What's the crappest thing you've had to spend money on?

[Bellend Sebastian]

Having just forked out 250 quid on a pair of new tyres, I'm naturally thinking about what else I could've spent that money on (although these days that's 2 weeks' food shopping or about a month and a half's energy bills).

 

What are your dreariest purchases that have sucked your financial resources dry whilst delivering little or no joy?

 

I'm struggling to think of anything crapper than a new boiler (£1,500 + to continue to have hot water/heating exactly as you did before) or a new garden fence (similar money, just looks slightly less rubbish and is falling down less than the old one)

[Fox92]

Definitely any money spent on fixing the car.

 

Although this is actually money well spent I guess  But everything just seems to be expensive with them.

Edited 28 December 2021 by Fox92

[Corky]

Leicester City season ticket 2004-2008.

[Bellend Sebastian]

Just now, Corky said:

Leicester City season ticket 2004-2008.

Just saw it as a tax that I didn't have any choice in paying for those years. Made it easier

[Unabomber]

Speed awareness course. 

[DennisNedry]

Solicitor's fees when moving house - obviously it's a means to an end but the amount they charge for even the most basic things leaves a bitter taste to say the least. They have you by the balls so you just have to cough up.

[Jon the Hat]

$200 Speeding ticket when I was hurrying to Fremantle to see the sunset.  I missed the sunset.

[Izzy]

Around 4 grand on intensive therapy for my daughters OCD and Borderline Personality Disorder which has made fvck all difference.

[davieG]

Big bundle of toilet paper that was so thin half the time your finger when straight through it.

 

A Hillman Avenger Estate for £750 with 6 months warranty, in the last 6 months of the first year the gear lever came off in my hand, the heater sprung a hole and filled the car with steam, then had to have a recondition engine fitted which later proved to have not be reconditioned. Then during 2nd year the differential on the rear wheel drive went. Found I was only getting about 15mpg so sold it for £35 as scrap.

[davieG]

2 minutes ago, DennisNedry said:

Solicitor's fees when moving house - obviously it's a means to an end but the amount they charge for even the most basic things leaves a bitter taste to say the least. They have you by the balls so you just have to cough up.

Hmm better value than Estate Agents fees.

[Bellend Sebastian]

20 minutes ago, Izzy said:

Around 4 grand on intensive therapy for my daughters OCD and Borderline Personality Disorder which has made fvck all difference.

Ouch. That must be hard to take

[Bellend Sebastian]

23 minutes ago, davieG said:

Hmm better value than Estate Agents fees.

The most astonishing cost to service delivered has got to be employment agencies

[Tuna]

Car, again, over £1k for brakes etc about 2 years ago - car then got written off in May this year!

[Arriba Los Zorros]

Insurance of most kinds, car insurance probably being the most heinous.

 

The extortionate council tax around where I live

 

Worst one for me though was when I lost my phone on contract, it was a really good Galaxy and lost it 4 months into the contract, had keep paying for the contract and handset for another 20 months and add insult to injury buy a shit phone to replace it while paying for a top of the range phone every month.

[Izzy]

2 minutes ago, Arriba Los Zorros said:

Insurance of most kinds, car insurance probably being the most heinous.

 

The extortionate council tax around where I live

 

Worst one for me though was when I lost my phone on contract, it was a really good Galaxy and lost it 4 months into the contract, had keep paying for the contract and handset for another 20 months and add insult to injury buy a shit phone to replace it while paying for a top of the range phone every month.

You can insurance for that 

[Wolfox]

£570 repair to my cooker 4 days before Christmas 

[Buce]

1 hour ago, Jon the Hat said:

$200 Speeding ticket when I was hurrying to Fremantle to see the sunset.  I missed the sunset.

 

Bloody pommie crims!

[Nalis]

1 hour ago, DennisNedry said:

Solicitor's fees when moving house - obviously it's a means to an end but the amount they charge for even the most basic things leaves a bitter taste to say the least. They have you by the balls so you just have to cough up.

I see your solicitor fees and raise with estate agent fees.

 

Estate agent fees are usually far more expensive with little to no liability whereas solicitors are the ones who take all the risk and can be sued if things go wrong while accepting a fraction of the fee.  Apart from pictures, placing ads and chasing solicitors when pushed by buyers and sellers, I struggle to see what estate agents actually do to earn the commission they get.

 

Granted there are crap and/or overworked solicitors out there but estate agents have by far the easiest yet most profitable ride in the whole conveyancing process. Believe or not but the profit margins for solicitors are incredibly small for the work put in compared to other areas of law.

 

Overall though the whole process is way too expensive all round for consumers and needs a total revamp.

Edited 28 December 2021 by Nalis

[Mickyblueeyes]

1 minute ago, Nalis said:

I see your solicitor fees and raise with estate agent fees.

 

Estate agent fees are usually far more expensive with little to no liability whereas solicitors are the ones who take all the risk and can be sued if things go wrong while accepting a fraction of the fee.  Apart from pictures, placing ads and chasing solicitors when pushed by buyers and sellers, I struggle to see what they actually do to earn the commission they get.

 

Granted there are crap and/or overworked solicitors out there but estate agents have by far the easiest yet most profitable ride in the whole conveyancing process. Believe or not but the profit margins for solicitors are incredibly small for the work put in compared to other areas of law.

 

Overall though the whole process is way too expensive all round for consumers and needs a total revamp.

1.5% to tell you 6 months after listing the property that the valuation THEY suggested is too high. 

[adejo92]

Car tax is a nice early one for me.

[MPH]

My car

 

I found a website that would send a mechanic to my house- just what I needed as the car wouldn’t start- I had pretty much figured out I needed a new starter. Borrowed my wife’s car as I had to work. He worked on the car as I was at work. . Was a Friday.  Everything seemed to go well. Good communication and everything was done by email- with the $400 bill came a recommendation to get my breaks done which seemed odd as I’d had them done  the month before. Go to use my car Sunday afternoon and the breaks were GONE as in non existent. I called this company up and complained  and they said there was nothing they could do about it as the guy didn’t work on my breaks he worked on my starter. However they could send another mechanic out if I’d pay the $100 call out fee! I told them I didn’t want him anywhere near my car again. Well unbeknown to me  turns out they made the appointment Anyway so I called them back to cancel it and they took $30 out my account for a cancellation fee! Took it somewhere else and they found out that when having my starter replaced the guy ‘ accidentally’  ripped a whole in a pipe  that helps build up the pressure for the breaks to work.  Hundreds more to replace but amazingly this mechanic company won’t contact me back  anymore and mentioned that I have ‘ insufficient evidence’ to hold their mechanic responsible. 
 

 

was fuming. 

[Innovindil]

2 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

I'm struggling to think of anything crapper than a new boiler

In this vein this christmas. Boiler packed up on the 17th of December. Part of the "British Gas care plan" which we pay some £23/month for to cover this crappy old boiler. Rang them on the 17th, first appointment 24th. Clear everything for the 24th, get a phone call at 11am to tell us they can't make it. Next available appointment is 18 days away. Talk about waste of money.

 

28th today still no heating or hot water. Luckily it's just me and the missus and it's been a mild as hell winter so we've made do. Hate to think what some old folk must be going through with shite service like that from (one of?) the biggest providers.

[Blarmy]

Management company fees when buying and selling a house.  I don’t know what they even did, and I still had to pay council tax, but they got £ 350 upon purchase of the property, then £ 350 pa and then another £ 700 when I sold the place - £ 340 of which was for a “management pack” that was required by the buyers solicitors. It was a load of zipped up pdfs that were emailed.

[ozleicester]

"Stamp Duty" for ANYTHING....absolute joke... if you are a billionaire, you ppay the same as someone on $20 grand a year... for virtually nothing

[Carl the Llama]

Every time I pay my rent it's another 1/3rd of my paycheck gone which could be spent on a mortgage instead