What's the biggest RIP OFF you've ever experienced?

[Domo]

Hotel "Resort Fees". They really creep up on you! We just don't have them in the UK.

 

[RUDisney]

First class on the Southern Trains in the UK. Not even in a separate compartment. Same seats. No buffet. No difference... save for a napkin on the back of the seat proudly proclaiming, "First Class". And for that we pay shedloads more.

You got "bragging rights!" lol

 

[RUDisney]

College textbooks. $100+ for a new textbook, then every year they change 5 words, make it a "new edition" so you can't just buy used ones from the previous year.

Luckily now you can rent textbooks. I've only bought textbooks for my daughter when they were the same price or less than the rental.

 

[Mermaid02]

Tons of things don't seem worth the price after the fact, but one MAJOR one that comes to mind is the $70.00 CAD (49.99 Euro) cheeseburger DH had at Walt's - An American Restaurant in DLP. We headed there straight off the red-eye from Calgary. We were dizzy from jet-lag and completely disoriented to how much things cost when converted from Euros; it didn't seem so completely insane in the moment. I cringe now thinking about it. This isn't my picture but the plate did look exactly like this - yes, that's 9 fries, NINE FRIES...

That is french fry Jenga if I've ever seen it... LOL

 

[RedAngie]

Hotel "Resort Fees". They really creep up on you! We just don't have them in the UK.

And what do you get for ridiculous resort fees?

Unlimited local and toll-free phone calls (who doesn't have their own cell phone?), daily newspaper, two bottles of water, 10% discount on overpriced salon/spa services, "free" crappy internet access, pool towels, and a bunch of other crap that 90% of guests never use.

 

[bcla]

And what do you get for ridiculous resort fees?

Unlimited local and toll-free phone calls (who doesn't have their own cell phone?), daily newspaper, two bottles of water, 10% discount on overpriced salon/spa services, "free" crappy internet access, pool towels, and a bunch of other crap that 90% of guests never use.

There are cynics who believe that they're basically another source of income that can be hidden in the fine print and which isn't subject to hotel taxes. However, I think local/state governments figured it out and might charge the same or maybe reduced taxes on the resort fees.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Epi pens. $600 for ten bucks worth of epi.

That's a big part of why we switched to Adrenaclick. My insurance won't cover any of it, but with the coupons CVS usually has, it's about $58 per 2-pack for me. My insurance doesn't cover enough of the grossly inflated Epi Pen prices to make any real dent, so our allergist switched our prescription.

 

[bcla]

That's a big part of why we switched to Adrenaclick. My insurance won't cover any of it, but with the coupons CVS usually has, it's about $58 per 2-pack for me. My insurance doesn't cover enough of the grossly inflated Epi Pen prices to make any real dent, so our allergist switched our prescription.

At least in some states it's allowed as a direct generic replacement for EpiPen without having to go back to the doctor. Still - aren't there massive shortages now? With the EpiPen manufacturing issues, that shortage is obviously increasing demand for Adrenaclick. And I suppose Teva's new generic auto-injector might help.

It's not the drug itself. Adrenaline is old, generally pretty cheap, and not in short supply. I've heard that some doctors are directly providing prefilled syringes stored in a way to keep the plunger in place as an alternative - especially in countries with lower average incomes. They tell their patients to come back every few months for a new set. The 0.3 ml dose is pretty cheap in a large multi-use vial.

I read somewhere that in some countries it's common to prescribe syringes and ampules of epinephrine because they're cheaper than vials. Not sure how that works under pressure, even if it's for a parent to administer.

 

[RangerPooh]

Agreed about the cost of college text books, especially those written by the professor or the loose leaf ones that go into binders that cannot be resold at buy back. As someone who needed to be an active learner and write int heir texts, rental was not an option.

Airport food is a rip-off. You're a captive audience and the prices are jacked up.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

At least in some states it's allowed as a direct generic replacement for EpiPen without having to go back to the doctor. Still - aren't there massive shortages now? With the EpiPen manufacturing issues, that shortage is obviously increasing demand for Adrenaclick. And I suppose Teva's new generic auto-injector might help.

It's not the drug itself. Adrenaline is old, generally pretty cheap, and not in short supply. I've heard that some doctors are directly providing prefilled syringes stored in a way to keep the plunger in place as an alternative - especially in countries with lower average incomes. They tell their patients to come back every few months for a new set. The 0.3 ml dose is pretty cheap in a large multi-use vial.

I read somewhere that in some countries it's common to prescribe syringes and ampules of epinephrine because they're cheaper than vials. Not sure how that works under pressure, even if it's for a parent to administer.

I've seen news stories on shortages, but I don't know anyone who has had any issues with having prescriptions filled. I have skipped the direct EpiPen generic b/c it's still about $300 oop for me for each 2-pack. I know some doctors are suggesting Auvi Q if there are any Epi Pen shortage issues, but that's an incredibly pricey alternative if your insurance won't cover a good chunk of the cost.

Before hearing about Adrenaclick, we'd discussed ampules of epinephrine as an alternative, but this is for my grade school aged daughter. It's cheaper to go this route (although, the difference is much slimmer with Adrenaclick costs), but the schools want auto-injectors. Our doctor also made a good point...if your child is having a major allergic reaction, you are likely to be in panic mode. There's less chance for error and a higher probability of quickly administering the correct dosing if dealing with an auto-injector.

 

[bcla]

Before hearing about Adrenaclick, we'd discussed ampules of epinephrine as an alternative, but this is for my grade school aged daughter. It's cheaper to go this route (although, the difference is much slimmer with Adrenaclick costs), but the schools want auto-injectors. Our doctor also made a good point...if your child is having a major allergic reaction, you are likely to be in panic mode. There's less chance for error and a higher probability of quickly administering the correct dosing if dealing with an auto-injector.

I get that ampules are much cheaper than vials. Kind of paying for the "delivery system". Even then, the price of the drug itself seems to have shot up since the last time there was a discussion on this on DIS a couple of years ago.

 

[Cubbiecakes]

My college had this saying printed on the free bookmarks included with each purchase. "Remember: Books are one of the least expensive tools you can buy."

I didn't mind paying $25 for the Intro to Accounting text back in 1979, but some of those required humanities courses, yikes, $10 for some thin paperback about 16th Century British history.

The cheapest book I had to buy in college was $60. Most off my books were in the $150-$200 range (each)

 

[bcla]

The cheapest book I had to buy in college was $60. Most off my books were in the $150-$200 range (each)

Some of my college books were old novels where the copyright had expired, and the paperbacks were only about $4.

However, these days there are online sales of books, which can arrive quickly. Even if one doesn't have Amazon Prime, it might even be cheaper than buying through a school bookstore. I remember one time I couldn't find a grad school textbook I needed and I just went to another local university's bookstore where it was a good amount cheaper.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I get that ampules are much cheaper than vials. Kind of paying for the "delivery system". Even then, the price of the drug itself seems to have shot up since the last time there was a discussion on this on DIS a couple of years ago.

Interesting that you bring up the vials...when the EpiPen pricing went from shameful to downright obscene a few years ago, I had our pharmacist price the vials for me. She estimated I was looking at about $35 a year (before syringes), but like you said, drug prices have gone up since that point. I do recall the DIS discussion on the matter because it all blew up right around the time of our annual allergist visit and prescription renewal. I'm at least thankful that our current school doesn't insist on EpiPen brand injectors. Our allergist informed us that some are leery of generics and other injectors for something this critical and have tried to mandate that the injectors left with the school be the actual EpiPen branding.

 

[bcla]

Interesting that you bring up the vials...when the EpiPen pricing went from shameful to downright obscene a few years ago, I had our pharmacist price the vials for me. She estimated I was looking at about $35 a year (before syringes), but like you said, drug prices have gone up since that point. I do recall the DIS discussion on the matter because it all blew up right around the time of our annual allergist visit and prescription renewal. I'm at least thankful that our current school doesn't insist on EpiPen brand injectors. Our allergist informed us that some are leery of generics and other injectors for something this critical and have tried to mandate that the injectors left with the school be the actual EpiPen branding.

My cousin is married to an allergist. Maybe I can ask him about this. He says one of the reasons why he went into that specialty is that for the most part his patients (for his specialty and not his internal medicine side-gig) are healthy and their allergies are more quality of life issues. However, he's bound to deal with life-threatening allergies.

Not that I'd ever want to do it, but I think if someone handed me a vial and a 1 ml syringe, I could probably draw and administer 0.3 ml into someone's thigh. But an ampule? I think I'd probably cut myself and spill the contents. Not to mention glass in the draw. I heard they might even need two needles - a filtered one to draw and the other to administer.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

My cousin is married to an allergist. Maybe I can ask him about this. He says one of the reasons why he went into that specialty is that for the most part his patients (for his specialty and not his internal medicine side-gig) are healthy and their allergies are more quality of life issues. However, he's bound to deal with life-threatening allergies.

Not that I'd ever want to do it, but I think if someone handed me a vial and a 1 ml syringe, I could probably draw and administer 0.3 ml into someone's thigh. But an ampule? I think I'd probably cut myself and spill the contents. Not to mention glass in the draw. I heard they might even need two needles - a filtered one to draw and the other to administer.

Back when we were strictly getting EpiPens, I used to say that it's the most expensive med I want to buy that I never want to use. So, whether it's an auto-injector or an ampule...I really just hope we never need to use it.

I think most allergists do more work with patients dealing with environmental allergies and quality of life issues. I know that's why I saw one as a kid. DD12 sees hers for both food and environment, but I like seeing him for the food stuff because he seems to get more info on recommended changes in treatments than the pediatrician. It could all change if the peanut allergy serum in development gets green-lighted for use, but who knows if that will ever happen. Of course, even if it is, we'd still have to deal with a tree nut allergy, but it would be great for those only dealing with a peanut allergy, it would create more that allergists could do to help patients, and could open the door for research on other food allergy serums.

 

[bcla]

Back when we were strictly getting EpiPens, I used to say that it's the most expensive med I want to buy that I never want to use. So, whether it's an auto-injector or an ampule...I really just hope we never need to use it.

I've noticed that there can be specific allergies. My MIL has a specific allergy to squid. Or at least she says it's squid, but I'm thinking it probably includes related seafood such as cuttlefish and octopus. It was kind of odd going around with her, where she was specifically asking if anything had any squid in it. I haven't seen her with an EpiPen or its alternatives.

My kid has gone to classes or even entire summer camps where all tree nuts were banned. This is kind of odd for me as a kid who grew up with with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

 

[longboard55]

The thing with school textbooks is they like to change the edition every year. As if speaking spanish or ancient world history changes. So you spend $80 on a book and you can not sell it for anything because it is out of date and not the current edition

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I've noticed that there can be specific allergies. My MIL has a specific allergy to squid. Or at least she says it's squid, but I'm thinking it probably includes related seafood such as cuttlefish and octopus. It was kind of odd going around with her, where she was specifically asking if anything had any squid in it. I haven't seen her with an EpiPen or its alternatives.

My kid has gone to classes or even entire summer camps where all tree nuts were banned. This is kind of odd for me as a kid who grew up with with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I believe it. It didn't hit me until I was expecting my second child, but I developed some kind of sensitivity to clams. I can eat all other shellfish, but after years of eating clam chowder, steamers, and fried clams (among other things)...they now make me violently ill.

I still have no idea where it came from. I ate peanuts (lots of peanut butter) and tree nuts when I was pregnant with her. I also made sure to introduce nuts into her diet when we were introducing her to new foods...and she was fine until she was a few months out from her 5th bday. It was a pesto with black walnuts that caused the big reaction (throat/lips swelling, eyes swelled shut, etc.). It shocked me since I made a cake with a cranberry pecan filling just a few months earlier and she was fine. She'd even had my homemade pesto before and been fine. I don't know anyone who had allergies like this when I was a kid, but it's alarming how many people now have these life threatening issues.

 

[bcla]

I believe it. It didn't hit me until I was expecting my second child, but I developed some kind of sensitivity to clams. I can eat all other shellfish, but after years of eating clam chowder, steamers, and fried clams (among other things)...they now make me violently ill.

I still have no idea where it came from. I ate peanuts (lots of peanut butter) and tree nuts when I was pregnant with her. I also made sure to introduce nuts into her diet when we were introducing her to new foods...and she was fine until she was a few months out from her 5th bday. It was a pesto with black walnuts that caused the big reaction (throat/lips swelling, eyes swelled shut, etc.). It shocked me since I made a cake with a cranberry pecan filling just a few months earlier and she was fine. She'd even had my homemade pesto before and been fine. I don't know anyone who had allergies like this when I was a kid, but it's alarming how many people now have these life threatening issues.

I'm guessing there were always these cases, but modern medicine means that there's more people surviving and passing on these genes. Mortality tended to be extremely high even a century ago. You'd have children who died, and nobody really talked much about it.