The Biggest Rip-Offs in America

There are few things on this earth that frustrate me as much as getting ripped-off. Sure, that venti-sized Carmel Macchiato costs a cool $5 or so, but at least it’s delicious. That $4 text message conversation I ended up getting into? Now that’s a rip-off. That’s far from being a lone rip-off, though. CNN Money has taken a look at nine of the most major rip-offs in all of America, and chances are you’re already aware of most of them.

Going back to the text message expense, are you aware that at $0.10 a pop, you’re essentially paying what’s equivalent to a 6,500% markup? Think that $10/month unlimited plan is a great deal? Don’t! Even at that rate, the carriers are making some of the easiest cash around. At 6,500% markup, you’d have to send thousands upon thousands of messages each month to get your money’s worth (this is not an encouragement).

Long before text messages, the most common “rip-off” had to have been theater popcorn. For what’s nothing more than a handful of kernels that have been popped, $6 at a minimum for a carton seems a bit excessive, and it is, at a 900% markup. Then there are the name-brand painkillers, although compared to the other rip-offs, this is mild, with a 60% markup for exactly the same product – just with a “name”.

For those wishing to better themselves and actually get an education, it doesn’t come easy. At least, not when the text books cost a freaking $900 per year! And one of my personal favorites… hotel mini-bars. You know, the little fridge that stores $8 bottles of water and the tray that offers a bargain box of chocolates for around $6? Yup… 1,300% markup. No surprise.

The messages are such a tiny piece of data that they cost carriers only about one-third of a cent to deliver, according to computer scientist Srinivasan Keshav, who testified before U.S. senators on the issue last summer. But on a pay-per-text plan, the 160-character messages typically cost 20 cents outgoing and 10 cents incoming. That’s a markup of as much as 6,500%. OMG!