Gotcha Capitalism: How Hidden Fees Rip You Off Every Day-and What You Can Do About It
by: Bob Sullivan
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What is Gotcha Capitalism?
Coughing up $4 fees for ATM transactions. Iron-clad cell phone contracts you can’t get out of with a crowbar. Paying big bucks for insurance you don’t need on a rental car or forking over $20 a day for supposedly “free” wireless internet. Every day we use banks, cell phones, and credit cards. Every day we book hotels and airline tickets. And every day we get ripped off.
How? Here are just a few examples of how big business can get you:
• You didn’t fill up the rental car with gas?
Gotcha! Gas costs $7 a gallon here.
• Your bank balance fell to $999.99 for one day?
Gotcha! That’ll be $12.
• You miss one payment on that 18-month same-as-cash loan?
Gotcha! That’ll be $512 extra.
• You’re one day late on that electric bill?
Gotcha! All your credit cards now have a 29.99% interest rate.
But not for much longer. In Gotcha Capitalism, MSNBC.com’s “Red Tape Chronicles” columnist Bob Sullivan exposes the ways we’re all cheated by big business, and teaches us how to get our money back–proven strategies that can help you save more than $1,000 a year.
What is Gotcha Capitalism?
Coughing up $4 fees for ATM transactions. Iron-clad cell phone contracts you can’t get out of with a crowbar. Paying big bucks for insurance you don’t need on a rental car or forking over $20 a day for supposedly “free” wireless internet. Every day we use banks, cell phones, and credit cards. Every day we book hotels and airline tickets. And every day we get ripped off.
How? Here are just a few examples of how big business can get you:
• You didn’t fill up the rental car with gas?
Gotcha! Gas costs $7 a gallon here.
• Your bank balance fell to $999.99 for one day?
Gotcha! That’ll be $12.
• You miss one payment on that 18-month same-as-cash loan?
Gotcha! That’ll be $512 extra.
• You’re one day late on that electric bill?
Gotcha! All your credit cards now have a 29.99% interest rate.
But not for much longer. In Gotcha Capitalism, MSNBC.com’s “Red Tape Chronicles” columnist Bob Sullivan exposes the ways we’re all cheated by big business, and teaches us how to get our money back–proven strategies that can help you save more than $1,000 a year.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Looks like a good read!
Still trying to find the time to read but in glancing over it, appears to be one that will inspire a person to action.
The item arrived in good order and good time.Much appreciated!
Rating: - Yes, read the book even if you decide (like me) to fight a different fight
Bob Sullivan's Gotcha Capitalism - How Hidden Fees Rip You Off Every Day, and What You Can Do About It is an easy-to-follow, comprehensive and handy guide to identifying extra fees and overcharges that consumers can sometimes successfully dispute.At his estimate of almost $950 in such charges per year, reading the book is a small investment to pay to be a savvy consumer.
I found most helpful the template letters and summary list of which industries are most amenable to customer complaints. ... Read More
Rating: 
- A must read for all consumers!
This is definitely a must read for anyone who has ever been outraged or confused at the seemingly endless list of extra charges and fees imposed by banks, corporations, and other entities who refuse to list their actual price of goods or services. The author goes into great detail as to how corporations and the government have rigged the game and, in effect, made it virtually impossible for the free market to operate in a way that can help consumers make informed decisions about what to buy.
The ... Read More
Rating: - A must read
Anyone who is concerned about saving money and discovering how companies rip consumers off NEEDS to read this book.Brand new condition - fast delivery from Amazon.
Rating: - This versatile little volume doubles as a fine cover-to-cover read and a handy reference guide!
In the course of any given week it is difficult to estimate just how much legalese, fine print and gobbledygook the average consumer encounters while just trying to take care of routine transactions.There seems to be a fee for just about everything you do these days from your neighborhood bank, your cell and home phone service providers, the internet service you subscribe to and of course the credit card you use to pay for many of these services.There are literally fees on top of fees and it seems that no ... Read More
- Looks like a good read!Still trying to find the time to read but in glancing over it, appears to be one that will inspire a person to action.
The item arrived in good order and good time.Much appreciated!
- Yes, read the book even if you decide (like me) to fight a different fightBob Sullivan's Gotcha Capitalism - How Hidden Fees Rip You Off Every Day, and What You Can Do About It is an easy-to-follow, comprehensive and handy guide to identifying extra fees and overcharges that consumers can sometimes successfully dispute.At his estimate of almost $950 in such charges per year, reading the book is a small investment to pay to be a savvy consumer.
I found most helpful the template letters and summary list of which industries are most amenable to customer complaints. ... Read More
- A must read for all consumers!This is definitely a must read for anyone who has ever been outraged or confused at the seemingly endless list of extra charges and fees imposed by banks, corporations, and other entities who refuse to list their actual price of goods or services. The author goes into great detail as to how corporations and the government have rigged the game and, in effect, made it virtually impossible for the free market to operate in a way that can help consumers make informed decisions about what to buy.
The ... Read More
- A must read Anyone who is concerned about saving money and discovering how companies rip consumers off NEEDS to read this book.Brand new condition - fast delivery from Amazon.
- This versatile little volume doubles as a fine cover-to-cover read and a handy reference guide!In the course of any given week it is difficult to estimate just how much legalese, fine print and gobbledygook the average consumer encounters while just trying to take care of routine transactions.There seems to be a fee for just about everything you do these days from your neighborhood bank, your cell and home phone service providers, the internet service you subscribe to and of course the credit card you use to pay for many of these services.There are literally fees on top of fees and it seems that no ... Read More
