If you ever talk to them, they rationalize all the scams and self dealing by claiming that "both sides are corrupt," and they like the guy because he's just better at the grift.
It feels analogous to giving alms to a religious institution at the end of a prayer service - you don't get anything material for it in return, but maybe for the faithful, that's not the point?
Lol, this is my lesson in being much clearer when expressing any opinion that relates to religion or politics! The downvotes are fierce on this one.
I did not intend to say that tithing/church donations are equivalent to fraud. I didn't click through to read the story, and therefore hadn't assumed it indicates actual fraud taking place (delayed shipments in and of themselves are unprofessional, but needn't be fraudulent.)
I was implicitly wondering what might motivate people to trust that a brand that has been known to commit fraud, or at the very least to severely under-perform in terms of quality and on-time delivery, can be entrusted with $500 of their money, to produce something the brand isn't known for (consumer electronics.)
Having wondered this, I then proceeded to write my next thought down: Maybe there's more to human motivation than simply the possibility of a material exchange. For example, when one donates to a church, one can reasonably do so without expectation of receiving something tangible and material in return.
I by no means think tithing is fraud, per se. Can and do churches embezzle money? Yes. Does that mean they are inherently fraudulent institutions? Absolutely not. And I am as godless as they come, so I have no desire to defend the motives of any religious institution.
Oh well, I am now at the bottom of this comment pile, so this response, just like other religious acts, is one merely of personal penitence, lol.
“ The device would work with Trump Mobile's service plan. For $47.45 per month, Trump Mobile's "47 Plan" (2), which operates on the T-Mobile network, claims to be "better than the rest," offering 100% U.S.-based support; extensive 5G coverage; unlimited talk, text and data; telehealth services; roadside assistance, and international calling to over 230 countries and territories.”
If you fell for that you deserve to lose your money.
A lot of people are still on ancient plans like $80/5GB since they don't know they can change providers and still keep their number. Or they're old and avoid changing any aspect of their lives. The mobile companies are fine with "grandfathering" these customers.
This is actually cheaper than what my parents currently pay Verizon every month--somehow they're spending $161 every month on two lines, with no special services, and they're on ancient phones (an iPhone SE and an iPhone X). They know they need to switch, but have no idea how to pick a replacement service. (I'm going to sort it out in the next week or two.)
It used to be that the thought process of receiving a portion of sale money before delivering any product allowed the company to pay suppliers and keep afloat as they drove towards the finish line of delivery.
Now it seems the grifting-meta is to make promises around a product with no plans on delivering it, take in pre-order money, and then just park it in an investment account to grow during a bull market.
By the time the grift comes due, your "investment" will have grown to a magnitude where even if you are forced to pay it back, you will have made a tidy profit.
Yes a lot of scams basically are elaborate ways to get interest-free loans. The only way to discourage these types of scams is to require the claw-back to include high interest. Which probably feels very punitive, so we don't do it. Generally we award the damages and then that's it. But like... damages 2 years ago don't equal damages now, that's not how money works. I guess our courts don't know that.
Does that require the corporation doing the crowdfunding to be based in Washington, or no?
Anyway it was never framed as raising money a la crowd sourcing, no more than the Tesla Roadster has been, you are promised nothing for your money besides a reservation to buy the product when it eventually exists.
100% a demonstration that who we elect as a leader absolutely does set the tone for the rest of the country. I have lived through two elections of Donald Trump and both times the shift in what kinds of behavior were socially acceptable was palpable within hours. Like a lot of people suddenly decided they could come out and be their true self, it just turned out that it was gleefully ugly and hateful.
It seems to me that it feels that the world, or at least the US, decided that far far worse things are acceptable too.
Not easy to be a parent and explain to kids that no, this is not how the world should be run. How do we expect them to have any confidence in the institutions and the rule of law ?
The terms, updated April 6, state that the deposit is not a binding sales contract. It provides only a "conditional opportunity" to purchase the phone if Trump Mobile eventually chooses to sell it, with all discretion resting with the company. The company "does not guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase," The Verge and IBTimes UK reported.
The Verge has an on-going series Where's the Trump Phone? [1] with updates every week. They even managed to get an interview with one of the execs a few months back.
Assuming this was not a scam from the beginning. I just think they got more orders than they expected. This seems to be a reskinned HTC U24 Pro (I think earlier Images and specs were advertising another phone). Also seems to have changed from "produced in the USA" to "Designed with American values in mind" & "With American teams helping guide design and quality" according to their website. At best this is bait and switch (assuming they deliver anything) but I can understand people calling this a scam.
40 comments
[ 2.5 ms ] story [ 62.5 ms ] threadI did not intend to say that tithing/church donations are equivalent to fraud. I didn't click through to read the story, and therefore hadn't assumed it indicates actual fraud taking place (delayed shipments in and of themselves are unprofessional, but needn't be fraudulent.)
I was implicitly wondering what might motivate people to trust that a brand that has been known to commit fraud, or at the very least to severely under-perform in terms of quality and on-time delivery, can be entrusted with $500 of their money, to produce something the brand isn't known for (consumer electronics.)
Having wondered this, I then proceeded to write my next thought down: Maybe there's more to human motivation than simply the possibility of a material exchange. For example, when one donates to a church, one can reasonably do so without expectation of receiving something tangible and material in return.
I by no means think tithing is fraud, per se. Can and do churches embezzle money? Yes. Does that mean they are inherently fraudulent institutions? Absolutely not. And I am as godless as they come, so I have no desire to defend the motives of any religious institution.
Oh well, I am now at the bottom of this comment pile, so this response, just like other religious acts, is one merely of personal penitence, lol.
If you fell for that you deserve to lose your money.
Now it seems the grifting-meta is to make promises around a product with no plans on delivering it, take in pre-order money, and then just park it in an investment account to grow during a bull market. By the time the grift comes due, your "investment" will have grown to a magnitude where even if you are forced to pay it back, you will have made a tidy profit.
Welcome to the grift economy.
Anyway it was never framed as raising money a la crowd sourcing, no more than the Tesla Roadster has been, you are promised nothing for your money besides a reservation to buy the product when it eventually exists.
That’s not a lot of people in general.
It is a lot of people for the king to have scammed.
0.2% of the population is not a very large number.
And the $10 BILLION he is stealing from the IRS by ordering DOJ to settle his lawsuit
Oh and a million dollars PER DAY he steals for each golf weekend
However with his dramatic health decline he is golfing less and less now, so savings?
https://DidTrumpGolfToday.com
"I can’t prove it, but it feels like the world recently decided that spamming/scamming is acceptable..."
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48094961
Not easy to be a parent and explain to kids that no, this is not how the world should be run. How do we expect them to have any confidence in the institutions and the rule of law ?
Compulsory education was supposed to usher in a new age but obviously that didn't last.
https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/news/trump-mobile-t1-sma...
The IBTimes UK article is https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-mobile-preorder-terms-179546...So yea... a $100 voucher for a conditional opportunity to purchase one if Trump Mobile ever decides to sell one.
1. https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/843498/trump-phone
Does anyone know who the third person is? Surely it's not Trump himself? I'm guessing Trump just sold the ability to use his likeness and name?