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Posts Tagged “

Ripoffs

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question of the day

Question of the Day: Do You Use Expensive Cable or Generic Cable?

The debate between expensive cable and generic cable has raged on for ages now, with the manufacturers of high-end products receiving quite a bashing for their high prices. So, even with all of the negative press about expensive cable being a waste of money, we have to ask: Do you use expensive cable or generic cable? More »

8:15 PM on Tue Mar 25 2008
By Sean Fallon
29,563 views, 100 comments

Latest by mixamillion: You can't hook up your new tv without purchasing these cables, so that's how they get you...if you can't wait. Only the suckers buy the high end cables. I go to meritlinedotcom for all my cabling needs; inexpensive not cheap. more »

ripoffs

$300 "Audiophile Grade" Power Cable is Really Worth $15

Wasting money on expensive audio cables is one thing, but spending money on "audiophile grade" power cables? That seems downright idiotic. So you probably won't be too surprised to learn that $300 Virtual Dynamics Power 3 cables contain about $15 worth of components. More »

3:25 PM on Mon Mar 24 2008
By Adam Frucci
23,795 views, 89 comments

Latest by HeartBurnKid: @Virtual_Dynamics: Bullshit. The claims of audio cable manufacturers are already specious enough, but you are not going to sit here and claim that your power cable can somehow improve audio. If you really think it can, James Randi more »

cheapskates

Sensor Abuse: Fancy Minibar Charges You for Merely Moving Drinks

It used to be that if you stayed at a hotel with a minibar, you could down some $8 bags of chips or whatever else was stored in there as long as you replaced them before you checked out to avoid getting ripped off. No more. Now minibars have motion sensors and scales built in, so if you so much as move an item you automatically purchase it. The latest offender is the minibar at the Wynn in Las Vegas. More »

12:28 PM on Mon Jan 28 2008
By Adam Frucci
51,078 views, 95 comments

Latest by headsallempty: Take a long piece of tubing and empty every bottle without moving them an inch. more »

HiVox Stress Relieving Wristband: A Haiku I'm stressing out, dude.
Wrist massages aren't helping.
Eighty bucks for this?
[Product Page via Red Ferret]

6 comments

p.t. barnum department

Nothing is On Sale for $6.28

It had to happen. Someone is now selling Nothing, and undoubtedly, some suckers are buying it. It's a piece of packaging with a clear plastic sphere sticking out of it that contains absolutely nothing. Well, there's something in there, but it's just the same as what's outside it: thin air. And get this: It costs $6.28. It's Nothing for something! More »

11:00 PM on Fri May 4 2007
By Charlie White
77,145 views, 57 comments

home entertainment

HDMI Ripoffs Continue: $89 HDMI Switcher Selling for $350

The HDMI rip-off outrage continues, where the next chapter in our sordid saga shows BetterCables.com selling a 5x1 HDMI switcher for $349.95, calling its "regular" price $449.95. The company generously tosses in two free 1-meter HDMI cables, which it says have a value of $139.90. So let's do the math: you're getting a $489.95 $589.85 value for $349.95, right? Wrong. More »

8:09 AM on Mon Feb 26 2007
By Charlie White
22,446 views, 12 comments

home entertainment

HDMI Switches: Don't Get Ripped Off!

HDMI connectivity is getting cheaper wherever you look. It used to be that you'd have to pay exorbitant prices for anything with HDMI stamped on it—routing that digital video (up to 1080p) and audio at the same time must be incredibly expensive, right? But HDMI cables sold by unscrupulous retailers for 10 times more than they're really worth still carry digital audio and video from one place to another the same way the cheap ones do. More »

7:55 AM on Fri Feb 23 2007
By Charlie White
25,840 views, 16 comments

Latest by enigma66: I know a lot of retailers are dishonest... I'm not denying that. The reason a..large..technology store (such as mine) charges a high markup on HDMI is to gain revenue. Remember that when you buy a PC or Laptop that store more »

home entertainment

HDMI Cable Ripoff Continues, Cable Prices Go Even Lower Elsewhere

Monster Cable and its accomplices continue to rip off unsuspecting consumers, charging $119.99 at retail for a 2-meter HDMI cable (there's its portrait at left). Oh, wait, Amazon sells that same Monster Cable for $75.88. On the other hand, Firefold sells a 6-foot HDMI cable for $5.71, the lowest price we've seen yet. That's a difference of $73.17. More »

10:45 AM on Wed Feb 21 2007
By Charlie White
18,429 views, 40 comments

cellphones

FCC Helps Cellphone Providers Piss On Us

Let's face it: the cellular service providers all suck. Which one has the most dropped calls? It's just a matter of which provider sucks less, and now we find out the United States government is helping these weasels. Thanks to the FCC, we'll never know for sure which cellphone provider tops the all-time suckage list. More »

11:30 AM on Tue Dec 19 2006
By Charlie White
351 views, 36 comments

gadgets

Mollibrands Premium Waters: Buy This and We'll Shoot Your Dog

The water sellers have stepped over the line again, now marketing the stuff toward pets. Mollibrands' precious website makes my skin crawl, where the anthropomorphizing goes so far beyond the realm of reality that these people must have been upset about the reclassification of Pluto because it's their homeland. Get this:
"Since we are pet parents ourselves, we have created the precise formula to support pets' key body functions for a healthy life."
Funny how there's no mention of the price of this Molli's Choice water, which if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it. The company offers this most rare of products in an unflavored version and "a selection of subtle and sophisticated flavors to keep even the most discriminating pet properly hydrated." Maybe you should try pouring some of this premium bottled water in your toilet, the vessel preferred only by the most discriminating pets. – Charlie White More »

12:39 PM on Thu Sep 7 2006
By Charlie White
443 views, 7 comments

Latest by Worf: Hrm. I wonder if it's even *more* expensive than Evian... more »