Rip Offs

L

Lemurz

Registered User
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Thought it would be an opportune time to start a thread on Irish Rip-offs ............

- Government (overpaid & avoiding the real issues)
- Stamp Duty (3 Beds in Dublin are not luxury homes / we're not at war & we're not English)
- VAT (overtaxed - one of the highest rates in Europe @ 21%)
- Houses (no need to discuss further)
- Cars (overtaxed & VRT contrary to the single market)
- Spirits, Wine, Beer (overtaxed & over-consumed)
- Doctors (cartel)
- Chemists (cartel)
- Groceries Order & Supermarkets (cartel)
- Insurance (cartel)
- Petrol/diesel (cartel & overtaxed)
- Mobile phones (cartel)
- Eircom (monopoly & not investing in a major strategic asset)
- ESB (monopoly)
- Board Gais (monopoly)
- DAA Airport Charges (monopoly - Mick rules)
- Airport car parking (overpriced duopoly)
- West Link (overpriced car park)
- Waste charges (overpriced)
- Pubs (overpriced, but smoke free)
- Restaurants (overpriced)
- Hotels / B&B's (overpriced)
- Intermediaries (many over-paid for bad/poor/biased advice - mortgages, pensions, life assurance, investments, etc)
- Professionals/Advisors (paid on a percentage basis, rather than on value provided/work done - solicitors, auctioneers, architects, recruitment consultants, etc)
- to be continued


And the far side where citizens/taxpayers........
- don't pay taxes on their rental income
- don't pay taxes on their nixers
- get reduced prices from landlords/tradesmans via cash (tax evasion)
- Lie on their car insurance proposals about who is actually the main driver of the car and what address the car is kept
- Illegally copy CDs/DVDs/Videos/Software
- keep their cash income off-shore or in bogus non-resident accounts
- keep their hot money off-shore in property in Turkey/Croatia/Bulgaria etc
- bin charge spongers
- TV license spongers
- Credit union tax evaders
- to be continued


And the positive side.........
- German Supermarkets (welcome Aldi & Lidl)
- Taxi De-regulation (not cheap but a least you can get one now)
- Aer Lingus (great fares, but still a WIP)
- Ryanair (the initiator, but not the gold standard)
- Northern Rock / Rabobank (deposit rates in excess of inflation)
- Internet based brokers (see below)
- Free schools
- to be continued

Note: Not all intermediaries, advisors, professionals are guilty of Rip-offs so please support those who offering the consumer good value:

Conveyancy Solicitors:
- Dermot Deane €900+vat (Ph: 231 4600)

Best deposit rates:
http://www.rabodirect.ie/
[broken link removed]

Low Cost Brokers (mortgage, insurance, investments, life assurance, etc):
http://www.labrokers.ie/
http://www.monitum.com/
http://www.123.ie/


Please post other Rip-offs & good deals for all to see!

I feel a consumer revolution on the way!!!
 
Hi Lemurz,

Stamp duty is not a tax on luxury houses. It is one of the oldest taxes and is charged on instruments (that is, written documents).


from the channel 4 money website
History of the tax Stamp duty was invented by the Dutch in 1624 and first levied in the UK in 1694 by William and Mary as: 'several duties on Vellum, Parchment and Paper for four years, towards carrying on the war against France'.

Like income tax, which was introduced to pay for the war against Napoleon, stamp duty proved to be such a nice little earner for the government that it was never repealed.

It was so successful that it remained even when its imposition brought about riots in the American colonies in 1765, most notably what became known as the 'Boston Tea Party'. Stamp duty is now the oldest tax administered by the Board of Inland Revenue.
Click to expand...


Your list includes at least two major categories.


1)Taxes
2)Anti competitive behaviour.


I dont know about anyone else but I find these very broadly defined discussions very difficult to get my head around and not very usefull.


ajapale
 
LeMurz

Don't mind AJ. You are dead right. Another long list of alleged rip offs will be really really useful to anyone who has not read any of the many threads on the subject on Askaboutmoney, or to anyone who has not read any of today's papers, or to anyone who has not watched any TV recently, or to anyone who has not checked out Rip-0ff Ireland website or to anyone who has not listened to any of the talk radio programmes.

I am with you all the way. Let's roll back the economic clock. Wasn't it much better in the early 1980's when there was 20% unemployment and 50% emigration. We had no money so these evil profit maximising business people could not rip us off. Let's learn from the luddites and start a campaign to sabotage economic progress in this country. That will really teach these rip-off merchants.

We can back to dancing at the cross-roads in the moonlight.

Brendan
 
Brendan - Thanks for the thumbs up!

I believe your flashback to the 1980's might not be to far off! We're no longer the low tax economy, we no longer have cheap labour and the IDA can't offer blank cheques anymore.

Welcome The Celtic Slug!


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Stobear,

"Did I miss something here or was Brendan's post just dripping in sarcasm?"

The though had crossed my mind, but I don't believe Brendan would be sarcastic on AAM (after all he is the founder). Maybe Brendan can confirm?

If so, then I'll start my own discussion board. I know the Irish can be a lazy bunch, but that's no reason for the Governmant to be a lazy bunch also. This is serious sh*t that affects us all !!!!

p.s. I' liked the bit in the Irish Times today about Minister Martin getting pressure on the groceries order - but no mention of the Eddie/AAM nappy protest. Hope you all sent them (with contents)
 
Can we not have a reasonable economy without the rip-offs? The Irish economy has become rather heated over the last few years largely due to foreign investment. If there is a better deal elsewhere, I'm sure they'll leave our shores as quickly as they came. We really should be concentrating on indigenous growth.

To add to the list:
- Spirits. (alcohol, not ghosts)

I find that most rip-offs are actually due to high taxes. It's the government ripping us off! Those crazy pay increases in the public sector isn't doing inflation any favours either.
 
Yeah - Let's rant about a few more of most common rip-off's round here;

- How many Irish rip-off taxpayers by not paying the proper taxes on their rental income, or their nixers income?
- How many Irish rip-off taxpayers by conspiring to get reduces prices from the landlord/tradesman via tax evasion?
- How many Irish rip-off insurance companies (aind other customers of insurance companies) by lying on their car insurance proposals about who is actually the main driver of the car and what address the car is kept at (to get the benefit of 'country rates' over Dublin rates).
- How many Irish rip-off owners of creative content (CD's / DVD's / software) by illegal copying (and keep some the paramilitaries in pocket money while doing so)?
- How many Irish ripped off other taxpayers in the 80's and the 90's by keeping their cash income off-shore or in bogus non-resident accounts?
- How many Irish rip off other taxpaayers in the naughties by keeping their hot money off-shore in property in Turkey/Croatia/Bulgaria etc?

Should I continue, or do we not want to hear about the underbelly of rip-off Ireland?
 
Madra-if you think the measly €140 or so euro a month is a windfall for any parent I'm afraid you are very much mistaken! By the time you pay for nappies, food, clothes and all the baby gear you actually need there aint no change! And then if you decide to put your child into a childcare facility while you work to make up the shortfall, well then you're talking real money! But I am NOT complaining because they are worth every cent!!
 
Spongers who don't pay their bin charges and TV license like the rest of us. The thousands of Credit Union [broken link removed].
 
By the time you pay for nappies, food, clothes and all the baby gear you actually need there aint no change!
Click to expand...
Micheál Martin will be doing a carboot sale soon for savings on some of these.
And then if you decide to put your child into a childcare facility
Click to expand...
School is free (well apart from the rip off of having to pay for the extras like having the jeep to bring them to school).
 
Brendan, surely theres room for those of us who want to see an end to the various anti-competative practices & rip offs in this country without being labelled luddites or communists. I agree with you that the country is in far better shape than its was 20 years ago & I'd hate to ever see us going back that way. In fact I would consider myself very pro-business & its amazes me we've come so far in spite of the above practices. Imagine how great the country could be if we really got our act together. Surely the aim should be to stamp out the rip offs but striving to make it easier to run/start up a business. I don't believe they are mutally exclusive ideals.
 
When tackling a new task it's normal to prioritise and to take an 80:20 type approach in order to deal with the most pressing issues first rather than trying to take a "big bang" approach and achieve perfection in one go. As such what would you say are, for example, the top three "rip offs" that need to be addressed and that, having been addressed, would yield the most benefit for the most people?
 
Debasser said:

Brendan, surely theres room for those of us who want to see an end to the various anti-competative practices & rip offs in this country without being labelled luddites or communists.
Click to expand...

The problem is that there is a huge difference between something which is expensive and something being a rip-off or even anti-competitive.

This is a booming economy, so of course things will be expensive.

There are very few rip-offs. But people love shouting about the rip-offs and as a result, they fail to recognize the real rip-offs.

I am simply asking, somewhat sarcastically I agree, if people would prefer the cheaper prices prevailing in most economies which are less successful than ours. There were far few complaints about rip-offs in the early 1980's.

The luddites were a very much maligned group. I am not so sure about the communists, but I don't think I mentioned them in my original post. But while you raise the subject, I seem to remember a placard at the bin charge protest from the Communist Party of Ireland-Marxist-Lenninist group. Or was that at the anti-incinerator march? Come to think of it, they were at both. As were the Sinn Féiners and Socialist Workers Party.

Brendan
 
There were far few complaints about rip-offs in the early 1980's.
Click to expand...

There might have been fewer complaints, but it doesn't mean there were fewer rip-offs. This is because:

1. We have greater price transparency. People can now directly compare the prices in Ireland to our european neighbours thanks to the Euro.

2. More people have access to the internet and can see more easily the rip-offs.

3. Most people who'd be in a position to buy stuff, probably wouldn't be living in Ireland - they'd have long gone to the UK or America etc. (So they wouldn't be complaining)

4. At last, Irish people are starting to complain!

(Did you make many international phone calls in the 80s?)
 
Don't you just love a gooooooood heated discussion!

FYI - I'm not a socialist, communist, luddite or whatever else you fantasize about!

I'm an capitalist FCA (like Brendan!), but want to improve the country we live in! The problem in Ireland, is that most of the capitalists are responsible for the rip-offs along with their lobby groups, who all have the Government in their back pocket. Only consumer pressure can change this - and I mean real consumer pressure!!! Nappies ain't a bad start!!

BTW - Thanks to "umop3p!sdn" & "Debasser" for your support. Seems we're still in the minority?

TIOCFAIDH AR LA - The Celtic Slug
 
Lemurz

If you want to improve the country you live in which is what I want to do as well, then it would help if you were a bit more discriminating. Recognize the difference between high prices and rip-offs. Recognize that things have improved dramatically. Recognize that there is real competition in most sectors.

Identify some of the real rip-offs that do exist and then do something public about them. Listing out every conceivalbe industry and product serves no purpose except to reinforce the false image that all Irish businesses rip off their customers.

Even better, as a capitalist you should have the resources to set up a business and start providing a service or product. It will have to be so profitable as there are so many rip-off industries which will be so easy to compete with. Check out Eddie Hobbs' latest tip - cement is €45 in Germany and €85 in Ireland. He has also helpfully calculated the cost of transport at €10 a ton. You don't need to be an FCA to work out the gigantic profits to be made by shipping that stuff over to Ireland.

Brendan
 
I'm going to have to go through future postings with a toothpick! I'm not pro-Lemurz or Brendan on this one. I probably lie somewhere in between.Brendan is right, we've got ourselves into hysterics in this country over the rip off culture & its probably no where near as bad as it seems but thats the tabloid culture for you. Personally I think its the system that needs to be changed(but thats another thread in the making!). Business will be business & try to generate money. Thats a fact & its proven to be the best way to increase wealth & prosperity for all of us by keeping us in jobs. Surely as a nation we should adopt a "we take out business seriously" policy. i.e. we make it as easy as possible to run & maintain new ventures but anyone who willfully abuses this will be dealt with. This is changing, We're not quite there (sounds like a Bertie slogan!) but hopefully it won't be too long..
 
School is free (well apart from the rip off of having to pay for the extras like having the jeep to bring them to school).[/QUOTE]

Don't have a jeep, baby isn't that heavy, thankfully.....
 
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