Top 10 consumer complaints of 2010, what is yours?

I saw this on the news and they were asking what everyones consumer complaint was. This is a list of the top 10 from 2010.

We all have them, don't deny it It is my opinion that customer service in it's true form has gone out the door in every way shape or form in today's society. It is very obvious that everywhere you look money is what they care about most.

I have had quite a few interviews lately since Im unemployed and have noticed something I hadn't seen before in interviews. It seems everyone I interviewed with cared more to tell me about the commissions, pushing their credit cards (that is a HUGE one) and everything not relevant to the job itself, like customer service or product knowledge. Product knowledge and customer service are key and many companies don't even cover this in training anymore, it's all about how to sell, sell, sell and have those rebuttals but screw the knowledge of what you are selling and who cares what the consumer really wants.

[b/]Top Ten Complaints in 2010
The following are the top complaint categories that most frequently appeared in the agencies’ top ten lists. Their ranking in the top ten in 2009 is noted in parenthesis.

1. Auto: (1) Misrepresentations in advertising or sales of new and used cars, lemons, faulty repairs, leasing and towing disputes
2. Credit/Debt: (2) Billing and fee disputes, mortgage-related fraud, credit repair, debt relief services, predatory lending, illegal or abusive debt collection tactics
3. (tie) Home Improvement/Construction: (3) Shoddy work, failure to start or complete the job
]b]Retail Sales: (5) False advertising and other deceptive practices, defective merchandise, problems with rebates, coupons, gift cards and gift certificates, failure to deliver
4. Utilities: (4) Service problems or billing disputes with phone, cable, satellite, Internet, electric and gas service
5. Services: (6) Misrepresentations, shoddy work, failure to have required licenses, failure to perform
6. Internet Sales: (7) Misrepresentations or other deceptive practice, failure to deliver online purchases
7. Household Goods: (8) misrepresentations, failure to deliver, faulty repairs in connection with furniture or appliances
8.Landlord/Tenant: (8) Unhealthy or unsafe conditions, failure to make repairs or provide promised amenities, deposit and rent disputes, illegal eviction tactics
9. Fraud: (not in top 10 last year) Bogus sweepstakes and lotteries, work-at-home schemes, and other scams
10. Home Solicitations: (9) Misrepresentations or failure to deliver in door-to-door, telemarketing or mail solicitations, do-not-call violations

This list seems about right!

This is a favorite:

1. Auto: (1) Misrepresentations in advertising or sales of new and used cars, lemons, faulty repairs, leasing and towing disputes

It should be ILLEGAL to sell any car knowing it has problems, ie lemons. As someone who buys used over new for cost reasons, it is never fun to buy a car and have to do 2000 dollars worth of work the first week you buy it. My car place knew the issues with my car and lied but Florida has no laws protecting buyers like myself so I got stuck with the repairs.

If you ever look at any car advertisement or special they all have a catch and many people fall for it and then it's too late to go back. It really isn't fair to the consumer and it is down right sneaky for companies to lie and mislead to make a sale.


Ahh credit.

2. Credit/Debt: (2) Billing and fee disputes, mortgage-related fraud, credit repair, debt relief services, predatory lending, illegal or abusive debt collection tactics

I could say so much about this and how horrible it is. I do not do credit cards because I see through the scam they are and so many people fall for it and then years later they are in debt and unable to pay back the credit they borrowed on because they more than likely didn't read the fine print. I know I didn't and I learned a lesson, that was 10yrs ago and I haven't had a credit card since.

If you have ever tried to get something off of your credit you will know it is the most difficult process. It is probably easier to change my name than to get my credit straightened out. There are thousands of people with houses in foreclosure because of fine print. It is wrong!

Another one that I had an experience with...

8.Landlord/Tenant: (8) Unhealthy or unsafe conditions, failure to make repairs or provide promised amenities, deposit and rent disputes, illegal eviction tactics

I had a landlord illegally evict me. Long story short I lived there for about two years and always paid cash or check from my bf's account but he since moved out. So I told her i was leaving because I could no longer afford the place on my own and told her I'd leave my rent under her door like I always did. I left it and all was fine, well a week later she went crazy because another tenant called the city on her and reported her for another mess which in the end screwed me and a couple other tenants because she went on a vengence rampage basically. In all fairness though she did deserve the city fines and fees, she was a horrible landlord and up until that point she was always very pleasant....Next thing I know she leaves and eviction notice on my door! I take it to court and it is my word against her and I of course get screwed. I know you aren't suppose to pay for anything in cash but after living there for as long as I did and doing it that way I never EVER thought she would be this nuts. The worst part is when I left I was told I could come back the next day to finish moving my furniture out, well she stole my antique bedroom set and an antique vanity I had. So I learned a lesson, trust nobody. It really sucks because now I have that and I have never had rental issues. It hasn't hurt me with renting but they always ask what happened and I don't like telling that story, it really bothers me how crazy she went on me.

Anyway I know this is a problem for others as well. Right now we see people being kicked out of rentals because the home is being foreclosed on. Now my question is if there is a renter in there paying why are they being kicked out over foreclosure? I know many people with rental property and their renters pay the mortgage so that means that the owner isnt using the money properly and where it should be used. I am sure there could be other reasons but this would be the obvious.


I could go on and on about each of these. I remember when these weren't issues and people were honest with you and worked with you. It's sad to see it change, it use to be different or maybe I'm just growing up and it's just the times.



So what are your consumer complaints?

source

How to protect yourself:

Ten Ways to Protect Yourself from Scams and Rip-Offs CFA, NACAA and NACPI have also updated their general tips sheet, Ten Ways To Protect Yourself from Scams and Rip-Offs.
1. Check the track record. Before you buy from unfamiliar companies, check with your state or local consumer agency*, the Better Business Bureau, and online complaint forums to see if other people have reported serious problems.
2. Hire licensed professionals. When hiring home improvement contractors or other professionals, ask your state or local consumer agency* if they must be licensed or registered and how you can confirm that they are.
3. Pay the safest way. When you buy goods or services that will be delivered later, pay with a credit card so you can dispute the charges if you don’t get what you were promised.
4. Use gift cards, gift certificates and coupons promptly. Even well-established businesses can suddenly close or go bankrupt, and it may be impossible to get refunds for the unused balances on gift cards and gift certificates or to use discount coupons that you have paid for.
5. Don’t pay in full upfront. If you are asked for a deposit for home improvement or other services, pay a small amount, never the full price upfront.

Wouldn't it be nice to know all these things before you buy?

I have learned over the years how to protect myself and to some it is a bit weird but it has helped. I ALWAYS do my research now on anything before I buy or sign up for something.

One thing I noticed the other day while going to a presentation for a "business" opportunity. It turned out to be a total pyramid scam and I saw it immediately when the presentation started. It is sad how many don't see this and fall for it. My friend is one who fell for it hook like and sinker! I feel the need to let her know what kind of company she is in business with and how it really works. I googled their name and found news stories on this company and nothing was good. Did any of these people check out this company? It seems they didn't.

She kept trying to get me to sign up for the program and be under her group BUT the fee was 100 bucks and then there were other reoccurring MONTHLY fees of about 250 bucks. First off I am unemployed did they think I would have this money? They didn't seem to care and tried to push me to sign up and I said no. I told her I always research first. It bothers me because these people are misleading others and they themselves are highly misinformed. Too many people fall for these scams because they are usually desperate to make money.

If you click on the link (in the OP) there are 5 other ways to protect yourself. If you are new to credit and things like this please take steps to make sure you don't get suckered into something you don't want or need! NEVER feel bad for saying no!

This is excellent and thanks for putting it out here.

The top ten are most definitely on my list as well however if I had to choose one as a biggest complaint it would have to be the cost and quality of goods and services in grocery stores. The packaging gets smaller and smaller and prices just keep going higher and higher and it's disgusting. I am lucky that I only have to shop for myself, my husband and our two dogs. I just don't understand how a family of five can afford to eat!

Customer service? Almost all of the cashiers are like... 15 years old and they are so busy texting and chatting with each other most of the time they don't even greet the customer.

They expect so much but they do so little. My husband and I discuss this issue. As a manager where he works he is constantly saying that young people want to come in and make a ton of money but they don't want to put in the hours.

Last time I was at the store I refused to bag my own groceries, to a point where they were piling up and falling off the end of the register. The cashier was giving me a look like "wtf lady". I told her that if they expected me to spend $200 on garbage and work here too, they're going to have to pay me.

So, that's top of my list, bad customer service and bad (overpriced) products.

Do you think anything will change merely by consumers complaining? It seems to me that a lot of people are real good at complaining but when it comes to doing something about it to make a change they fall short...

Originally posted by Skorpiogurl
This is excellent and thanks for putting it out here.

Thanks, I usually don't post topics like these but I felt it was one everyone can relate to.

The top ten are most definitely on my list as well however if I had to choose one as a biggest complaint it would have to be the cost and quality of goods and services in grocery stores. The packaging gets smaller and smaller and prices just keep going higher and higher and it's disgusting. I am lucky that I only have to shop for myself, my husband and our two dogs. I just don't understand how a family of five can afford to eat!

Agreed! I have always been the one who does the shopping so I have noticed this a lot lately. It has also happened at restaurant stores and fast food places. They have kept their prices or raised them but portion size has gotten smaller. Now I have always felt the portion size was too big so that is a good thing but the price going up is a bit much.

I only shop for me and being unemployed it's expensive. Milk is more than a gallon of gas here, which to me is just nuts. I had to cut a lot of things out that I normally would buy and I make a lot of things from scratch to save money. I don't know how families do it either. My bf had his mom and kids with him this summer and he would spend about 200-300 every other week it seemed at the store on food. I was shocked! That would feed me for a month. I spend about 50 a week and lately its been more towards 75-100 because of price increases or them getting rid of the cheaper brand!

Customer service? Almost all of the cashiers are like... 15 years old and they are so busy texting and chatting with each other most of the time they don't even greet the customer.

OMG I agree!!! No they don't even look at you anymore. I am very outgoing and talkative and I always try to start a conversation with them because I have been there it gets dull and they just look at me like I'm strange! I actually told the local cafe girl after a couple of years to get a sense of humor and grow a personality. Very unpleasant girl and it drove me nuts! I think I have heard her say 5 whole words in 2 yrs.

I was joking with the yogurt girl the other day about their cup size being so big and how they needed individual sized ones otherwise you have a popcorn size cup filled with yogurt and toppings it's priced on weight too and it's hard to judge the cost when it's a big cup vs a small one...My price was about 8 bucks! So I just joked how she needed smaller cups so I don't go broke and get fat. The one girl laughed and this girl got all snippy and said "Well this is all we have" in such a snotty voice. I was like chill!

They expect so much but they do so little. My husband and I discuss this issue. As a manager where he works he is constantly saying that young people want to come in and make a ton of money but they don't want to put in the hours.

That is exactly how it is! I worked in retail and in management it seems the new work force doesn't want to do crap for their pay check, they expect it and they are lazy! I asked a girl for a book and she said they didn't have it. I asked her to please check the computer because I knew that the series is sometimes placed in other sections in the store. She acted like it was such a big deal, well she checked and they had 3 of them and I bought all 3. I remember when you asked for something they took you to that aisle. My first job was a grocery store and we were told to take the customer to the product and we had to know the aisles in and out! Today you can walk into Wal Mart and ask an employee you have seen there for years a question and they don't have a clue!

Last time I was at the store I refused to bag my own groceries, to a point where they were piling up and falling off the end of the register. The cashier was giving me a look like "wtf lady". I told her that if they expected me to spend $200 on garbage and work here too, they're going to have to pay me.

LOL! Yeah personally I bag my own groceries. It's an OCD thing and they can't bag groceries to save their lives. Meat does NOT belong in with my produce. They just throw whatever in the bag and I know from working in grocery there is a certain way you have to bag groceries and they are by OSHA standards. I remember that video because they made you watch it a few times! The store gets huge fines if they catch someone bagging things the wrong way, ie meat in with fresh produce!

So I prefer to bag my own groceries and I'm faster than they are.

Do you think anything will change merely by consumers complaining? It seems to me that a lot of people are real good at complaining but when it comes to doing something about it to make a change they fall short...

I don't think it will do anything. I know many people who just put up with it and don't complain and that is what boggles my mind! I have no problem complaining and doing something about it. A lot of my friends actually come to me when they need something straightened out like a phone bill that was billed incorrectly or a fee on a card that isn't correct. They say I know how to talk to someone to get the situation fixed but this took years of personal experience and I also took what i learned working in customer service and the credit card industry. I learned the laws behind everything and now I am protected. If I had know this stuff first it would have helped but it seems they just want you to buy buy buy and they don't care about anything else.

People will have to do something to get it to change and as you have probably seen people don't want to really do all that much.

I stopped using credit cards and banks and people always tease me about it but I don't have the problems they do right now, the only problem I have is renting or buying something like a car. I don't have credit and I refuse to get credit cards just to have credit and explaining this to people gets annoying because many don't get it.

Im about homocidal over the ridiculous amount of advertising, especially the commercials. I was trying to watch a movie on AMC the other day and they literally have commercial breaks every ten minutes and its always always always car insurance commericials. I dont buy insurance, i believe it was useful at one time in a galaxy far far away but now it is a scam. And if i ever see any of these people on the street oh boy it`ll be like christmas.

The B@#$% from progressive has got to go
the idiots playing with smart phones in the office need castrating
gecko needs to be ran over
proactive doesnt make you sexy it makes you orange and fake.
and direct tv needs to stop blowing smoke up their ass, they self promote so much and none of it is worth anything. Who the hell wants to watch 6 baseball games at once? who wants to watch one game for that matter?
And if i see that one where the guy is dancing alone in the train station, that almost flash mob one im gonna go push an old lady down the steps or kill a party clown.

At this point you should know im speaking ironically and have no real desire to cause harm execpt the ones involved. Sorry to go on a rant there.

Originally posted by StratosFear
Im about homocidal over the ridiculous amount of advertising, especially the commercials. I was trying to watch a movie on AMC the other day and they literally have commercial breaks every ten minutes and its always always always car insurance commericials. I dont buy insurance, i believe it was useful at one time in a galaxy far far away but now it is a scam. And if i ever see any of these people on the street oh boy it`ll be like christmas.

The B@#$% from progressive has got to go
the idiots playing with smart phones in the office need castrating
gecko needs to be ran over
proactive doesnt make you sexy it makes you orange and fake.
and direct tv needs to stop blowing smoke up their ass, they self promote so much and none of it is worth anything. Who the hell wants to watch 6 baseball games at once? who wants to watch one game for that matter?
And if i see that one where the guy is dancing alone in the train station, that almost flash mob one im gonna go push an old lady down the steps or kill a party clown.

At this point you should know im speaking ironically and have no real desire to cause harm execpt the ones involved. Sorry to go on a rant there.

Too funny! Advertisements are SO annoying. Car commercial, medication commercial, car commercial, medication commercial, car commercial, medication commercial, and in-between that America runs on Dunkin and Fox News teasing you with what's coming up for propaganda! Meanwhile, if Dunkin Donuts never ran another commercial again I'm sure it wouldn't hurt their sales... okay, I drink coffee, I am well aware of Dunkin Donuts since there is one every 20 feet down the road, I don't need a reminder right before I find out who Chef Ramsey is going to kick off. Furthermore, I certainly don't need to know they sell tampons! Really?!?!? And sorry guys but if you have ED? please... keep it between you and your doctor. I don't wanna know!

There is one commercial that I love. It's the mayhem guy but he's not doing a mayhem commercial. It's just him sitting at a small table with a shot glass and a bottle of tequila in an empty room and he says: "Most of the time you don't know what the commercial is trying to sell you... this one is about tequila". They do a close up on the bottle and that's it. Perfect!

How about Monday night football? 30 seconds of game time and 15 minutes of commercial time and on-going for about five hours!

What's worse is that people actually get sucked in to products and services based on these commercials. People are sheep and the media/government are hand in hand... medicated America, keep them like zombies and keep them distracted with their eyes glued to the tube where we can convince them of anything... government control.

Okay... and sorry for My rant

Thanks for bringing that up!

reply to post by mblahnikluver

I was joking with the yogurt girl the other day about their cup size being so big and how they needed individual sized ones otherwise you have a popcorn size cup filled with yogurt and toppings it's priced on weight too and it's hard to judge the cost when it's a big cup vs a small one...My price was about 8 bucks! So I just joked how she needed smaller cups so I don't go broke and get fat. The one girl laughed and this girl got all snippy and said "Well this is all we have" in such a snotty voice. I was like chill

Good for you!

And how about this one: Customer: "Can I get a medium soda?" Cashier: "Sorry, we only have small and large." huh? wtf kind of sense does that make?

Everything I buy these days doesn't work properly or breaks right away. I build a lot of my own stuff and stuff for other people but the components I buy to make things with are poorly made too so it's inescapable. I can't remember the last time I bought something that didn't have a problem before warranty was up.

my number one
no job =no money to consume
have a feeling not alone

People trying to sell me things. If I want to buy a thing I will go buy a thing. Do not come to sell me a thing. I will not buy it.

People who charge far more than a product is worth. Especially folks selling used items who dont understand the "off the lot" reality of most goods.

People who pay far more than a product is worth thereby justifying the overcharging.

This really is a good topic, thanks.

The one that bothers me the most is advertising. They are now putting audio ads on some international cell phone calls (while you pay for them, and they aren't exactly cheap to begin with). Even creepier are the ads that are "custom tailored" to you. You know, that track your Internet surfing history or...heh-heh, other stuff -- who knows what? -- to deliver targeted ads. I understand the theory behind this and I know that the net needs to support itself somehow, so I'm not anti-ad in general. In fact, I think its better this way than an ad-less, pay-service net because this way the net reaches more people and that's the most important thing. But what bothers me is that they are tracking...something about us, making a kind of "profile," it's very creepy, where is that information going? Who is doing what with it, and how will it show up down the road? I try to keep two steps ahead of them but you never know how deep stuff gets on their end, do you?

If this was a poll rather than a list taken from an official agency's complaint department, inflation would undoubtedly be on top of the list. In fact, in a lot of cases, the actions that have lead to our assinine inflation at the supermarket have been criminal and agencies should be fielding complaints about it.

Advertising and sales!!
Gawd I can not freaking stand it when people try to pitch their garbage products or special club card junk on me. Especially when I have already told them no. And it's everywhere now, everywhere you go to buy anything they try and pressure you into buying or signing up for some stupid scam con rip off.
Yesterday I called my cable company to downgrade my service because I'm too poor to afford all the spiffy stuff. I even told the lady that. Immediatly after explaining to her how broke I am she tried for a good 5-10 minutes to sell me all sorts of premium stuff and sign me up for so called "free" movie packages. Oh its free eh? Oh what's that? Its only free for 3 months? You forgot to mention that right?.
I work for a corporate controlled automotive repair shop as a mechanic and there is an insane amount of pressure on me as well as our service writers to sell everything we possibly can whether the car needs it or not. They get away with it because as long as we say our reconmendatiions are "suggestions" then we can never get sued or anything. Well as a mechanic I can "suggest" pretty much anything simply because your vehicle has reached a certain mileage whether that part is in immaculate condition or not. It is a disgusting practice that I take no part in, so of course I have the worst sales and labor rates outta everybody I work with and am constantly threatened with termination or lower hours. Unfortunatly EVERYONE else I work with is happy to kiss the corporate boot and do what they are told, especially since they get paid plenty of money for every repair theyare able to sell and perform. It very much sickens me to see people misled by my piece of crap greedy coworkers and employer and truly hope I can one day play a role in bringing this company down.
I won't say which company I work for, but it has been around for a long time and was once known for their catalogs.
The other complaint I have? Banks...enough said

reply to post by StratosFear


You don't buy car insurance? I hope you aren't the jerk who totalled my car and then filed bankruptcy. If you are, I am coming. If not, you are just a complete jerk. I cannot believe you posted that. Amazing I have to live with BOZOS like you!

CJ

reply to post by ColoradoJens


I had insurance until some guy backed his truck into my beautiful Olds Cutlass and the company rather than pay to have it fix decided they wanted to total it saying it only had a blue book value of around $1000. Well the engine i swapped into is worth more than that so i dropped them. Paying that much a month and them not come thru for my baby is a ripoff. Maybe if you didnt suck at driving you wouldnt be in that situation. Im a pilot and a damn good one and i know how to swerve out of the way. Damage incurred on my car was in the parking lot while i wasnt even in the car, and he drove off and got away.

reply to post by StratosFear


If I didn't suck at driving? Rear ended at a stop light? Mmmhmm. Sorry you think it's a scam. I cannot begin to tell you how much this one idiot WITHOUT SIMPLE INSURANCE has affected us. Not my fault people are too selfish to care about anyone but themselves. Sounds like you fit the bill. Stay off the roads.

CJ

Great thread!

I totally agree with everything written previously!
Another huge complaint I personally have it the absolute lack of basic courtesies on on the part of just about every retailer out there: what happened to please and thank you?
I am so weary of being dismissed as if they would not miss my business one bit if I shopped elsewhere because I sure don't get any notice that my business "matters..."

Rudeness is just not acceptable to me neither is attitude: I am a great tipper because I did waitress for a long time and know it's a hard job.However if you act like you're doing me a favor? Not cool! There are many restaurants here that are now auto-adding a 20% tip for a table of only 4...where is the incentive for any service of any kind,even a water refill? I know...people aren't leaving tips but as one who literally killed her body waiting on tables,I don't like the assumption.

Recently some friends threw a party for me at a chichi "girly"venue.Per the venue's rules,everything had to be pre-ordered for the party "in house".They had a fabulous cupcake tower,ordered appitizers,and we sat at a table that had been reserved weeks in advance from 7:30-10pm.Cocktails were ordered by all and they ranged from 12-15 dollars each.This was done FOR me,I'd probably never have indulged on my own!

At 10 pm,one of my friends was handed a hefty bill which she paid immediately although we hadn't asked for it yet.

We had planned to stay until maybe midnight...

We were THEN quite rudely told we needed to "vacate the table" as a DJ would start playing at 10:00pm and that our table happened to be in the VIP section...if we wanted to stay,it would be a $250.00 VIP table fee PLUS a ridiculous "bottle service" charge.We were shocked at this treatment,no one had said a word when the pricey-party arrangements were being made beforehand, and asked to speak to the manager.When the 8 gorgeous,high-end professional girls at the table were finished with the "owner",he not only escorted us to a BETTER table free of charge,but sent champagne as well.We stayed another 10 minutes or so and left with a very sour taste .

For what we spent in that restaurant/club,this we beyond awful treatment IMHO.No one honors agreements whether they be verbal or written...everyone tries to squeeze that long dollar out!

I'd never go back nor will my friends,many whom entertain for business and this way a PRIME example of how to attenpt to "fleece the sheep" even if they had on cute shoes,LOL!

Originally posted by StratosFear
Im about homocidal over the ridiculous amount of advertising, especially the commercials. I was trying to watch a movie on AMC the other day and they literally have commercial breaks every ten minutes and its always always always car insurance commericials. I dont buy insurance, i believe it was useful at one time in a galaxy far far away but now it is a scam. And if i ever see any of these people on the street oh boy it`ll be like christmas.

LOL yeah the commercials are ridiculous on tv now. I also don't like the advertisement the takes up half the screen now DURING the show. That is so annoying and distracting.

gecko needs to be ran over

but I like the gecko

proactive doesnt make you sexy it makes you orange and fake.

Proactive doesn't make you orange and it doesn't make you fake. It does work but your skin becomes use to it and when you stop using it your skin problem is worse than before you started taking it. They NEVER tell you that one!

Sorry to go on a rant there.

Its ok I understand...sometimes it feels good to vent

Originally posted by dainoyfb
Everything I buy these days doesn't work properly or breaks right away. I build a lot of my own stuff and stuff for other people but the components I buy to make things with are poorly made too so it's inescapable. I can't remember the last time I bought something that didn't have a problem before warranty was up.

I was just discussing this today with someone how things don't last today.

Everything is made to last about a year so you have to buy new and with technology anything you buy now is irrelevant in 6mths to a year and then you need the new model or it wont work right..

It's a great scam they have going to keep people buying their crap. I remember when they made things to last!

I would much rather get a mixer for example at thrift store that is from the 80s or 70s because I KNOW that thing still works and will til I die!

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
People trying to sell me things. If I want to buy a thing I will go buy a thing. Do not come to sell me a thing. I will not buy it.

I do not like pushy sales people at all! This is why I do not shop at Dillards Dept store, those people are hawks and are up your tail every turn you make! It is very annoying and uncomfortable. If I need help I will ask.

I actually had to complain to mall management about a cell kiosk in the mall that use to YELL out to people to come switch their phones. They use to bug me to death when I walked by and they did it to others. I finally said something to mall management. They were harassing people in the mall. If I wanted to change my phone I'd be standing at the counter without being called up to it like a dog.

People who charge far more than a product is worth. Especially folks selling used items who dont understand the "off the lot" reality of most goods.

OH yes these people.....I have seen this in a few second hand stores esp. They price the used item a couple dollars less that it would cost new then don't want to lower it or work with you. The same goes for used car sales!

People who pay far more than a product is worth thereby justifying the overcharging.

good one!