Idea of the Day - A new idea each day. Some Don't Suck!

Our Latest Posts About: Rip-Offs

Alerts Before Fees!

Wednesday, April 5, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why don't banks and credit card companies warn you before charging a fee?

It drives me crazy whenever I get an overdraft or late fee from a bank or credit card company. Most of the time, its because of a simple oversight, which could've been avoided if they had the courtesy of sending me an alert BEFORE they assess the fee.

This would be super easy to implement. Most of them already have our email address and mobile phone numbers. All they need to do is send us an alert, giving us a little time to fix the problem. For banks, that could simply mean an hour or so to transfer money, and for credit card companies, just give us a day to make an online or phone payment.

A little courtesy can go a long way towards eliminating problems like this, but I have the feeling they lik... [More]

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How Search Engines Take Advantage of Advertisers

Thursday, September 8, 2016 9:21 PM By Joe Crescenzi

I've got a BEEF with Google and Bing.

Google and Bing make billions of dollars when people click on ads in their search engines. So, if you search for "hotels in Miami", they return a Search Engine Results Page (SERP), which contains a mixture web site listings, and ads from companies who pay to be listed on that page. Fair enough, but what if somebody already knows what site they want to go to, and types the exact domain into the search box?

When somebody enters the exact domain they want into the search box, the fair thing would be for the search engine to bring the visitor directly to the website... NOT a search engine results page.

The reason the search engines don't take the visitor directly to the site they typed in is pure greed. They know that by taking the... [More]

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Shipping Rates Are Too Expensive For Consumers

Monday, July 18, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I realize volume shippers like Amazon should get better shipping rates... but consumers are paying WAY too much!

Every now and then, we see news stories telling us that the US Post Office is losing money, and most of the time, their solution is to raise rates. Unfortunately, just like any other business, as you raise prices, you generally see a drop in volume. As prices go up, there's a definite drop in sales. It's basic economics.

It's reached a point where the cost to ship even a small package can be more expensive than the contents of the package. This is particularly difficult for consumers selling things on eBay or Craig's List. When an item costs more to ship than the item itself, chances are it won't sell at all.

I wouldn't complain except that I know that volum... [More]

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Beware of HIDDEN $6 ATM Fees

Monday, May 16, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Did you know most banks charge an ADDITIONAL $3 fee to use an ATM?

Although ATMs are required to disclose their fees before you agree to use them, most people aren't aware that their own bank will charge them too, and they won't know about that fee until they take the time to read it on their statement. In most cases, that's an additional $3, and you may not even notice the second fee until weeks later.

I realized this the hard way, when I just happened to notice the $3 fee on my statement. At first, I assumed it was the $3 fee I agreed to when I used the ATM, but then I realized that the $3 ATM fee was already included in the transaction.

So, my original $20 withdrawal read $23, then there was a separate $3 ATM Fee... for a grand total of $6, for just a $20 withdrawal,

... [More]

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No More Toll Booth Exact Change Traps! (video version)

Friday, March 18, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I hate seeing local governments taking advantage of people.

This one really got under my skin. The Garden State Parkway in NJ has toll plazas that only accept 50 cents in exact change... or E-ZPass. If you don't have EZPass, or exact change... you end up with a $55 fine. That's just plain wrong.

What bugs me most is that there is no warning. The moment you reach the toll plaza, you are given a choice of 2 types of lanes, an exact change lane with a bin that only accepts coins, or lanes that only accept E-ZPass.

Once you reach the toll plaza, you are forced to make a decision. You can continue through the toll plaza and get a violation in the mail for $55, or you can risk getting a moving violation by trying to back out of the ramp or make an illegal U-Turn.

Unf... [More]

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How Banks INTENTIONALLY Rip Off Customers!

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Here's how banks use technology to intentionally boost overdraft fees.

I hate when I see companies intentionally doing things to take advantage of consumers, and this one in particular is an example of how not only one company, but an entire industry goes out of their way to rip off customers.

Here's the problem in a nutshell.

Let's say you have $500 in the bank, and you go shopping using your debit card.

First you buy something for $10.
Then you buy something else for $10
You then spend another $10 in 8 other stores.
All together you've spent $100 of the $500 in 10 different stores, leaving you $400.

On your way home, you have a problem with your car and you spend $500 to have it fixed.

Since you now have $400 in the bank, the $500 transaction is considered an... [More]

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* Note: The ideas on "Idea of the Day" were posted without any formal research into existing inventions.

In some cases, patents may already exist for these ideas, in other cases, there may not be any existing patents and you are free to develop and explore the viability of developing and patenting the ideas.

The authors make no claim that any of the ideas are safe, practical, or suitable for any particular purpose. You are responsible for the results of trying, developing, patenting or using any of the ideas on this site.

For some people, our ideas are just an interesting read, but our goal is to encourage you to take action. If you see an idea that you like, do something with it... Take action.

- Joe

Idea Of The Day. A new Idea Each Day. Some Don't Suck.