[smallpoxgirl]

I took my car to WalMart Friday night to get my snow tires put on. The guy manages to break one of my wheel studs. So I took the car to Les Schwab. It's a $1 part and takes 3 minutes tops to fix. They want $50, but hey I guess it's better than crawling under the car in the snow so fine. The guy jacks my car up takes the tires off. He comes out with this really concerned look on his face and tells me my brakes are "ready to be done" and do I want him to do a quote. I'm thinking he means brake pads, which the car probably does need. He comes back with this estimate for $800 to replace all the rotors and the calipers. Granted a lot of women might have believed they needed new rotors, but when the car is 15 years old, has a blown air bag that hasn't been replaced, and the gas gauge doesn't work, you might want to aim a little lower than $800 as your fraud target. This is the main reason I'm such a fan of internet shopping. I feel like any time I walk into a physical store, these sales vultures see another mark walking in the door and start trying to figure which piece of overpriced useless crap they can con me into buying today.

So what I'm wondering. How much of our economy is comprised of con artists selling us crap we don't need? It goes all the way from the guy at McDonalds who spends all day trying to convince people to supersize their fries all the way up to the corner office where they're hard at work designing products to break exactly one day after the 30 day warranty runs out. I've ranted at length about how medicine in the US has passed the point of diminishing returns and cutting healthcare expenditures by about 80% would be expected statistically to increase our life expectancy. I wonder if that isn't true of the broader economy. Am I crazy? Is it possible that the GDP could drop 80% and we would actually get more useful outputs from the economy? Or is the eCONomy even more resistant to the depression than the real economy? Let's hear your stories too about your experiences with the eCONomy. Those of you that have traveled, how do the eCONomies of different countries compare?

[Rabbit]

New pads cost about $30 per pair and take about 30 minutes to install. I always keep an eye on the pads and replace them before they damage the rotors. Replacing the rotors is a lot more work. $800 to install four new rotors and pads sounds about right for a shop.

[smallpoxgirl]

There's nothing wrong with my rotors or calipers. The pads didn't wear through. He just wanted to sell me a bunch of crap I don't need.

[Quinny]

It's a fine line between good service and sales and trying to Con customers. I recently went to a pub near my new workplace, and the barman there was great. He upsold when he could, but I didn't feel under pressure, my colleague however felt the guy was too 'nosy'. Only place I've really been conned is by suppliers on Ebay.

[Rabbit]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', 'T')here's nothing wrong with my rotors or calipers. The pads didn't wear through. He just wanted to sell me a bunch of crap I don't need.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Quinny', 'O')nly place I've really been conned is by suppliers on Ebay.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Rabbit', 'T')hat is sad that people would do this. I'd like to see people that pull that kind of thing be investigated

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', '
')So what I'm wondering. How much of our economy is comprised of con artists selling us crap we don't need?

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', 'M')y entire livelihood is based on crap we don't need - entertainment.

[TommyJefferson]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', '.')..it's an endemic problem of a world populated with "consumers" who have too little knowledge and too much money and "experts" who get paid based on being able to convince you...

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', '
')Clearly these con games are a big part of the economy. They represent a lot of jobs. If they went away though, that would mean we got the same amount of goods and services in the real economy without having to do collectively as much work. Right?

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

A new set of rotors will cost you $60 each, pads and shoes another $70 each plus say 1.5 hours labour and that should come to around $370 before taxes. and that is in Canadian.

I too am tired of these con artists. I took my car recently to a mechanic cause the cops told me to get it inspected because the brake light on the dash was on. This con artist told me it would cost me $250 plus labour...

I went to another mechanic cause I sensed this guy was trying to rip me off and found one I felt comfortable with. As I was explaining my issue, he grabbed a jug popped the hood and put two table spoons of liquid under the hood and damn if the light didn't go out.

I, however, do know how to replace brakes and rotors... I just can't bleed brake lines by myself and from now on I will not believe anyone who won't show me exactly why on my car that something needs to be done.

[Jotapay]

I think the majority of businesses attempt to over-sell a more expensive or unnecessary product when a cheaper product or none at all will suffice. People are so indoctrinated by advertisers and businesses to accept this practice that frugality actually has a negative stigma associated with it.

[MarkJ]

One of my tenants had me check out her car since she got a very high estimate for brake work.

When I checked it out, she needed rotors, pads, two rear calipers, rear brake hoses, new steel brake lines, front wheel bearing, strut and an ABS sensor.

I performed all the labor, plus provided the brake lines, fittings and brake fluid free of charge.


From my experience in the HVAC/R and automotive repair industries, I have tons of horror stories about pushy salesmen, bait and switch promotions, poor service and people charging for unnecessary installations, unnecessary parts and/or charging for parts not replaced & services not performed. People often fall for bait and switch free inspection, free extras type promotions.


Since you can sometimes make thousands of dollars in a day installing hydronic heating equipment, it's real common for pushy salesman types to condemn old equipment, push new equipment and cut corners left right and center to put more money in their pockets. Cash Discount of course.

When we're called for a second, third, fourth... opinion, we're often the only installers not condemning existing equipment.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'F')rom my experience in the HVAC/R and automotive repair industries, I have tons of horror stories about pushy salesmen, bait and switch promotions, poor service and people charging for unnecessary installations, unnecessary parts and/or charging for parts not replaced & services not performed. People often fall for bait and switch free inspection, free extras type promotions.

[davep]

It's can be just a case of poor diagnosis. Replace the lot and it'll be fine. This tends not to work in the IT industry though, hence me making lots of money filling the gaps between the in-house experts' knowledge. You get big problems (and money) when no-one sees the bigger picture

[cube]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', '.')..
So what I'm wondering. How much of our economy is comprised of con artists selling us crap we don't need?
...

[Quinny]

What do you think?

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cube', 'D')oes that count as a CON-job?

[aldente]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', 'S')o what I'm wondering. How much of our economy is comprised of con artists selling us crap we don't need?