This versatile little volume doubles as a fine cover-to-cover read and a handy reference guide!

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	• Gotcha Capitalism: How Hidden Fees Rip You Off Every Day-and What You Can Do About It Bob Sullivan Ballantine Books, 2007 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 30 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Lots of Laughs

I'm always surprised by what little attention people pay to their money and where it's going. This book is for those people.

Cell phones. I know people who pay $85 a month for their cell phones. My husband and I pay $6.66 a month. You buy a $20 cell phone. Then every three months you buy a "top-up" card for $20. This $20 is a deposit from which you draw to pay for your cell-phone calls as you make them. When the $20 is used up or at the end of three months, whichever comes first, you buy another $20 "top-up" card. Simple, no? Sullivan doesn't mention this type of cell phone.

401(K). I have all my 401(K) money in a fund called "stable value." I have wondered why I'm getting a return of only 2.6 percent when I'm getting 3.5 to 5 percent on CDs at several banks. Sullivan tells me the program administrator is skimming a good chunk of what I could be earning. So don't listen to people who say you should contribute the maximum possible (10 percent where I work) to your 401(K). Contribute only as much as you must to get the company match.

Landline phone. It used to be that if I made a long-distance call, the charge would show up on my next bill, and I would pay it. Once or twice a year I might call my sister, talk for an hour or so, and pay $25 to $30. That was fine with me. Along came a month when I had made no ld calls, and a $5 ld charge shows up on the bill. I called the company. The $5 would be applied to any ld calls I made during the month, but for ten or eleven months out of the year, I was making no ld calls. That was $50 a year I was paying for NOTHING! I hate paying for nothing. I could have had a new pair of shoes or a decent handbag. So I cancelled my ld service and bought an ld calling card. I am much happier.

Grocery stores. I eat a lot of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate bars. Yesterday at Kroger's, the 6.8-ounce size was on sale for $1.50. The 4.25-ounce size is $1.69. Guess what? The store is out of the 6.8-ounce size.

Social Security. Sullivan doesn't mention this topic, but I have talked to several people who didn't know that at full retirement age, you can begin collecting your full social security benefit and continue working. Each year you continue to work, your SS benefit will increase. You may be able to live on your SS check and bank your salary, boosting your retirement funds. And as long as you're getting company health benefits, you don't have to sign up and pay for Medicare A or B or prescription drug benefits.

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A very enjoyable read and a good reference.

This book has been a very good read but it is also quite informative. I would advise anyone to read this before they make any large commitment to anything as this will probably save you money and time from bad decisions.

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A much-needed book for our time

This book is well worth having, both to read at first and then keep nearby for possible future reference. Although there is plenty of common sense advice, the information in it is enlightening, especially when it's all together as it is in this book. That, along with its guidance for how to take action, is where this book's main value lies as far as I'm concerned.

If you're already a cynic, reading this book will almost certainly fuel your fire a little more. If you're not, and think cynics are just "negative" people, perhaps reading this book will open some eyes. (I say "perhaps" because there are those who will never see reality no matter how many facts and true stories are shown to them.)

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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 one is looking out for the interests of the average consumer. Bob Sullivan noticed this and set out to provide some much needed assistance for all of us who are caught in this extremely expensive maze. "Gotcha Capitalism: How Hidden Fees Rip You Off Every Day--And What You Can Do About It" is literally a godsend for battered and bruised consumers. Within the pages of this extraordinary little book you will discover dozens of ways to avoid and challenge the fees and hidden charges that are so rampant in the marketplace today.
What makes "Gotcha Capitalism" so special and so useful is that it is written in simple language that all of us can understand. In the first two-thirds of the book Bob Sullivan takes us on a tour of the booby traps and minefields that we consumers are bound to confront in the course of conducting our everyday business. I knew that the deck was stacked against us but until you see it all spelled out in one place you really have no idea how corporate America is continually plotting to seperate you from your hard earned dough. Seems that there are what Sullivan refers to as "sneaky fees" just about everywhere. Bob Sullivan covers a wide array of services most of us use on a regular basis and points out what we should be looking out for and what we should avoid. Topics covered in "Gotcha Capitalism" include credit cards, home mortgages, car loans, your 401(k), pay TV, internet, cell phones, gift cards, travel and rebates to name but a few. Some may be tempted to read just the chapters that apply to them and that is fine but I chose to read the book cover-to-cover. My thinking is that I might be able to help out a friend or family member with a problem that Sullivan addresses here. Now the final third of the book is what the author refers to as his "Toolkit". Here you will find a boatload of practical information such as sample letters, worksheets and the addresses and phone numbers of various regulatory agencies and advocacy groups. So as you can see, "Gotcha Capitalism" is a book worth hanging on to after you have read it.
If consumers in this country are to stand a fighting chance against those who would cheat us then we must take the responsibility to inform ourselves. Make no mistake....this can be hard work. But the rewards of being educated and persistant in these matters are there to be had. Taking a few hours to read "Gotcha Capitalism" is a great way to get yourself up to speed on these extremely important matters. Very highly recommended!

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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.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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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