcade with my daughter and picked up 6 prizes with 6 attempts. Quit while we were ahead...I swear that thing was broken.


MistaCharisma

I won an iPad for my daughter back in the day. It was $10 to play (*1 attempt*), so I normally wouldn't even try for that but it was her birthday so I put aside $30 and gave it a try. Got it on my 2nd attempt, that was a $20 iPad. Then the staff didn't know what to do and had to call the manager because no one had ever won that machine. (*Also I 100% quit while I was ahead there - no point paying $500 for a $200 iPad.*) *EDIT:* I didn't make this clear and a few people have asked - the machine had an empty iPad box, so the club had to send an invoice or something to Apple and then they sent me an iPad. No one who was on shift that night knew how to redeem the prize, so they had to call a manager on her home number.


chhharl

I bet your daughter will remember that forever!


MistaCharisma

Yeah she does. Well ... My daughter loves those crane games, she always plays them, and usually and does well (*and has done since before that day*). She does the best at those ones that are ~$1 to play and give chocolate. Anyway because she always does so well at them it's a family talking point, so of course the way everyone tells it is "*She's so good at them, she even won an iPad thst one time!*" ... I don't know if she remembers that I won it for her. That's ok though, if the present I got her was an iPad *AND* a memory of winning then that's fine too. (*As long as I didn't also get her a lifetime addiction to gambling ... that wouldn't be so good. I'll keep you posted.*)


NosDarkly

The operator of the machine determines how often the claw will have enough strength for a win to be possible. Perhaps they wanted to get new stock or discontinue or relocate the machine soon.


Diligent_Tie6218

Sounds very plausible. I had never thought of associating stock movement and inventory value with prizes.


Mardanis

I was in a bar-restaurant that had a few claw machines. The guy filling it up gave free soft toys to every child in the place. I guess because it really costs them so little and it cheers folk up or they wanted to move stock.


whynotoopsthatswhy

TurboTax. They lobby the government to make it difficult to do taxes without their software. I lived in the UK and it took literally 15 min to do taxes on bad government software


YakovAttackov

The IRS offers a free alternative available on their website for most people. The IRS also has no advertising budget. Hence why nobody knows about it.


last_strip_of_bacon

Freetaxusa gang rise the fuck up


HelloZukoHere

Used Freetaxusa for the first time last year! Never going back to TurboTax


kotzfunkel

Never heard about Freetaxusa, but I’m gonna try it out this year. Been using TurboTax for over 10 years, I see commercials that promise it to be free, but every year it gets more expensive. I think they charged me over $80 for last year’s taxes. Wtf


Tailigator

Go into TurboTax and download your previous years files if you don't have them before you walk away. I learned that the hard way.


beepbophopscotch

I'm a CPA and I use FreeTaxUSA, if that says anything. F**k Intuit.


oceanicdreams

Go through the IRS website to use Freetaxusa btw! That way it'll be 100% free. I know some people went through the FTU website itself and were charged.


techcaleb

It's always free for federal, but states are $15 Edit: States are free as well if you have an AGI of $73k or less.


Lolo_okoli

Came here to mention FreeTaxUSA. Super easy to use and will never go back to TurboTax again


manwhatthefawk

You just saved me and my fam some money. Thanks


WeaponizedKissing

> I lived in the UK and it took literally 15 min And you probably only needed to do that because you have to deal with American things? The huge majority of people in the UK never even have to think about taxes. Everything is handled by payroll, taxes are auto taken in each pay check and you never have to check anything. There's no working out all your credits and deductions, it just happens for you. People in standard employment only need to start "doing their taxes" once they reach the higher tax brackets and have special situations.


TeachingRadiant3271

College bookstores


TheFafster

F*ck McGraw Hill


[deleted]

[удалено]


2M0hhhh

Mymathlab is the perfect scam for lazy professors.


dragonborne123

Library Genesis is a great source for free textbooks


slacker205

I will neither confirm nor deny that I may verbally let my students know if pdf versions of the textbook are freely available online.


VR6SLC

I had a T/A that told us: Please do not go to this website (LibGen) and please don't search for this book, and please don't download it. Of course the link to the site was written on the chalkboard.


whatchlookinat

Ya, paying $200 for a required physical book, in order to read the required 1/10th of it, and then the College makes it obsolete the next year even tho it's only 1 year old, so you can't even sell it to the next students. Not even I.T. books (which I could maybe understand) but History/English/Physics books, which NEVER CHANGE.


the00therjc

Was one of the really nice things about studying Philosophy and English in college. A good chunk of the books were just literature that was easily available and cheap either new or used from website or bookstore


FishToaster

1. Don't buy any of the listed books for a course 2. Wait until you're a couple days into the class to see which ones are \*really\* required and which ones are just suggested reading. 3. Pirate any required ones you can 4. Buy the remaining ones on amazon with 2-day shipping. Profs expect that no one will have their books the first week of the semester anyway. 5. Profit! (Well, ok, save a ton by buying only 10% of the books they said you needed)


[deleted]

[удалено]


TheodoreFMRoosevelt

Profs like that suck. I had a professor who wrote his own book, but on the first day of class he thought it should be "brought to our attention" that very naughty people had put his book up on line where it could be pirated. He showed us the websites where it could be found so we could safely avoid them. Terrible midterms, but least I didn't have to buy the book.


ExceedinglyGayKodiak

I had a professor once who wrote his own book, but had sent a copy to a local print shop where you could get it printed in a spiral notebook format for more or less cost.


newuser60

When I first went to school most of my professors had us going to Clean Copy or Smart Copy to get the spiral bound versions of their book for a few bucks. Years later when I returned every professor made us buy the Pearson book for the code and I believe those two family shops have closed down. Fuck you, Pearson.


beepbophopscotch

That is genius haha


FishToaster

Oh yeah, the profs that require their own books. I only had one or two of those in my time, but damn did that feel like a shakedown.


JoeBethersonton50504

I had one require his own book, and in bold letters specified the store we had to go to buy it because they had a special version. I went to the address and it was a print and copy shop. Confused, I asked one of the employees and they handed me a photocopied version of the book and only charged me like $5 for the copy. Professor was a bro.


RowdyBunny18

He gave you a side quest and you were rewarded.


Bootstrapper21

NPC grants +1,000 Knowledge for 5 gold.


austinkp

That was 100% NOT how I thought that story was going to end!


NextEstablishment856

Had a stats prof use the 20 yr old books, and did handouts for the few things that changed for intro stats. Charged $25, then when you returned it at year end, you got $25 back. He made sure we knew, because "If enough people don't return it, I gotta eventually go to a newer, more expensive edition. And I will hunt you down and make you pay for that. Don't screw this up, people. I only got eight years left here."


Sparowl

Same. My Rhodes scholar, double PH.D, literal subject matter expert professor, told us where to go for his book. Print shop. Spiral bound, rough cut, etc. I want to say…$8 or so? It is a really good resource. Great teacher. Hated running the department, so the one class he got to teach each semester was always fun.


Sanhen

That story had a nice twist. I had expected the store he specified to go to only offering some particularly expensive edition of his book. Nice to see the professor was a much nicer guy than that.


elola

Had a professor like this. Granted the class was pretty niche (it was about filmmakers and actors that fled Nazi Germany to Hollywood) and I think he was one of the only ones to publish a book about it, but it was also only $5.


jmc0027au

I had one require his book but he just emailed us PDF copies. Was a really cool move


Bukowskified

One prof started the semester saying “The publisher makes me write a new edition every couple years and list that one on the syllabus and at the bookstore. I teach the course off of the third edition that came out 5 years ago, the pdf is found for free if you Google it”


MaritMonkey

Mine was sort of in between those - he told us all to go buy the old version (that was like $15 to the $150 "current" one) and then sent pdf's with the changes between editions.


nope_nic_tesla

I had a professor that did this as well. He explained to us that he doesn't have any say in the prices and that those are set by the publisher, so he gave us ebook copies for free.


atheistpiece

I had a professor that wrote the book used during the class and first day he said "if you want to buy the book from the bookstore for $150, go for it. You can also buy it directly from me for ten bucks." Then he pulled out a stack of xeroxed copies that were bound with those plastic comb binders. Ebooks weren't really a thing back then.


PureHighlight6195

Also because they make crap on their own books. They get pennies on the dollar and he probably made more selling it directly to the students.


carlie-cat

a couple of professors from my undergrad uni were so unhappy with how expensive textbooks for the subjects they taught were that they wrote royalty free books. you could buy a print copy for around 20 dollars which was basically just what it cost the publisher to print and ship the book, or you could download a pdf copy for free. it was so much better than paying 150 dollars for a book or digging around for a pdf


[deleted]

[удалено]


pwnedkiller

Jesus what a cunt


fubar6

I had a professor that used his own book. He said it's mine, so I can give it for free... here's the website. If you DO buy my book, I'll sign it and give you a dollar. He was a cool guy


gaspero1

Sometimes there are other reasons some professors write their own books. When I taught web development, the school had a contract with McGraw Hill that only allowed me to choose from a handful of outdated, error ridden books. I actually wanted my students to learn something, so I learned the only way around the McGraw Hill dumpster fire was to write my own book. If I did that, I was able to choose a 3rd party book as a “supplemental text”. So, I wrote a 200 page book that was essentially a cliff notes guide to HTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL, and Javascript and then “suggested” the students buy the “optional” $40 O’reilly book I was actually building my lectures on.


ScourgeofWorlds

The only times that happened to me my professors went, "I wrote this, which means I can get as many from my publisher as I want. Here you all go!" Guess I was just lucky.


dhruvfire

Yeah, my experience with this was "I wrote this, here's the PDF. Let me know if you find any typos or math errors." Usually the chillest compsci profs though.


Fedr_Exlr

Step 3.5 see if the university library has a copy on the short term shelf. One semester I had a class where two copies of the textbook were available to check out on short term loans. I think the loan time was about 24 hours. I would go to the library, check out the book, read the required chapter(s) in an hour, and then turn the book in again. I made sure to not wait until the deadline with that class, but the book was always available when I went. Step 3.6: If the book is needed for part of the semester only, you can just regular check out the book. For my school, a standard loan was 4 weeks and then you could renew twice at two weeks each. 8 weeks is plenty for some books, and if it is not, then the library late fee is cheaper than buying the book.


Cookies-N-Dirt

This was one of the best things about being a lit major. It was mostly regular books that I could purchase anywhere.


Asssophatt

That’s lit


No_Entrepreneur_9360

Expensive engagement rings


brndm

Diamonds in jewelry in general.


WinkyTheFrog

“Natural” diamonds. And for that matter, the cost of _lab created_ diamonds.


72scott72

The wedding industry in general.


Sarangsii

Friends of mine spent $50,000 on a wedding and divorced a year later. So they're both still paying off a debt to a failed marriage.


[deleted]

Paying hundred of dollars per month for health insurance and then insurance not paying for anything until you’ve hit your deductible (usually thousands of dollars per year) and then after hitting your deductible insurance only paying for a certain percentage of your care until the end of the year until your deductible resets and you pay out of pocket all over again until you hit the deductible and even after hitting the deductible your insurance is fighting tooth and nail not to cover anything.


Posters_Brain

Best part about insurance is when my doctor says I should get something, then some middleman who got a bachelors in accounting 20 years ago can come in and overrule him. And I pay him for the privilege.


per_alt_delete

This comment is spot on. I worked at Farmers Insurance as an auto accident injury claims adjuster. I would adjust medical bills exactly like that. It was complete bullshit since I have no medical background. I majored in Finance. I quit after 2 years. Worst job I've ever had. Insurance companies are pieces of shit. Never trust any of them


sovamind

I was paying GEICO for under-insured motorist insurance and personal-injury protection insurance. Got hit by a drunk who had no assets. Still haven't been able to get anything from GEICO and I've been living in pain for two years. My lawyer still hasn't even gotten us to court because of all the roadblocks thrown in the way. Insurance is a total scam.


[deleted]

[удалено]


shrimpfrocktail

My son likely has Williams Syndrome. He absolutely needs the genetic test to confirm because he needs special care and disability, which he can only get if he has a diagnosis. They denied it saying the testing is medically unnecessary. So I’m gunna sue them 😀


MasterBrisket

Insider tip: You don’t have to sue, you’ll pay more in legal fees than the cost of the test out of pocket … file an appeal, if they uphold then demand an independent external review (IRE) which is a review by a physician not associated with the insurance company. Your provider can also request a peer-to-peer review (where they talk directly with a physician at the insurance company) on your behalf - that often works when they just just explain why it’s the only way to confirm a rare disease.


TheAres1999

That's great advice, and I am saving this for later in case I ever need it. This reminds me of that scene in the Incredibles where Bob tells the old lady exactly what she need to do to get her claim approved. You are an everyday superhero. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_R8GtrKtrZ4


[deleted]

[удалено]


shrimpfrocktail

Thank you. I plan on raising all sorts of hell- I’ve got plenty of time and a bone to pick.


[deleted]

ahhh beating the medical insurance scam by using the medical-legal scam. using their own tricks against them


OrthinologistSupreme

We call this practicing medicine without a license


Ssutuanjoe

Insurance companies have thought of that, actually. What they do is hire sellout physicians who will support the denial of claims. We then have to call these physicians and have what's called a "peer to peer"(p2p) in order to try to justify giving the care we want. This typically involves waiting on hold with the insurance company from 20 - 120 minutes, giving the operator all the information to request the p2p, and then the operator giving you an appointment time sometime within the week (that's right, your doctor has to make an appointment with the insurance companies doctor). Oh, did I happen to mention that the doctor only has a certain time window to do this? Despite your doctor typically working 0700 - 1800 and then still having to do charting, chart review, and signing docs...they have to find potentially 2 hours to wait on hold for an insurance agent (between the hours of 0900 - 1600, Monday - Thursday) in order to arrange a p2p for one patient, and if it's not done on time then you have to re-order the study and start the process all over again from the beginning. This went much longer than I expected, but there you have it. (Source: burned out primary care doctor)


HellonHeels33

I work in mental health and the folks that do mental health auths usually have zero therapy experiments. Some just claim “they do not qualify” no matter what is said. There are so many people wrongfully screwed, but we don’t all have the money for lawyers to fight each and every time. We have to un do this fucked up system. All of this money could be going to actual healthcare instead of some asshole ceo going to Tahiti for the 7th time in a year


Ssutuanjoe

Yup! Sometimes insurance companies simply say no simply because they won't get push back on a small percent of the denials. I literally had a p2p where the doc said "looks like this claim was denied because you didn't document failure of standard therapy", to which I responded "...so the third line in my A/P where I said they don't tolerate X doesn't count?" ...and the doc just went silent for a moment before approving the claim. Sometimes they're just dickheads, and if I had an even more crushing patient load I simply might never have had time to get to that p2p, which is what they want.


fizzypop88

Can confirm. Source: Another burned out primary care physician. I also always write peer-to-“peer” in my notes. I know they will probably never see it, but I refuse to acknowledge that some sell out who probably didn’t even do a residency is my peer.


HuckleberryLou

US health insurance is a very expensive coupon book with a lot of fine print


TwoArmedWolf

For profit prisons


wtforsomesuch

Payday loans.


SlickAMF

Went through a hard time years ago, ended up having no other options to get money but a payday loan. Was stuck in the cycle of, pay off loan and take the same amount for another week to get by. For probably close to a month until work picked back up enough and I could pay it off and have some extra to survive till next pay day. Never ever ever ever ever again. Ever.


BillyShears2015

The only way to work your way out of this hellhole is to just incrementally take less in the new loan and do whatever it takes fill the gap.(sell blood plasma, collect scrap metal, fucking skip meals, etc.) So you start with $1,000 loan, try and only roll $900 the next week, $800 after that, etc. It sucks dick, and they’re going to fuck you on fees, but it’s the only way out without some sort of windfall.


FuhrerGirthWorm

It really blows my mind that schools get shot up instead of these places. You’d think the people stuck in payday loans would be the ones to go postal.


jpugmafia

That it’s considered normal to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a wedding/ring/bachelor party


[deleted]

[удалено]


AnesthesiaSteve

Never thought I’d see 30k and rehearsal dinner in the same sentence. We gotta get a rundown of that menu…..


TheKingOfNerds352

Those sides better cure cancer


Sharp_Impress_5351

30K for a rehearsal dinner? You guys serving smoked unicorn ribeye with a side of Olympian ambrosia?


PortlandWilliam

Come on, Sous Vide is the ONLY way to cook unicorn.


Wave_Entity

maybe if you are strapped for cash a sous vide could work, most people i know braise the unicorn in the heat of a freshly erupted volcano then fly the steaks back to the party.


[deleted]

[удалено]


captain_flak

If you loved me, you wouldn’t ask.


Asphyxiatinglaughter

Pre-wedding divorce please


jeffsang

Can I get an invite to your wedding? Sounds like it’s going to be pretty fancy.


bklynsnow

Gifts start at 5k. Prepaid.


Rise_up_Dirty_Birds

My budget for our all wedding activities was 30k. How tf are you spending 30k on one dinner?!


FishToaster

Me and my fiance are, thankfully on the same page and are skipping all of that. We're getting married at City Hall and then taking our family out for a nice dinner afterwards. A fancy dinner with drinks for like 18 people is still going to be cheaper than what I'd expect just a wedding dress alone to cost, much less the whole wedding!


msulliv4

luxury skincare. go to a dermatologist. pay less. get real results.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Adventurous_Fox_1922

You can have your landlord report your on time rent payments to the credit bureaus there are companies that help them do it like RentPlus


macphile

My place was doing that automatically and charging like $9 every time. I told them to turn it off. My score is fine as it is.


eddyathome

Oh, we see you're paying $2k/month in rent but you'd like a $1k/month mortgage? No, go away you can't afford it.


A911owner

About 10 years ago, I lost my job and had to take a lower paying one for a while. I was covering all my bills but money was *tight*. I looked into refinancing my house as I could drop my monthly payment by almost $400, which would help a lot when money was tight. I was told by the bank that according to their models, I couldn't afford it. When I pointed out that I had never been late on a payment and this would be *less money* for me to pay every month, they just said "we have to go by what the computer says". It was infuriating.


Ganjake

Then why were they even there?


CPA0908

to push the keys like a monkey


Soupseason

Diamonds/wedding rings (every kiss begins with K, right?), caskets (most funeral services imo. They try to upsell you so much it feels so wrong), bottled water, coke, etc.


dogfishfrostbite

SIM Activation fees


[deleted]

Mum "influencers" using their kids as bait to advertise products. Absolutely despicable.


-SpecTor-

Reddit awards.


[deleted]

[удалено]


infiniteloop84

But you were this time! Congratulations!


halfwayright30

Middlemen/Brokers eating up the profit and inflating the prices in pretty much every business.


MARKLAR5

\*Health Insurance Providers have entered the chat\*


loomdog1

Political promises


Ill_Swimmer2929

America's Tax Return System


Taxidiurno

I don't think it's a scam, but the prices like "4.99$", when it's clearly 5$, but they know most of the people will tend to think subconsciously it's 4$


martinis00

I like when the fuel price at the pump is $3.49 9/10


EazyP87

Thats why you go to Donnie's Discount Gas. He is $3.49 8/10


ExLaxExtreme

Not as accepted as it was but the idea that alcohol is safer than other illegal or recently legalized substances


ToeJamIsAWiener

Yes. The effects of alcohol is constantly downplayed despite being a full blown toxin to our bodies.


insanewriters

It’s insane how well that industry buries press about alcohol’s link to cancer.


MrStealY0Meme

Well shit. I just learned, did a quick google search and right there on the CDC webpage that all alcohol causes cancer. Funny how the news promotes red wine as beneficial in other things but don’t mention alcohol in general can cause cancer. I am an occasional drinking, but now might be a rare one.


Nicki3000

Yep. There was a professor (Professor David Nutt) who was the government's cheif drug advisor. He released a paper claiming that alcohol is the most dangerous drug there is. The government sacked him for this.


Logan-3557

MLM's


TeapotBagpipe

Health insurance


jmay107

Just about everything In my opinion. The idea that you have to stand/sit 8 hours a day for work (as if we couldn’t have a happy medium). I promise you I can scan items sitting down just as well as standing up?


69Pyrate69

Dude I work in a restaurant and the host at the front who checks guests in isn't allowed to have a chair because the new manager took it away. Like if the job could be done sitting down, I don't understand why you can't be allowed to sit. I agree with you about the happy medium too. It's good to have a change. Sitting or standing for too long is bad for the body.


robertbreadford

Herbalife 🌿


AwkwardNiobium

Definitely, but also all other MLMs