S/O Beggars, Moochers and Scammers

[jedikaiti]

i'm deep into Craigslist rental scams now.  We're moving very soon and I'm checking Craigslist for rentals; lots of property management places use it.  The scammers will steal pictures from a legitimate listing, then put up their own listing using those pics but with a ridiculously low rent.  If you contact them, you'll get an email telling you how they don't live in the city any more (usually they're building houses for orphans or something similar) but they can tell you are a wonderful, honest person - so they'll send you the keys and you can move in as soon as you send them the rent and deposit.

They get reported and removed pretty quickly  but it's still aggravating; this finding a rental business is very stressful and this doesn't help at all.

Since we just bought this house I'm wondering if someone is going to show up and claim it's theirs.  Not that it's likely - we dealt with a very reputable real estate agent.  But who knows.

From what I have heard of this scam, it is not the real estate agent who pulls it, but some disinterested 3rd party.

Exactly - they pull pictures off of legit real estate listings, advertise it, take the deposit long-distance, and are in the wind by the time the renter discovers the scam.

[Wulfie]

Usually it is a 3rd party but sometimes it is the RE agent or someone in their office.

We have been hit before by a no-name RE agent who rented out one of our apartments for us and wanted us to pay a commission to them. Never mind that we do not use RE agents and they had no right or permission to rent out our units. They also rented it to someone with a HUGE criminal record who was not happy with us when they found out they could not live here.

[Elfmama]

When she realized the coworker (and, I realized later, her manager) were watching, she started laughing hysterically and said, ""Yeah, I took her $3.  She caught me.  I'm trying to steal a whopping $3 from her." as if I was unreasonable for wanting me measly bit of money back.

Yeah, but you shortchange every customer who comes through your till, and it can add up to quite a bit at the end of the week...

[ica171]

This may not technically be a scam, but I can't say it's honest.  I went to Target this weekend and saw a huge end-self full of "product" with large and small labels priced $2.50, yet the small print shows that price is for a different size which is nowhere to be found. 

There was also a label for $2.00 covering the regular price for potato chips.  But that price is for baked potato chips, yet the label is covering the price of the regular non-baked chips.

This happens frequently at this store and I have learned to read the labels and do self-scan before going to the checkout.  But it's really deceiving and I'm sure there are people who trust the sign or who can't read English.

Hobby Lobby does this, too. They'll have a product on sale, and the product comes in multiple sizes or varieties. So they'll set up an endcap with a big sign that says "Product 50% off" and in tiny little print "does not include variety X." Nine times out of ten the endcap behind the sign is filled with variety X, even though there are multiple other varieties that are on sale that could have been placed there. I've seen this with multiple things, which is why I'm saying "product" instead of whatever. I notice it most with candles. I've told the employees that I find that practice misleading, but nothing changed.

[Slartibartfast]

This may not technically be a scam, but I can't say it's honest.  I went to Target this weekend and saw a huge end-self full of "product" with large and small labels priced $2.50, yet the small print shows that price is for a different size which is nowhere to be found. 

There was also a label for $2.00 covering the regular price for potato chips.  But that price is for baked potato chips, yet the label is covering the price of the regular non-baked chips.

This happens frequently at this store and I have learned to read the labels and do self-scan before going to the checkout.  But it's really deceiving and I'm sure there are people who trust the sign or who can't read English.

Hobby Lobby does this, too. They'll have a product on sale, and the product comes in multiple sizes or varieties. So they'll set up an endcap with a big sign that says "Product 50% off" and in tiny little print "does not include variety X." Nine times out of ten the endcap behind the sign is filled with variety X, even though there are multiple other varieties that are on sale that could have been placed there. I've seen this with multiple things, which is why I'm saying "product" instead of whatever. I notice it most with candles. I've told the employees that I find that practice misleading, but nothing changed.

I've had to argue with the Hobby Lobby cashier on more than one occasion over what is covered by the sale prices, too.  The sale will say "All [brand] beads and pendants" and the sign will be over a display of something that's reasonably interpreted as such (shaped metal beads, or pendant blanks) and the employee will try to tell me those items aren't covered by the sale.  One of several reasons I don't shop there anymore - it's just not worth the trouble.

[jedikaiti]

Usually it is a 3rd party but sometimes it is the RE agent or someone in their office.

We have been hit before by a no-name RE agent who rented out one of our apartments for us and wanted us to pay a commission to them. Never mind that we do not use RE agents and they had no right or permission to rent out our units. They also rented it to someone with a HUGE criminal record who was not happy with us when they found out they could not live here.

How on earth does the RE person expect that to actually work???

[laud_shy_girl]

Usually it is a 3rd party but sometimes it is the RE agent or someone in their office.

We have been hit before by a no-name RE agent who rented out one of our apartments for us and wanted us to pay a commission to them. Never mind that we do not use RE agents and they had no right or permission to rent out our units. They also rented it to someone with a HUGE criminal record who was not happy with us when they found out they could not live here.

How on earth does the RE person expect that to actually work???

They will have taken a non refundable processing fee from the potential tenant. So if they do get you to hand over the cash great, if not they are still making money. Very underhanded.

[weeblewobble]

When she realized the coworker (and, I realized later, her manager) were watching, she started laughing hysterically and said, ""Yeah, I took her $3.  She caught me.  I'm trying to steal a whopping $3 from her." as if I was unreasonable for wanting me measly bit of money back.

Yeah, but you shortchange every customer who comes through your till, and it can add up to quite a bit at the end of the week...

The "measly" was perceived on my part.  She made a few comments about I "must need a few bucks pretty bad" to make such a fuss over it.

[Piratelvr1121]

We just got a Hobby Lobby in the area and so far I love it, and I like to look at the sign at the front of the stores to see what's on sale that week in the jewelry section so I know what to peruse.  When I went there this past Saturday, I was tickled to see that what I was there for (seed beads!) were 50% off, along with silver beads. 

[bloo]

When she realized the coworker (and, I realized later, her manager) were watching, she started laughing hysterically and said, ""Yeah, I took her $3.  She caught me.  I'm trying to steal a whopping $3 from her." as if I was unreasonable for wanting me measly bit of money back.

Yeah, but you shortchange every customer who comes through your till, and it can add up to quite a bit at the end of the week...

The "measly" was perceived on my part.  She made a few comments about I "must need a few bucks pretty bad" to make such a fuss over it.

Off topic, but I remember being annoyed once when a cashier didn't give me back my penny.

A penny.

I've come to realize in my last few postings I'm somewhat territorial.

I've determined that if I was a dog, this is the type of dog I would be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWPNKI24LFs

Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

[Iris]

When she realized the coworker (and, I realized later, her manager) were watching, she started laughing hysterically and said, ""Yeah, I took her $3.  She caught me.  I'm trying to steal a whopping $3 from her." as if I was unreasonable for wanting me measly bit of money back.

Yeah, but you shortchange every customer who comes through your till, and it can add up to quite a bit at the end of the week...

The "measly" was perceived on my part.  She made a few comments about I "must need a few bucks pretty bad" to make such a fuss over it.

You know, I've never understood the stories you hear about customers demanding that workers be fired. I have always thought that they were massive overreactions. Not anymore. I am not so much amazed by her behaviour as by the fact that she continued to be rude in FRONT of her manager and the manager said nothing!

[weeblewobble]

When she realized the coworker (and, I realized later, her manager) were watching, she started laughing hysterically and said, ""Yeah, I took her $3.  She caught me.  I'm trying to steal a whopping $3 from her." as if I was unreasonable for wanting me measly bit of money back.

Yeah, but you shortchange every customer who comes through your till, and it can add up to quite a bit at the end of the week...

The "measly" was perceived on my part.  She made a few comments about I "must need a few bucks pretty bad" to make such a fuss over it.

You know, I've never understood the stories you hear about customers demanding that workers be fired. I have always thought that they were massive overreactions. Not anymore. I am not so much amazed by her behaviour as by the fact that she continued to be rude in FRONT of her manager and the manager said nothing!

It was such a downward spiraling meltdown that I don't think either of the other people in the drive-thru area knew HOW to react.  The change debacle, which ended in the rude attendant's coworker scrambling to open the drawer to hand me my change, was followed by Rude Attendant handing me my bag of food.  I checked the bag and saw my sandwich, so I pulled away, only to hear, "WAIT!"   Rude Attendant had put my sandwich on top of items that belonged in an order the other employee was putting together.  I had to hand my bag back to Rude Attendant so she could straighten it out. 

Rude Attendant shoved the bag toward me. I took it, without checking it (my fault), because I just wanted to get out of there.  The person, who I later realized was the manager, had this shocked, deer in headlights look on his face. Like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.  And when I got home, I realized that  Rude Attendant still ended up giving me the wrong bag.  I ended up with my sandwich, another sandwich, missing side items from my order, but with side items remaining from the other person's order. 

[EMuir]

Moochers of the year 2012: my brother and his family.  They are continually claiming to be poor because they spend their money on things for themselves (constant ordering out because they don't want to cook, for instance).  None of them are able to hold a job for very long, partially because they all think they're the best thing since sliced bread and the world should fall and worship at their feet.

My mother gives them very nice Christmas gifts (usually cash actually).  They actually gave her a Christmas gift this year too... one of those cards that, if you use your store credit card, you get $10 per $100 spent put back on this gift card.  But you have to use it in a certain week and I'm sure you have to buy a minimum amount. But my brother is at least supposed to take Mom to the store to do this shopping.  We'll see. So it means they spent $200 at this department store on themselves and got her gift for free(that doesn't sell ANYTHING they couldn't have gotten way cheaper at Walmart).

Mom's birthday is near Christmas, and she decided to take brother and family out for dinner.  They suggested a steakhouse.  She assumed they'd all order appetizers to share (poor naive mom).  Brother and family all ordered steak and lobster.

And they didn't give Mom anything for her birthday.  Not a card even.

If I was still talking to my brother he'd get an earful.  As it is I am glad I was there to hug Mom when she cried afterwards.

[Emmy]

When she realized the coworker (and, I realized later, her manager) were watching, she started laughing hysterically and said, ""Yeah, I took her $3.  She caught me.  I'm trying to steal a whopping $3 from her." as if I was unreasonable for wanting me measly bit of money back.

Yeah, but you shortchange every customer who comes through your till, and it can add up to quite a bit at the end of the week...

The "measly" was perceived on my part.  She made a few comments about I "must need a few bucks pretty bad" to make such a fuss over it.

You want back the 'measly' $3 which is rightfully yours.  She is trying to steal the same 'measly' $3. 

I think she steals relatively small amounts from drive through customers because many of them take the money quickly and don't check it or they are in a rush and figure that amount of money won't break them so she can often get away with it.  It takes some nerve to act indignant that a customer would want their money back, no matter what the amount.  If she didn't get fired for that, I think it would be impossible to get fired from that restaurant.

[paige =^..^=]

This may not technically be a scam, but I can't say it's honest.  I went to Target this weekend and saw a huge end-self full of "product" with large and small labels priced $2.50, yet the small print shows that price is for a different size which is nowhere to be found. 

There was also a label for $2.00 covering the regular price for potato chips.  But that price is for baked potato chips, yet the label is covering the price of the regular non-baked chips.

This happens frequently at this store and I have learned to read the labels and do self-scan before going to the checkout.  But it's really deceiving and I'm sure there are people who trust the sign or who can't read English.

Hobby Lobby does this, too. They'll have a product on sale, and the product comes in multiple sizes or varieties. So they'll set up an endcap with a big sign that says "Product 50% off" and in tiny little print "does not include variety X." Nine times out of ten the endcap behind the sign is filled with variety X, even though there are multiple other varieties that are on sale that could have been placed there. I've seen this with multiple things, which is why I'm saying "product" instead of whatever. I notice it most with candles. I've told the employees that I find that practice misleading, but nothing changed.

Yup! We went to Hobby Lobby for clear glass ornaments to decorate.  There was a huge display with a 50% off sign, and we grabbed 8 boxes.  When we finally got to the cashier, she leaned over to us and half-whispered that *these* glass ornaments were not the ones on sale.  The blue boxes were on sale, not these silver ones.  Not only were the silver ones not on sale, they were more expensive than the regular price of the blue ones. 

We decided not to buy them, and the cashier just nodded and mumbled something about them using both blue and silver boxes to make a pretty display, even though the sign didn't technically apply to both products.  I can only imagine the other customers' confusion, let alone the SS meltdowns the poor cashier must have seen that week.  Can't blame her at all for warning people about the price differences; the store's being sneaky and she's on the front line taking all the abuse.