So I headed out to UB North Campus today to take care of some business. While we were there, we decided to eat the Korean place at The Commons. Outside of Subway there was a "credit dealer" giving away a free subway sub if you signed up for a credit card.
There was a non-stop flock of students signing up for these cards to get the free sub. While I ate my Kim Bob about 20 students sign up for a crad. Afterwards, I asked the guy what the APR was and he said it was "22% but that there is no annual fee!!!" He said the annual fee part with the biggest smile and acted like it made it such an amazing deal, I wouldn't be able to refuse. I think that is what happend to so many of the young students who didn't know better. They probably just didn't understand the concept of APR and thought not having an annual fee was some amazing perk.
All those poor kids that are getting their first credit card for free stuff at school have no idea how badly they are being ripped off. Maybe campuses should prevent such extortion but in reality I bet they gets plenty of kick backs for letting it happen. 22% is outrageous!
metalpeter - 08/29/05 17:34 When I went to Canisius there was always someone there with credit card applications from what I can remember. They handed them out like free candy. It is a win win situation for them. If you finish school and have a good job you will have money to pay them back 10 fold what you bought but if you can't pay them back, guess what they are insured so they get most of the money anyways. No annual fee is important cause charging you to use it is a rip off. The way that they get you is that they give you a low percentage from 0%-5%. But as soon as you are late in paying once or twice then it jumps up to 22-26% and that is in the very fine print. If you are late by a day $29 fee. If you go over your balance a fee. But they are the ones who let you go over your balance. That fee is charged every month you are over you balance so lets say you go $200 over your balance then they charge you $30 then they put interest on that, it really adds up. When I had multiple Cards I had a discover card I think it took me six months to get it paid to where that fee was gone maybe longer I don't know.
I can see a free T-shirt or Teddy Bear or radio or some device but for a freesub that is insane. That new bankruptcy law is a crock of shit. It is designed to hurt the poor and help the rich. Don't get me wrong if you use a credit card the right way you can get good stuff like airline tickets but most people arn't that organised, budgeted and monetarly responseable. Use a debit card much better it comes right out of your bank, and get overdraft protection (free most places with direct deposit).
joshua - 08/29/05 16:09 I have a rant saved up for this one! Holy shit do I ever agree with you Paul. I don't blame the guy doing the grunt work. I blame the credit card companies. They systematically prey on students who they know are largely ignorant about how credit works, in the hopes that they can gain some debt assets out of the deal. Its a sham, and the worst part is that our government passed this bankruptcy bill! The credit card companies openly hope and pray for people to be in too much debt, work towards making that happen, then rig the law so that the consumer is the one who is punished! I hate it!
jason - 08/29/05 15:21 I agree. This shit is predatory to say the least. No way should they be allowed on campus to take advantage of students like they do. That Subway sandwich better be DAMN good!
08/28/2005 16:37 #32195
needles in the streets Category: drugs
This is the first time I ever saw a hypodermic needle in the streets of Buffalo.
leetee - 08/29/05 09:05 Sadly, ihave seen a needle on the streets of Buffalo. Oh, but it was attached to the arm of a prostitute near the corner of Grant and Forrest at 8.30am. Of course, that was in our lousy 'hood...
08/28/2005 15:59 #32194
at the festival Category: events
We saw so many people at the festival. I am strung out on ice chai from spot coffee. This is the only time of year that I really miss living right on elmwood. It used to be so nice to watch the main stage from the window. (e:terry) is having a happy birthday.
I captured about 3 hours of sound. Here is a sample from the singers on (e:matthew) journal [inlink]matthew,610[/inlink]
Last week when (e:matthew) and I bought a DVD burner at compusa we found a hundred pack of DVD-R+s for $4.99. Because I had never bought DVDs before I thought maybe that was a normal price. We should have bought 5 packs, like the guy in front of us. Today when I looked on the compusa site , I saw the same DVDs for $69.99. This leads me to believe that the sale price was supposed to be $49.99 not $4.99.
08/27/2005 15:01 #32192
Party Evening Category: party
(e:lilho)'s party was nice, we eventually moved most of the party to (e:keith)'s party which was one of the best ever held on elmwood [inlink]keith,42[/inlink]. There were so many skyclad people. They cut down the fence dividing two back yards and made one massive party area complete with a swimming pool. I am guessing there were like 150 people dancing to nice big speakers and a turn table.
I didn't take any picture but (e:tina) did so maybe you will get to see some of it after all.
(e:jesse) built an entire outfit out of porn magazines pics that we cut out at (e:lilho)'s party. There were so many (e:peeps) out for the night. I also got to see lauren from UB which was nice. At some point (e:matthew) had to go home to get something and when he came back we lost track of the keys. Hours went by. Everyone blamed everyone. Did matthew drop them? Did I lose them? Did terry lose them? Did we give them to TK or Lilho or alison? Eventually we decided it had to be (e:lilho) because she was the only one with pockets and/or a purse. We asked (e:lilho) a couple times? Terry even tried to get them out of her purse and she insisted they wern't there. She left in a huff, I think because of some boy drama. At that point it was about 5:30 and the rest of us had no ride home.
Jesse and terry went with lilho because terry forgot street clothes and could not walk home like that. Poor mike was supposed to take our car to work at 8:30. So mike, matthew, and I walked home. Spent an hour looking for spare keys and then sent mike back to the car. Unfortunately, he couldn't find it as matthew was the one who parked it. AT that point it was like 6:30 and (e:matthew) and I had to walk back from Linwood and West Ferry to Elmwood and Bidwell to help (e:mike) find the car and get it started with our ghetto key copy that barely works.
Needless to say we didn't get home until the sun rose, poor mike having to work in like an hour and then stupid fucking bitch (e:lilho) calls us today to say she is sorry she was such a bitch last night and the keys were in fact in her purse. At leats she admits it.
I am so mad at her that if she was here I would punch her in the face if she were here.
alison - 08/27/05 18:55 oh my god- a bunch of us kept looking after you guys left!! i went inside and came back out and looked again before i left at 11:30!
damn you lilho!!!!!!!!
metalpeter - 08/27/05 15:35 sounds really crazzy and really fun all rolled up into one. I can't even imagine having that much energy. I couldn't have gone to the anything but clothes party. My only idea would have gotton me either raped, arrested, beaten up or all 3 on the way. It was a black condom only. I know I'm not vary original. I forgot it was lilho's house warming I thought that was next week, i'm fucked up. I hope everyone else had a blast.
When I went to Canisius there was always someone there with credit card applications from what I can remember. They handed them out like free candy. It is a win win situation for them. If you finish school and have a good job you will have money to pay them back 10 fold what you bought but if you can't pay them back, guess what they are insured so they get most of the money anyways. No annual fee is important cause charging you to use it is a rip off. The way that they get you is that they give you a low percentage from 0%-5%. But as soon as you are late in paying once or twice then it jumps up to 22-26% and that is in the very fine print. If you are late by a day $29 fee. If you go over your balance a fee. But they are the ones who let you go over your balance. That fee is charged every month you are over you balance so lets say you go $200 over your balance then they charge you $30 then they put interest on that, it really adds up. When I had multiple Cards I had a discover card I think it took me six months to get it paid to where that fee was gone maybe longer I don't know.
I can see a free T-shirt or Teddy Bear or radio or some device but for a freesub that is insane. That new bankruptcy law is a crock of shit. It is designed to hurt the poor and help the rich. Don't get me wrong if you use a credit card the right way you can get good stuff like airline tickets but most people arn't that organised, budgeted and monetarly responseable. Use a debit card much better it comes right out of your bank, and get overdraft protection (free most places with direct deposit).
I have a rant saved up for this one! Holy shit do I ever agree with you Paul. I don't blame the guy doing the grunt work. I blame the credit card companies. They systematically prey on students who they know are largely ignorant about how credit works, in the hopes that they can gain some debt assets out of the deal. Its a sham, and the worst part is that our government passed this bankruptcy bill! The credit card companies openly hope and pray for people to be in too much debt, work towards making that happen, then rig the law so that the consumer is the one who is punished! I hate it!
I agree. This shit is predatory to say the least. No way should they be allowed on campus to take advantage of students like they do. That Subway sandwich better be DAMN good!