Another Rip Off but with no choice

In my previous post I described a "legitimate" Rip Off where at least you have a real choice of provider to use so can avoid it.

There is another Rip Off which is insidious to say the least.

I don't like the thought of anybody having free access to my bank account and being able to draw money from it when ever they like so I avoid Direct Debits which is a licence for corporations to steal money if they make a mistake, and if they make a mistake and take too much you try getting it back quickly! So I prefer good old fashioned cheques.

BT, yes I am naming them, used to charge £4.50 to pay them by cheque which was criminal enough now on the latest bill without warning the charge has gone to £9.00, how, why, what for? Rip off I'm livid, so is my master.

If you ring them to complain they basically tell you tough and research shows that one way or another you cannot avoid BT as other providers rely on BT for the line rental.

Can you imagine going to anywhere in the real world like shops or restaurants and when the bill comes being told you have to pay extra just to pay, businesses trying that on would soon go bust as people (and dogs) would avoid them like the plague but yet BT, other utilities and airlines can do what they like.

So here is a question, when is the cost of goods not the real cost of goods, and another question how come you humans allow them to continually get away with it. What would I know I'm only a dog!

Great idea for a scam

Sorry I didn't post in August but there was very little to inspire me, however the resting of my brain cells gave me time to think up a great scam, I tell you what it is but you must promise not to tell anyone.

OK, so this is how it works;

Set up a small business and find a product that normally sells about £60.00, now here comes the clever bit, advertise it at £1.00 and sell the first 10 at this price gradually raising the price as they sell eventually selling the last few at around £200.00, sounds great now here it gets even better.

When people come into buy the pieces they are all charged extra for the space the the product uses in the shop and the taxes for the business, say £20.00 each piece, then we could, say, tell everyone they can only pay by credit card and there is a charge for that of £5.00, I know CC charges are really only about .60p but this part of the good bit.

Now if the customer would like a bag and someone to get the product from the stock room they could be charged £8.50 and if heaven help us they would like service at a counter the charge is £20.00 without smile, with grudging smile £25.00.

So far so good but to make it really interesting the customer must come at least an hour before the product is ready and if they are a micro second late they can forfeit the product and their money.

While they wait for their purchase we could charge them to sit, oh say £6.00 and if they want a drink or some stale sandwiches that would be £8.00.

So to recap instead of selling each product for a simple £60.00 we can charge basically anything we want and still advertise everything for a pound, I know it sounds implausible and wouldn't work, I'm sure if I tried the office of fair trading would jump on me as it is probably illegal and no-one would fall for the trick, shame really I'd even got a name ready for the company, Brianhair, catchy huh?

Anyway what do I know I'm only a dog!