Our democracy is at risk. Media-mogul Rupert Murdoch wants to extend his massive political influence by taking over BSkyB and controlling nearly half the British media! We have just 24 hours to press the government to stand up for British media and democracy and stop Rupert Murdoch.

Dear friends across the UK,

In 24 hours, nearly half our mass media could be owned by Rupert Murdoch.

For four decades he has interfered with our democracy — determining election results, bolstering politicians in exchange for influence, and smearing others who refuse his orders. But he may have finally gone too far — with just 24 hours left before the decision, the coalition is still deeply divided on Murdoch’s bid for BSkyB.

The government is deciding right now whether Murdoch can gain control of one of Britain’s largest news corporations. Let’s tip the balance against Murdoch’s attempt to tighten his grip on our media. Click to send an urgent message directly to key decision makers on the BSkyB bid and send this on to everyone — let’s flood our politicians with tens of thousands of messages telling them we want Murdoch’s hands off our democracy:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_uk/?vl

Murdoch has used his vast media empire to push war in Iraq, elect George W Bush, and block global action on climate change, and if he wins this week in Britain he will use his networks here to undermine all the issues that we care about. He has manipulated US, British and Australian democracy for years, but now he wants more complete control. In the US, most of the likely Republican presidential candidates are actually paid employees of Murdoch! When his Fox News Network was shunned by Barack Obama as a mere propaganda mouthpiece, it spawned the far right “tea party”and broadcast constant, often hate-filled attacks against Obama and his healthcare and peace agenda — resulting in a huge win for Republicans in the 2010 congressional elections.

Murdoch media staff have trampled laws and standards when gathering news. Several News Corporation executives approved phone hacking and, when a formal investigation began, they had regular secret meetings with senior police officers who then failed to investigate the full extent of the scandal. Our government should punish such an organisation, not allow it monopoly powers over our media. But if Rupert Murdoch is allowed to buy all of BSkyB this week, he will soon own half of our newspapers and television. This should not be allowed in any democracy.

We can turn the tide on this powerful threat to our democracy. In the end the News of the World phone hacking scandal forced David Cameron’s communications director to resign. And a mass outcry from Canadian Avaaz members recently prevented a Murdoch-style TV network from getting taxpayer funding and stopped the Canadian government from removing the journalistic standards that would prevent this new network from spreading lies to the public. The fight against Murdoch has just begun, but already we’ve begun to win. Let’s do the same in Britain! Click below to send an urgent message and send this on to everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_uk/?vl

The power of Avaaz and of this moment in our world’s history, is the power of unity. Across the Arab world and beyond, people are coming together in common cause across all boundaries. Murdoch’s power is the ability to divide. His networks spew fear and misinformation, dividing left from right, citizens from foreigners, muslim from western, immigrants from non-immigrants, etc. Murdoch knows that democracy must be divided before it can be conquered. This week, let’s show him what unity looks like.

With hope,

Ricken, Alex, Emma, Sam, Milena, Alice, Iain, Morgan, Maria Paz and the whole Avaaz team

Sources:

Murdoch close to deal with regulators over Sky
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a40fc482-4060-11e0-9140-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1FHWHwqJE

If Murdoch gets BSkyB, it will be a victory for monopoly capitalism
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/27/rupert-murdoch-bskyb-monopolies

‘News of World’ bosses dined with Met chief
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/news-of-world-bosses-dined-with-met-chief-2222814.html

Who is Rupert Murdoch?
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2004/07/b122948.html

Support the Avaaz community! We’re entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way — donate here

Link to article: Stop Rupert Murdoch

Car insurance prices may fall for men but rise for women

The European Court of Justice is considering banning insurance companies from using gender to decide how much of a risk customers are.

If it does happen, it would mean young men would eventually see their premiums go down, and young women would end up paying extra.

But the AA is warning that, at least in the short-term, the confusion could lead to higher prices all round. At the minute, young women pay less because they are seen as safer drivers. Statistics show men in their late teens and early 20s are more likely to speed, to be involved in drink driving accidents, and to claim on their policies.

Higher premiums

The cost of car insurance is already rising across the board.

Last year, policies went up by an average of 33%. It was even steeper for young drivers who saw a 58% increase.

So now, a woman under 22 is looking at paying an average of £1682 a year. For a man of the same age, it’s another thousand pounds on top of that, £2750.

Cheaper for men?

The gaps tends to narrow to just a few pounds around the age of 30.
The court in Luxembourg is due to rule on this on March 1st.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says a ban on gender pricing would hit young female drivers hardest. Their premiums could rise by an average of 25%, but it could be as much as 50% in some cases. Young men could eventually see their policies go down by around 10%.

“Not fair”

Ebeneezer Bolatiwa, a 21-year old student, says the idea of such a change is “brilliant.”

“The insurance policies now are too expensive, so I think this will benefit us,” he says. “Just because I’m a male, I don’t see why I should pay more.”

However his friend, 22-year old Charlotte Griffiths, is less impressed.

“It’s not fair really, because men have more accidents than women, which is why their price is higher in the first place, so there’s no reason why we should pay more,” she says.

‘Not good news’

Car insurance prices may be pushed higher warns Simon Douglas of the AA

There is still uncertainty about how any possible change would affect drivers like Ebeneezer and Charlotte. If this goes ahead, it would be like asking the insurance industry to rip up the rule book. There is talk of a three-year transition period, but companies are worried about the possibility the Court will order them to introduce unisex policies immediately.

The AA’s director of insurance, Simon Douglas says while not certain, it is very likely that gender-based pricing will be outlawed.

“In the short term, we don’t think this is good news at all for anyone,” he says. “If they can’t use [gender] they [insurers] are going to take on more risk. As a consequence, they’re going to put up their prices to mitigate that risk,” he warns.

Link to article: Insurance pricing to change soon, warns AA

Here’s how the Washington Post Company makes billions of dollars:

Veterans, single moms, and working parents are lured in by admissions counselors at Kaplan University Online (a for-profit college owned by the Post). Students use federal loans to sign up for classes that can be 14 times more expensive than a comparable community college class.

It’s basically a scam. Sixty-nine percent of students drop out. A third of students default on their loans, meaning taxpayers are stuck with the bill and the students have their credit destroyed — while Kaplan keeps all the money.

Shannon Croteau, for example, was 11 classes away from a degree from Kaplan when she learned she was out of financial aid, $30,000 in debt, and that the degree she was working toward would be worthless in her state of New Hampshire.

She was billed for loans she never signed up for, enrolled in classes she didn’t choose and, when she complained, was given the runaround by a succession of fake “loan officers.” “They lied and cheated,” Shannon told Change.org. “It has ruined me.”

Shannon has started a petition on Change.org, demanding that the Washington Post Company change its practices or shut down Kaplan Online. More than 10,000 of us have already joined her. Click here to add your name.

A Kaplan University training manual uncovered by Senator Tom Harkin told employees: “If you can help them uncover their true pain and fear…You dramatically increase your chances of enrolling this prospective student.” A separate presentation to employees declared that single African-American mothers raising two children were the most profitable, because they were the most likely to drop out.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office even found last year that Kaplan and other for-profit schools “encouraged fraud and engaged in deceptive and questionable marketing practices.”

Instead of investigating these practices, the Post has instead tried to cover it up, personally attacking Shannon — even publicly disclosing her personal financial information in an effort to discredit her.

Shannon isn’t backing down — she’s widened her campaign to target the entire Washington Post board, which includes billionaire Warren Buffett; Columbia University President Lee Bollinger; and former General Motors CEO G. Richard Wagoner.

With a surge of attention, we can pressure the Washington Post Company to get out of the business of preying on people’s dreams of better educations and better careers.

Please take action today to tell the Washington Post Company to stop the predatory practices or shut down Kaplan University:

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tell_kaplan_the_washington_post_stop_cashing_in_on_low-income_students

Thanks for taking action,

Judith and the Change.org team

Link to article: Stop Cashing In On Low-Income Students

Facing criticism that the proposed VAT rise could damage high street spending, Chancellor George Osborne has announced plans to “sex up” the economy with a newly-designed one pound coin.

In a speech delivered to the House of Commons, he declared that the coin “symbolises the need for a sensual relationship with money, something we lost under the previous Labour government.” He went on to argue that consumers have “shrivelled in fear” during the recession, and that the new coin will promote “a renewed sense of pride.”

Talking this morning on BBC Radio 4’s The Today Programme, the Chancellor insisted that the new coin would play a key role in Britain’s economic recovery.

“When the budget comes into effect, even if you do wind up having less money in your pocket, at least now when you take that money out of your pocket and have a look at it, you will now get what we economists call ‘fiscal stimulus’. Yet another example of how this coalition government is leaving the the old, boring politics far behind.”

Responding to suggestions that the new coin was a “gimmick” Osborne replied:

“It is essential that we all do our part to stimulate the economy right where it needs it, as soon as possible, and then keep on stimulating it, again and again. This new coin is crucial to that. Remember this is going to be a double dip recession. Perhaps multiple dips. We must stimulate the economy hard and long. Pound, pound, pound. We must all just keep on pounding.”

Link to article: Osborne unveils new plan to regenerate sterling

Think that the financial crash has left investment banking hotshots humbler and wiser? Not likely. The National Review blog The Corner has a defiant email that has been circulating over the last couple days among discontented Wall Streeters. Seriously, these people are as douche-y as you imagined:

We are Wall Street. It’s our job to make money. Whether it’s a commodity, stock, bond, or some hypothetical piece of fake paper, it doesn’t matter. We would trade baseball cards if it were profitable. I didn’t hear America complaining when the market was roaring to 14,000 and everyone’s 401k doubled every 3 years. Just like gambling, its not a problem until you lose. I’ve never heard of anyone going to Gamblers Anonymous because they won too much in Vegas.

Well now the market crapped out, & even though it has come back somewhat, the government and the average Joes are still looking for a scapegoat. God knows there has to be one for everything. Well, here we are.

Go ahead and continue to take us down, but you’re only going to hurt yourselves. What’s going to happen when we can’t find jobs on the Street anymore? Guess what: We’re going to take yours. We get up at 5am & work till 10pm or later. We’re used to not getting up to pee when we have a position. We don’t take an hour or more for a lunch break. We don’t demand a union. We don’t retire at 50 with a pension. We eat what we kill, and when the only thing left to eat is on your dinner plates, we’ll eat that.

For years teachers and other unionized labor have had us fooled. We were too busy working to notice. Do you really think that we are incapable of teaching 3rd graders and doing landscaping? We’re going to take your cushy jobs with tenure and 4 months off a year and whine just like you that we are so-o-o-o underpaid for building the youth of America. Say goodbye to your overtime and double time and a half. I’ll be hitting grounders to the high school baseball team for $5k extra a summer, thank you very much.

So now that we’re going to be making $85k a year without upside, Joe Mainstreet is going to have his revenge, right? Wrong! Guess what: we’re going to stop buying the new 80k car, we aren’t going to leave the 35 percent tip at our business dinners anymore. No more free rides on our backs. We’re going to landscape our own back yards, wash our cars with a garden hose in our driveways. Our money was your money. You spent it. When our money dries up, so does yours.

The difference is, you lived off of it, we rejoiced in it. The Obama administration and the Democratic National Committee might get their way and knock us off the top of the pyramid, but it’s really going to hurt like hell for them when our fat a**es land directly on the middle class of America and knock them to the bottom.

We aren’t dinosaurs. We are smarter and more vicious than that, and we are going to survive. The question is, now that Obama & his administration are making Joe Mainstreet our food supply…will he? and will they?

Link to article: Wall Streeters’ Chain Email Reveals They’re Even Worse People Than We Thought

Dell has told a Linux-loving Reg reader that he can’t receive a refund on the copy of Windows 7 that shipped with his new Dell netbook because it was bundled with the machine for “free”.

In October, another Reg reader succeeded in gaining a $115 (£70.34) refund from the computer maker after he rejected the licence for Microsoft’s OS and installed Linux instead. Microsoft’s EULA, you see, provides for such a refund.

“By using the software, you accept these terms,” it reads. “If you do not accept them, do not use the software. Instead, return it to the retailer for a refund or credit.”

UK-based school teacher Adam Drake recently tried the same Windows rejection trick. But his effort to secure a refund was in turn rejected by Dell.

According to a company support rep, Drake was not entitled to a refund because his copy of Windows 7 was included with his machine for free. “The one that was charged to you is just for shipping and handling so that means you got the Windows 7 for free,” the rep says.

Presumably, the rep is mistaking Drake’s copy of Windows 7 – which came preloaded on his system – with the Windows 7 upgrade kit that OEMs provided with Windows XP system around the time of the new OS’s launch last fall. Drake made multiple efforts to convince her that the OS actually costs money and that he was indeed entitled to a refund.

“I hope you understand that this isn’t going to go away,” he told her. “My plan is to pursue this as long as it takes, and maybe write a book or film script along the way. I’d be played by Harrison Ford or Liam Neeson.” But the rep would not back down.

Asked about refunds for rejected copies of Windows 7, Dell tells us that despite the $115 success of Reg reader Graeme Cobbett, the company policy is that it will only accept returns for the entire system. “We consider the OS part of the base config, like and other key components (e.g. processor, memory, etc.),” the company says.

We have pointed out to Dell that Dell handed Cobbett a refund after he rejected Windows 7 in favor of the Ubuntu-based Linux Mint. But the company seems to view this as a mistake. “Would have to look to see if there was any other potential issue in play that contributed to a refund being offered, or else use this as a touchpoint point for training refresh,” it tells us.

In any event, Windows 7 is not free. ®

Link to article: Dell bars Win 7 refunds from Linux lovers

For decades, credit cards have been a means by which large banks have loaned money to poor people at interest rates approaching infinity.

Click on image for full-size (600x1936)

A Brief History of Credit Cards

Incredibly, the above isn’t an exaggeration. There are people in this situation right now where each payment to their credit card company leaves them owing more. Only in the last few years has the government moved to stop banks from putting people in this cycle of infinite repayment (where the interest and fees are more than the monthly payments).

How was this ever legal?

Well, in the late 70s, the US Supreme Court ended the federal predatory lending laws, and the credit card economy was born.

Banks issued cards to anyone and everyone, often charging 24.99% interest (or higher, cash advances often collect 29.99%) and adding on an assortment of fees hidden in the fine print. This appears to be a good deal for the card holder, as the monthly payment is very low. Specifically, it was often 2% of the balance, an amount that would either have the card holder paying back their debt many times over or, in the worst cases, never paying it back at all (especially once unexpected fees were thrown in).

As wages for middle and low income Americans stagnated in the 90′s and manufacturing jobs went overseas, much of the growth in consumer spending came in the form of goods bought with credit cards. Thirty years after that Supreme Court decision, the average American card holder owes $10,679 on their cards. About 80% of American families have at least one card. Combined they owe about a trillion dollars, but will pay back far, far more.

In 2005 the government stepped in and “encouraged” credit cards companies to raise their minimum payments to something that would actually pay off the debt in the card holder’s lifetime. They were not, however, actually required to comply.

More recently the Obama administration signed into law new regulations that will supposedly require credit card companies to operate in a less overtly evil way.

If you have a credit card, for the love of God, pay more than the freaking minimum.

Link to article: Why you will never pay off your credit card

Photo: cag2012

When Rick’s 2-year-old laptop failed for the second time due, he did not roll over and buy a new laptop or pay $400 for the repairs. This particular model of laptop had been recalled due to this very flaw, and that was not acceptable to Rick. He fought back, and shares his tale of triumph.

I love my HP computers. Over the past 9 years, I’ve bought ten of them and all of them have worked wonderfully. With one exception.I bought a heavily-customized dv6000 laptop from HP in 2007 for $1000. Fifteen months later, the motherboard failed. It was out of warranty but the dv6000 had some many overheating issues that HP had a special program to repair them. It took about 10 days start-to-finish, cost me nothing, and I was happy. Twelve months later the motherboard failed again.

This was when I found out that HP had not fixed the overheating problem, but merely replaced the failed parts. It was less of a repair than a delaying tactic, since the warranty on the replaced parts was only 90 days. This time HP Support said the special program had expired and now it would cost $400 to replace the motherboard. “But, wait! We’ll give you a special price of $259.” I declined, reasoning that it would just overheat again in another year, and pressed for another option. Support wouldn’t budge.

On December 7, I sent an EECB to 10 HP executives, outlining my dilemma and my long-time support of HP’s products. I requested, as an opening position, that I be given a refund or a credit for a replacement laptop due to the repeated problems. Multiple executives sent my email to the Executive Customer Response (ECR) group, but only one responded directly to me. His response was that ECR would contact me, but it was a personal response.

The next day, ECR made me the same offer of $259 that Peon Customer Response (PCR) made. They also tossed out the “there are no other options” line: a patently false statement, since HP has all kinds of options regarding its own products. They also seemed mystified as to why I thought a yearly $259-400 repair was excessive on a $1000 laptop. I declined their offer.

On December 9, I sent an mini-EECB to the VP who had emailed me. This time I expressed my regret that PCR and ECR would only offer one unacceptable resolution. I said I was sorry that HP and I couldn’t work out a solution and the following week I would file in magistrates court to see if a small claims judge would provide a better resolution.

ECR called me that afternoon to offer me a free repair (See — there were other options!). I said I would accept the repair if they would back it up with a longer warranty. If they really believed the repair would fix the problem, then the extra warranty would cost them nothing. I thought I’d be calling again the next year when the new motherboard overheated, so a 90-day warranty was useless. At this point, he stopped talking about repairs and offered me an HP gift card for the total purchase price of the computer. Not prorated, no strings attached — $1000. I picked my jaw up from the floor and immediately accepted. I got the gift card and ordered the replacement computer three days later.

This entire process occurred over one week and involved a half dozen phone calls and a dozen emails. Everyone I spoke with was polite and professional and I responded in kind. It just took time to reach the right person and convince them that I wasn’t going to left the issue drop. Persistence pays off.

Link to article: HP EECB Leads To Complete Refund For Defective 2-Year-Old Laptop

Rob points out a pricing quirk on an album he’s after, noting that the physical CD is considerably cheaper than the digital download.

A little freaked out, he writes:

Forget about Target… Amazon is even worse with their pricing (note: I LOVE Amazon and I’m sure this has to do with licensing but still…wtf!?!). I was looking to get the new OAR CD, “Rain or Shine.” I was going to buy the CD when I thought to myself, “Wait…I’ll just get the download instead,” since I’m impatient. Well the PHYSICAL CD is $13.99 but the digital (NOT PHYSICAL) album is $20.99! Less work for them and yet they charge more! Ahhh! Amazon…please don’t turn evil like everyone else!

With an untold amount of CDs and their digital counterparts for sale on the site, there are probably several instances of this quirk. Does anyone have an explanation for it?

Link to article: Downloadable Album Costs More Than CD On Amazon

Are you infuriated every time you open your cell phone bill? Livid when you buy a snack at the movies? These are nine of the rawest deals around.

Text messages – 6,500% markup

Text messages are short, quick and cheap to transmit. So why are they adding so much to your wireless bill?

The messages are such a tiny piece of data that they cost carriers only about one-third of a cent to deliver, according to computer scientist Srinivasan Keshav, who testified before U.S. senators on the issue last summer.

But on a pay-per-text plan, the 160-character messages typically cost 20 cents outgoing and 10 cents incoming. That’s a markup of as much as 6,500%. OMG!

“It’s pretty much pure profit,” Keshav says. “Carriers would argue they put that money toward investing in new technology.”

Even if customers sign up for an unlimited texting plan for, say, $10 a month, carriers are still cashing in considering that their overhead is basically $0. That’s a lot to pay for a few LOLs.

Movie theater popcorn – 900% markup

A medium bag of popcorn costs just 60 cents to make but retails for $6, a whopping 900% markup. That’s enough to make “Avatar” fans turn blue.

Richard McKenzie, an economics professor at University of California-Irvine, says theater owners mark up the snack so much because they don’t make a profit elsewhere.

McKenzie, author of the 2008 book “Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies: And Other Pricing Puzzles,” says that out of your $10 movie ticket, only a tiny percentage goes to the theater’s profits.

“Popcorn is what pays for a lot of stuff in the movie theater,” McKenzie says. “A lot of theater owners tell me, ‘I consider myself working in concessions, not movies.’”

‘Free’ credit reports that’ll cost you

There’s nothing free about forking over $179 a year for information at Freecreditreport.com.

Instead you can go to AnnualCreditReport.com, which is run by the Federal Trade Commission, and get a truly free report once a year from each of the credit agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Freecreditreport.com’s catchy ditties can get stuck in your head for days — but subscribing to the service will haunt your credit card bill for a year. When you sign up, you’re asked for your credit card number. Then the site automatically enrolls you in its “Triple Advantage credit monitoring,” which pledges to continuously track your credit status for $14.99 per month.

A rep for Experian, which owns Freecreditreport.com, says: “We do realize there are a very small percentage of consumers who genuinely do not understand they have signed up for a credit monitoring service. We work to resolve issues with these consumers on a case by case basis.”

Technically, you have nine days to cancel the credit monitoring service before being charged, but many consumers have felt duped. The Better Business Bureau has received more than 11,000 complaints, and the site recently made its policy more prominent on its Web pages.

Name-brand painkillers – 60% markup

Is Advil’s sleek design worth 60% more than the same medicine in a plain package?

A 50-count bottle of 200 mg Advil tablets costs $8.49, versus just $5.29 for the exact same bottle of generic ibuprofen at a Duane Reade drug store in New York.

Brand names may give us more peace of mind, but the cheaper stuff works just as well, and in exactly the same way. It’s required to, by law.

The Food and Drug Administration mandates that generic drugs must be as safe and effective as brand names. Generics have to use the same active ingredients, however they may contain different inactive ingredients like coloring or flavor agents. For its part, the company says it “stand[s] firmly behind the value Advil brings to consumers.”

But at a time when many of us are already feeling the pinch financially, a fancy package just doesn’t seem worth the headache.

Wine at restaurants – 500% markup

Ordering wine in a restaurant can cost six times as much as drinking the same bottle at home. At the Olive Garden in Manhattan’s Times Square, a bottle of Sutter Home’s White Zinfandel goes for $24 — but it retails online for as little as $4 per bottle.

Restaurants mark up cheaper bottles by an average of three times the retail price, while the prices of higher end wines are typically doubled, says Ronn Wiegand, a master sommelier who runs the industry newsletter RestaurantWine.

For instance, a 1985 “La Grande Dame” Veuve Cliquot that goes for about $495 online is marked up 222% to $1,600 at the swank New York City restaurant Per Se. Olive Garden didn’t return calls for comment, but for its part Per Se says: “The total cost of the wine and service is calculated up front…the beverage team sets the highest standards to be sure that the quality of the wine and experience exceeds our guests’ expectations.”

Think that’s rough? Prices for wine sold by the glass are tripled or even quadrupled, Wiegand says, since restaurants have to account for the chance that they won’t sell the whole bottle before it spoils.

At prices like that, guess we’ll be skipping dessert.

College textbooks – $900 a year!

Each semester, college students shell out hundreds of dollars on textbooks they’ll use for only a few months. According to a House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the average estimated cost of books and supplies is approximately $900 per year.

And a separate study conducted by the Government Accountability Office found that textbook prices nearly tripled from 1986 to 2004 — a jump that’s twice the rate of annual inflation over the last two decades.

Public-interest groups say this is a rip-off. They blame greedy publishers and bookstores for driving up prices by issuing unnecessary new editions that render older texts worthless without adding much new information, as well as by “bundling” books with other materials like CD-ROMs.

Students have no choice but to buy the textbooks for their courses. But don’t worry, kids — at the end of the semester, you can probably sell that $250 calculus tome back to the bookstore for a buck or two.

Super gasoline – 15% markup

If you’re filling up your tank with super gasoline, chances are your wallet will soon be running on empty.

The special stuff costs up to 20-40 cents more per gallon than regular gasoline, even though it doesn’t do anything to improve the performance of most cars. With regular gas averaging about $2.72 a gallon, that translates to a 15% premium.

“It’s like feeding your dog more expensive food and expecting it to jump higher,” says Gabriel Shenhar, senior auto test engineer at Consumer Reports.

When Shenhar tests cars, he doesn’t put much stock in the manufacturer’s “recommendations for optimal performance” — instead, he uses the fuel grade that’s explicitly required. You can find the requirement printed on the inside flap of your car’s gas tank.

The bottom line: Read your owner’s manual. While some high-performance or luxury cars may need super gas, your average Celica doesn’t.

Hotel mini-bars – 1,300% markup

The chocolate bars and sodas in a hotel mini-bar can look alluring to tired and hungry travelers. But you’ll rack up a huge bill if you open up that fridge. Gummy Bears for $14, anyone?

Oyster Hotel Reviews (oyster.com) sends senior editor Will Begeny to hotels across the country, undercover, to get the skinny on hotel stays — and he’s found some egregious examples of price-gouging. Across the board, items are usually marked up by 3-4 times the retail price.

Among his findings in Manhattan: a $10 pint of water at the Mansfield Hotel; $150 “wood-smoke” candles at the Gramercy Park Hotel; and a $12 toothpaste kit at W New York’s The Tuscany.

“The minibar has turned into a sort of status symbol, especially for higher end hotels,” Begeny says. “They’ll include rarer products, like those candles, so people don’t realize how overpriced they really are.”

And yes, there really is a 1,300% markup on Gummy Bears at the luxury Manhattan hotel Omni Berkshire Place. None of these hotels returned requests for comment, but a rep for the American Hotel & Lodging Association said guests pay a premium for the mini-bar’s convenience.

“People have started to realize this is a scam, that they can walk to a store a block away and spend half as much,” Begeny says. “Of course, if hotels have to toss some of the older inventory because no one’s buying it, they could mark it up even more.”

Hotel in-room movies – 200% markup

In addition to the overpriced mini-bar, in-room movies are another quick way you can jack up the cost of your stay without even leaving the hotel.

That’s because there’s a high premium on the convenience: You could find yourself paying anywhere from $10-$15 based on how new and popular the movie is, says a rep for LodgeNet, a company that provides hotel programming.

By comparison, Blockbuster rents DVDs for about $5. LodgeNet notes that some of its offerings are still in theaters and not yet available for home viewing.

So instead of shelling out money to sit in bed and watch “The Hangover” for the tenth time, bring your own DVDs. Many hotels include DVD players in the rooms and some will even let you borrow a unit.

Link to article: America’s Biggest Rip-offs