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What is the WORST "value" you ever paid for?

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Rachel888

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Paid hundreds of $$ summer after summer to fix the A/C in my car. Not only was it a waste of money but caused me unnecessary frustration/anger.

Last March I finally bought a new (used) car 2015 Honda Civic, paid for in cash! Best money spent ever!
 
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G-Man

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Internal Auditing classes. Several hundred dollars plus a huge time investment, for the "payoff" of doing work I hate for only nominally more money, all because I listened to some HR bimbo prattle on about how "adding credentials like this are good for your career".

I would have been better off spending that time and money in a casino. No exaggeration. I would still have wasted time and money, but I would have been a lot less stressed.

While I'm ranting, "career" is a word invented to delude you into forgetting you just have a job. Somewhere, there's a poor 22 year old that thinks spending the next 10 years in SOX compliance will make him happier, and the world a better place. All because we let teachers and HR people, who collectively represent nature's C students, make up words like "career"

/rant over
 

Xeon

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Guru ebooks and "systems" for sure. What a f***ing waste of money lol. Learnt absolutely nothing from them.
 

MJ DeMarco

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Me: "Ok, NYT Best-Selling author, and Costco is selling it! It has to be good!"

Got to be the worst book I ever read.

And it wasn't the 7 bucks, it was the 7 hours that I spent discovering it was the worst book I ever read.

Looking to read something where absolutely nothing really happens? No suspense? No thrills? No real pressing mystery that anyone gives as shit about? This is your book.


IMG_0254.JPG
 
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csalvato

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Me: "Ok, NYT Best-Selling author, and Costco is selling it! It has to be good!"

Got to be the worst book I ever read.

And it wasn't the 7 bucks, it was the 7 hours that I spent discovering it was the worst book I ever read.

Looking to read something where absolutely nothing really happens? No suspense? No thrills? No real pressing mystery that anyone gives as sh*t about? This is your book.


View attachment 19093

lol i usually stop reading books like that halfway through. If it's fiction, it's got to grip me like a motherfcker.
 

CPisHere

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The WORST value I've ever paid for has ALWAYS been to serve my ego/get a 'magic pill'.

-Any meal I've spent over $150 on. Literally never worth it.
-Any 'education' product I didn't have immediate use for / got sold on due to copywriting
-Every vitamin/supplement I've ever bought (with rare exception)
-Most name brand products where value is the brand, not particularly different quality/appeal
-Anything I ever bought because it was on sale, when I wouldn't have bought it otherwise

Oh, and Bitcoin at $18k LOL (I actually think long-term it will turn out to be good, but thought I'd through it in here for fun).
 
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CPisHere

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I paid for a Remit course about 5 years ago. His "Earn 1K" Course. I have regretted it ever since, and felt too guilty to ask for a refund. Felt completely valueless.
I found his Earn 1k Course immensely valuable, but that was before finding a lot of other material I know now about. Every other course I bought I had to ask for a refund until I finally realized he was a great copywriter that was selling super basic products and unsubscribed from his list.
 

GPM

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I have a naturally aspirated car, and I had a tune done on it last summer and a chip that squeezed out about another 30 HP. Makes the car a bit more fun to drive, but I now regret the cash spent on this. I have things in my life that are WAY more deserving of this money.
 

NuclearPuma

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I found his Earn 1k Course immensely valuable, but that was before finding a lot of other material I know now about. Every other course I bought I had to ask for a refund until I finally realized he was a great copywriter that was selling super basic products and unsubscribed from his list.

I read a lot of Ramit's free stuff and kept hearing him keep talking about his "secrets" in his paid courses. And one day I was reading, or maybe it was an audiobook, and had the epiphany all his secrets can be found in books and $100 in books would probabaly be better than $1,000 in online classes. And it's also nuts because he charges way more than university tuition for some stuff.

Ramit sells $100 bills for $50. At least he presents and markets it that way. But you could buy the $100 for only $.05 if you know where to look.
 
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Olimac21

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I read a lot of Ramit's free stuff and kept hearing him keep talking about his "secrets" in his paid courses. And one day I was reading, or maybe it was an audiobook, and had the epiphany all his secrets can be found in books and $100 in books would probabaly be better than $1,000 in online classes. And it's also nuts because he charges way more than university tuition for some stuff.

Ramit sells $100 bills for $50. At least he presents and markets it that way. But you could buy the $100 for only $.05 if you know where to look.
What about Ramit books though? Are they worth it or also a waste of money?
 

SouthernCharm

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I used to sign up for ticket presales for big names at major venues and then resell them for a profit once the general sales cycle began. The artists that appealed to older generations tended to go for a large premium. They couldn't be bothered to figure out Ticketmaster's frustrating presale process (or weren't capable) and didn't have the schedule flexibility and patience to sit, glued to their computers, at the appointed hour for the sale to begin. After time I became pretty decent at picking the concerts and venues that provided sizable returns. That is, until it came back to kick me in the a$$.

I got presale access to an operatic singer at a major city which had historically sold very well. The trick with opera singers is getting the right seat location - even 10 rows difference in a standard section can have a substantial change in seat market value. When the sale started, I was presented row B seats in a section very close to the stage. I was pumped! I just knew those seats would turn to gold so I took a gamble and bought eight tickets for over $4k (this was a lot of coin for me at the time). But I was confident that the investment would pay off handsomely.

Then when the time came to put the tickets back up for sale, the site showed me a snapshot of where the seats would be located relative to the stage. At first, I thought "whoa! must be something wrong here", but as I looked closer, this venue rows actually started out with double letters (AA, BB, CC, etc). So instead of being right in front of the stage, my row B seats ended up being around 20 rows back and almost behind the stage. This translated to terrible acoustics. Instead of going for a premium, these seats usually sold at a discount for normal concerts. For an operatic vocalist, the location was basically the pits. After all the purchase and resale fees, I ended up losing over $2k. I was devastated. It was a dumb mistake on my part, but it also helped me take a step back and realize I was spending a tremendous amount of time/effort for relatively inconsequential returns overall. Terrible investment of time and money.
 

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Mine is definitely '4 billion SAAS tools'. In the short term they all seem to serve a need/be useful for something you need right then. And you're sure you'll definitely use them a lot...

Instead I end up burning $1k/year each for a bunch of 87-99/month tools that I barely use and end up canceling 1.5-2.5 years later.

And they never even seem to really be exactly what the business or I personally needed anyway.

It's been more useful to think about having things developed specifically (or coding them myself) for exactly what we need. It might have a 1+ year payback but in the long run it's a huge boost to cashflow vs just continually accumulating lumps of $1k/year extra cost.

I'm disappointed in myself for letting a few slip through for longer than they should have. I used to play a lot of poker and everything is about those small edges - never bluff $50 if $47 has the same impact. All those $3 saved the times it doesn't work out add up over hundreds of thousands of hands played.
 

NordikaX

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I bought a behemoth Garmin GPS for $1000 when it was new technology for a driving job and made monthly payments on an Amazon card. If you remember, it's that one you put on the dashboard that's weighted down by a sandbag. It was useful at the time, but I should've just used the Thomas Guide instead to save money. In retrospect it was my bad decision as I thought it was a need. I still have it, but it's worthless now.
 
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Tommo

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Me: "Ok, NYT Best-Selling author, and Costco is selling it! It has to be good!"

Got to be the worst book I ever read.

And it wasn't the 7 bucks, it was the 7 hours that I spent discovering it was the worst book I ever read.

Looking to read something where absolutely nothing really happens? No suspense? No thrills? No real pressing mystery that anyone gives as sh*t about? This is your book.


View attachment 19093
sorry mate i should of warned you. didn't know you liked fiction. try jeffery deaver lol
 

CPisHere

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I read a lot of Ramit's free stuff and kept hearing him keep talking about his "secrets" in his paid courses. And one day I was reading, or maybe it was an audiobook, and had the epiphany all his secrets can be found in books and $100 in books would probabaly be better than $1,000 in online classes. And it's also nuts because he charges way more than university tuition for some stuff.

Ramit sells $100 bills for $50. At least he presents and markets it that way. But you could buy the $100 for only $.05 if you know where to look.
He even admits that he has very simple material that can be found cheap elsewhere.

His Consulting course, for instance, was like $2,000 & just videos of him talking through a Jay Abraham book you can get free.

I never pay for information anymore (from him or anyone else). The real value is in personal, nuanced feedback from a master.
 

JAJT

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-Any meal I've spent over $150 on. Literally never worth it.

Food is never worth the price tag if you look at it like food.
If you turn the food into an experience though - it's worth far more.

I took my wife to the fanciest place in town for our 5 year anniversary.
Cost $500+ for two adults.
It consisted of a 12 course meal with wine pairings served by a sommelier who expertly explained every meal and wine choice, located in a beautiful restaurant with very limited seating overlooking the water and city. It was a VERY "white glove" experience.
We got dressed up nice and made food the central part of a large experience.

The experience was priceless and one of our favorite memories together. While $500 was expensive and more than I wanted to pay at the time, if you asked me what I'd pay to keep that memory I'd say it wasn't for sale at any price.

Compare that to walking into a restaurant indifferently, seeing a $500 Wagyu steak and giving it a try, hoping the food is worth the price - you will never win that bet. The food will never be worth it without a strong experience to tie it to.
 
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JAJT

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What about Ramit books though? Are they worth it or also a waste of money?

No word of a lie, I believe EVERY high school graduate should be handed a copy of "I Will Teach You To Be Rich".

The book is PURE gold for that age group (or adults who 'never learned') and fills in a LOT of gaps that formal education conveniently leaves out.

I saved literally thousands buying my first new car using his email/fax strategy directly lifted from that book.
I would also say that his book was the foundation for many of my current-day thoughts on money/debt in many different ways. Some of his strategies helped me get out of DEBT very, very fast when I got into some trouble when I was a young adult.

Regarding his courses - I never paid for them because I understood what they were (because he told everyone up front): psychological accountability. You value the things you pay for and tend to follow through on those things better than free information. I believe he even said many multiple times that he charges an arm and a leg for even some "simple" things because the people who pay that will tend to follow through better and have a higher chance to succeed.

Ramit is FANTASTIC with numbers and psychology. Honestly I've loved just about every blog post the guy writes. You can learn a TON by watching what he does. I'm kind of surprised he doesn't have a $20k mastermind (maybe he does now?) because he could easily fill the seats with his copy and funnels.

The issue with Ramit is he is not an appropriate source of information for learned entrepreneurs. His target market seems to be lost souls with no financial background, little discipline, who want to get their shit together and maybe make a few bucks on the side. I'd say he probably does that excellently.

Nobody on this forum should pay for his courses at this point. I'd say his book is really worth it but likely not for an adult who has their shit together.
 

NuclearPuma

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What about Ramit books though? Are they worth it or also a waste of money?

It's pretty slow lane. If you've read a few personal finance books you've probabaly seen the material before. The advice is pretty solid though. He advocates automated systems for savings and bills and highlights the importance of low credit score. Focus on the big costs (such as interest) and not the pennies (saving money on coffee). So it can be good for someone who is new to managing their own finances who hasn't read anything about it before.
 

p0stscript

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In the early eighties my friends and I decided on a holiday of a lifetime to Hawaii. Since it was a very long haul flight from the UK we travelled via California, spending a few nights in LA before flying on to Honolulu. Since we had never been to America before we thought we'd see the sights and pre booked a restauraunt meal in Beverly Hills. This was the worst value I ever paid for, the meal was adequate, the service subpar, and for the first time in the USA we were made to feel like third class citizens all for a premium price. Thankfully it did not spoil the vocation and was a notable exception to the hospitality and warmth we encountered everywhere else.
 
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Autobahn1985

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Rolex Submariner... I always wanted to buy me one of those James Bond watches once I "made it", and I did... Sub No Date... But in the end, it's just a watch, the fake one of my friends is wearing costs like 1/10 of it, and despite a liiiiiittle "tick" it is hardly distinguishable... And I am wearing my 80 bucks G-Shock or 200 bucks Slow Watch most of the time... pissed away a lot of money on appearance, but it didnt give me the satisfaction I always thought it would... And now, Bond is wearing Omegas anyway - half the price, and not every douchebag in the club is wearing one :D
 

Youngrahn

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Mine is not just one specific product or an experience.

I'll say 'All the skin care products I had purchased and used until last summer, 2017'

When I was in my 20s, I spent a lot of my time at tanning shops in Korea and
at the beaches in Hawaii. It was one of the biggest mistakes in my life. I damaged my skin so bad that my skin became extremely dry and itchy and I had to cover my enlarged pores every time I put on make-up.

Ever since then, I spent at least 7,000 dollars on multiple excruciating laser treatments to reduce the size of my pores and probably more money on expensive skin products.

When I visited my family back home in Korea last summer, I desperately looked for another 'the best dermatologist in the country' online again. While I was searching for more information on 'how to minimize pores' I accidentally ended up on a blog and I found out this blogger was an entrepreneur who owns a very small skin care shop in Seoul

After almost 2 hours of subway ride, I found this place and got to meet with this blogger.

According to her, you CAN minimize your pores, but you CAN NEVER do it with a couple of laser treatments and expensive products over night


because,

#1. Laser treatments initially damage your skin and eventually weaken it and cause it to become more sensitive and to break out.

(So, I stopped spending money on laser treatments)

#2. A lot of these fancy skin products (especially what major skin care companies produce) contain Sulfate, PEG, Parabens and other ingredients that make your skin lose its control in the long run.

(So, I started buying new skin products such as Witch hazel rose petal toner from Thayers, moisturizers from Physiogel, beauty soap from Dove, and other Ph balancing cleansers from Eucerin and some Korean cosmetic brands. And I learned that products that smell good, lather well, and cleanse perfectly had actually destroyed my skin barrier which keeps its natural moisture)

#3. Unless you get rid of what's in your pores physically, you can Never ever make them smaller by trying to do the same chemically. Well, it may seem like it works but only for a short period time.
Actually I had only been relying on treatments and products that constantly treating (and damaging) the outermost layer of my skin but never even realized I should focus on getting rid of what's in them first until then.

(So, I started getting rid of these nasty blackheads with a remover every other day after shower, then applied my rose water toner 7 times every 30 seconds followed by moisturizer.
Oh yes, It's very time-consuming but totally worth it.)


She charged me only 200,000 won (almost 200 dollars) for her service that lasted a few months while I stayed in Korea and I voluntarily spent another 200 on the products she had displayed on the shelves that she never tried to sell to me.
I must have been really tired of those doctors who had always tried to give me a lecture about their newest technology and their expensive equipments. I didn't mind giving her more money at all at that time :)

I followed her advice and now I never look for another best dermatologist or buy any skin products without checking their ingredients.
Also, I am happy with how my skin looks and feels

Phew! That was a long story! But I guess it is a happy ending :)
Thank you for reading!
 
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Maxboost

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Rolex Submariner... I always wanted to buy me one of those James Bond watches once I "made it", and I did... Sub No Date... But in the end, it's just a watch, the fake one of my friends is wearing costs like 1/10 of it, and despite a liiiiiittle "tick" it is hardly distinguishable... And I am wearing my 80 bucks G-Shock or 200 bucks Slow Watch most of the time... pissed away a lot of money on appearance, but it didnt give me the satisfaction I always thought it would... And now, Bond is wearing Omegas anyway - half the price, and not every douchebag in the club is wearing one :D

I love watches but that Rolex Submariner will retain its value so its not really a waste. You should at the very least break even. Seiko and Casio G shock is the best value out there.
 
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Shuhari

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All books of the 4-hour series. Thinking not about the 50 bucks that these cost in total, but more about the lost time. Most of us are so prone to the idea that there exists a shortcut to whatever we desire and when marketed effectively baaaaaam, you're sold on this worthless piece of advice. Such a scam...
 

Get Right

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1. College (had to unlearn everything to make any money)
2. Homelite products (learned my first cuss word owning them)
3. A wrinkle in time (movie my kids made me watch...)
4. Pretty much everything on TV (I cut the cord 3 years ago)
 

Danny reds

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In the spirit of the lengthy sister post of WHAT IS THE BEST VALUE...

NOTABLE! - What is the BEST "value" you ever paid for?

WHAT IS SOME OF THE WORST VALUE YOU EVER PAID FOR?

I'll start...

A couple of weeks ago I went to Picazzo's, a specialty pizza joint...

http://www.picazzos.com/

Ordered a couple of specialty pizzas.

Ordered no alcohol. No appetizers.

The bill, with tip, was close to $100.

For freaking pizza.

And it was just OK.

This is not to impugn their food-- it's usually really good.

But $100 for pizza is a reach.

Afterward I was like, "Woah, what just happened?" LOL.

Must be some good healthy gluten free pizza... LOL

Thats the price you pay for their green clean commitment!
 
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Danny reds

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In the spirit of the lengthy sister post of WHAT IS THE BEST VALUE...

NOTABLE! - What is the BEST "value" you ever paid for?

WHAT IS SOME OF THE WORST VALUE YOU EVER PAID FOR?

I'll start...

A couple of weeks ago I went to Picazzo's, a specialty pizza joint...

http://www.picazzos.com/

Ordered a couple of specialty pizzas.

Ordered no alcohol. No appetizers.

The bill, with tip, was close to $100.

For freaking pizza.

And it was just OK.

This is not to impugn their food-- it's usually really good.

But $100 for pizza is a reach.

Afterward I was like, "Woah, what just happened?" LOL.

Must be some good healthy gluten free pizza... LOL
Thats the price you pay for their green clean commitment!

I went to whole foods on Friday. Walked out with four paper bags and paid $280 bucks for some meat and veggies.

Is it really grass fead? Cage Free?
 
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andyhaus44

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Dr. Stacey A. Maxwell-Krockenbergers “guru” seminar — she doesn’t give you your money back if you’re not able to attend
 

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