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Money Monday: You Are Being Deceived

The day before the 4th of July holiday, I went to court and my $480 red light ticket citation was dismissed because the officer was a no-show. I was told in court that my refund check would be mailed to me within 4-6 weeks. It’s 4 months later. About a month ago, I called the court and asked, “WHERE THE FUCK IS MY MONEY?” I exaggerate as I was actually pretty polite.

The court attendant said, “Oh, yes, let me go ahead and put that through.”

“Wait, you’re telling me that I had to call in order for the refund to go through?”

“Well, we’re backlogged, it would have come to you eventually.”

People, we are being deceived. Do not be victim. I am fanatical about money owed, money due, money in arrears, however you want to spin it. Do not make a ‘mental note’ of money due. You will forget. Put it in your calendar. Tattoo it to your index finger.

Once when I went shopping at Target, it seemed like every item was on sale. As I picked up these sale items and put them in my cart, I wrote down the sale price in my notebook. While checking out, I watched as the cashier rang everything up at full price. “Wuh, wuh, wait a second. That cereal was on sale for $2. And those batteries, they should be $8.99. This is all wrong.” Target had never entered the sale prices into their system so everything was ringing up regularly-priced. I had a conniption. “This is ridiculous. What a waste of my time. You know what’s worse? All your hard-working customers who think they’re getting a deal and you’re gouging them with regular prices!”

We all need to watch our back and be hyper-diligent about what we’re paying…grocery shopping, the municipal court system, our health care system. Fucking Kaiser. Don’t be a victim.

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10.29.12

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Welcome to my site, derived from an advice column I wrote while getting my MBA. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I give helpful, opinionated advice based on my own experience and from the expertise of my extensive network. For more, click here.

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