metroid256 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 What are some of the big ripoffs in Japan? Here's a few I've come across - anything car related, apart from buying 2nd hand; - anything co.jp domain related, absolutely shocking. (It just cost me 4000 yen to simply get them to change a DNS setting - something that takes, er, 15 seconds to do.) I'm sure there's tons more, good for a thread perhaps..... Link to post Share on other sites
skemmygirl 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Pension. Link to post Share on other sites
69 5 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 I can't understand why I had to pay so much to get in my aparto - key money, is it called? Link to post Share on other sites
jared 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Expensive = Wetsuits Cheap = Mountain Bikes Link to post Share on other sites
kintaro 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 My short list: 1. NHK - I asked them to just turn mine off...that I didn't need it. "sorry guy, no can do" was the reply. I've actually never paid but it has taken some creativity getting out of it. BTW, I really don't watch it. 2. Shaken- what a scam! 3. Hotel,ryokan, etc. room charge PER PERSON rate (rather than just a room rate) 4. Re-entry permits. 5- pizza - I need my pizza and pay dearly for it! Link to post Share on other sites
kintaro 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Let me add one more: Restaurant and bar 'saabisu' charges. It's a forced tip and it bugs the hell out of me. I doubt if the server gets it. It's not contingent on quality of service..or anything else. It's just usually quietly added to your final bill. 2 friends and I had a drink (1) at a real dive the other day. Got the tab for 8,100 yen. It turned out the 'saaabisu' charge was 1,800 per person. Link to post Share on other sites
Dims 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by Kintaro: Let me add one more: Restaurant and bar 'saabisu' charges. It's a forced tip and it bugs the hell out of me. I doubt if the server gets it. It's not contingent on quality of service..or anything else. It's just usually quietly added to your final bill. 2 friends and I had a drink (1) at a real dive the other day. Got the tab for 8,100 yen. It turned out the 'saaabisu' charge was 1,800 per person. Now that is a swizz Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 In my darker moments I convinced myself that Japanese people actually enjoy ripping each other off and being ripped off by the government. Wads of cash change hands in that country at the drop of a hat. People say that life is not so expensive there. They are people who visit with suitcases and never actually attempt to run a household or a business concern. So many things have a fee attached. In Australia some areas take advantage of the naive, non-complaining Japanese tourist. Prices get jacked up and the Japanese just grin and pay up. Japanese people, councils and governments do this to each other all day everyday. Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Here here. I have a close friend trying to run a small business here, and I think he'd be better off not. Some of the stories, ridiculous. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 Rip Offs??? KEY MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Highway tolls Eikaiwa schools 40% of your beer is HEAD Tenure is nearly impossible for foreigners Domestic flights in Japan and Shinkansen tixs the Japanese Govt Japanese medicine and doctors prices of shoes and clothes here Just to name a few off the top of my head Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 Estate agents and all the landlords who take key money and do nothing to repair the property between occupiers, thereby negating all of the "it pays for cleaning and new tatami" bull that people come out with. My estate agent tried to charge us koushinryo (a contract extension fee) and koushintesuuryo (basically commission on the same for the estate agent). The former wasn't written in the contract, and I assumed that the koushintesuuryo that was in the contract would be money that went to the owner, not the estate agent. Everyone says paying up at renewal time is normal for East Japan, and so didn't query it when I originally moved in. Anyway, we called the landlord (actually a company) and they admitted it was a mistake and said that it wasn't their policy to charge koushinryo. After apologizing, the real estate company then ADDED koushinryo to the new contract and came out with some bull about the landlord deciding whether we'd have to pay it or not when the new contract expires. Another call to the landlord has confirmed that they do not require koshinryo and will correct the contract the estate agent produced. In short, the estate agent seems determined to get us to pay something the landlord doesn't even want. None of the other things mentioned bother me anywhere near as much. Link to post Share on other sites
green 0 Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 That sucks - what kind of charge are we talking about there? What a completely pointless charge/. Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 >>> prices of shoes and clothes here I hardly ever buy here - usually back in the yuuk, but theres some decent non rip off clothes shops around if you look. Link to post Share on other sites
veronica 2 Posted May 16, 2004 Share Posted May 16, 2004 Not that I go much anymore but karaoke bars (see that "service charge") and enkais. Link to post Share on other sites
snobee 0 Posted May 16, 2004 Share Posted May 16, 2004 Shoes & Clothes a rip off! I don't know where you guyz shop but the drop in price of these bits has been pretty dramatic the last few years. I definitely can dress up/down/in/out cheaper here than oz. Sales are on ALL the time. When I think RIP OFF for sure the real estate rental farce always is foremost. Bastards. Link to post Share on other sites
nagoid 4 Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Any occasion or celebration with the endless money, presents and counter-presents changing hands Link to post Share on other sites
nagoid 4 Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Any occasion or celebration with the endless money, presents and counter-presents changing hands Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 Here's my message to all estate agents. Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 Transport within the country seemed a big ripoff. Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted May 19, 2004 Share Posted May 19, 2004 Heres another one - intnl phone rates. (Is there any way to call overseas cheaply here that I might not have heard about?) Link to post Share on other sites
miteyak 0 Posted May 19, 2004 Share Posted May 19, 2004 I use primus, 7 yen a minute to the UK, but you do have to pay for the call to their Tokyo line. From the mobile it works out to, surprisingly, 7 yen over a regular cellphone call. There may be cheaper, but this one seemed to be good value, and no hassle once set up. (billed directly to credit card every month). Ironically, whilst in England GW, I rented a cellphone, and it cost more to call family and friends whilst there than from japan. Now THAT'S a ripoff! Link to post Share on other sites
snobee 0 Posted May 19, 2004 Share Posted May 19, 2004 Rach - I've been using call-back system for 8 years and it's been between 6 - 10 times cheaper than the rip off co's. Actually just changed from TeleMatrix to U.W.T. - united world telecom - got my new access code this morning. Recently I had trouble connecting to Oz with TeleM. so that's why I changed. Call back has certainly saved me $1,000's over the years. UWT website is at http://globaltelecom.org/uwt.htm Don't pay the BS local charges. Good Luck. Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted May 19, 2004 Share Posted May 19, 2004 Thank you snobee I have just applied for that. It looks really good. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
akibun 0 Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Ripoff mean very expensive right? Is 2nd hand car cheap here? When I went overseas, I thought car was very ecpensive. Link to post Share on other sites
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