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Ads I Hate: Life Takes VISA Print
Saturday, 17th November 2007 (by J.D.)This article is about Credit Cards, Odds and Ends, Shopping
My first two “Ads I Hate” posts seem to have struck a nerve (1, 2). You folks really hate the consumerist mentality these ads promote. From the e-mail and comments I received, it seems that you especially loathe the “Life takes VISA” ad campaign.
Nick pointed me to this ad featuring the New Orleans Saints:
I think the point of is pretty clear: all the hip folks use VISA, and only the outdated preppy man uses cash. This next commercial is even worse:
The engine of commerce hums and glows until our Everyman stoops to pay with cash. His action clogs the gears of progress. Give me a break. I don’t know about your experience, but in my world it’s actually quicker to pay with cash than it is to pay with VISA, regardless of whether I’m using credit or debit.
This demonization of cash is just one reason these are prime examples of ads I hate.
Have you seen an ad that promotes consumerism or poor personal finance? Drop me a line!
November 17th, 2007 at 5:18 am
No no no… it’s not ‘Life takes visa’
It is “Visa Takes Life”
November 17th, 2007 at 5:21 am
I hate the visa/cash commercial too!
But I would argue that the time is about the same. What is sllloooowww and “clogs the wheels” are the check writers.
November 17th, 2007 at 5:41 am
I have a Visa card, and I love it — 1% cash back on my purchases and I pay the balance in full every month. No annual fee. I actually pressure my siblings to let me pay their tuition fees on my Visa for them.
Because my Visa is such a steal for me (cash LOSES me money in my wallet, but Visa lets me keep money in the bank earning interest for a while AFTER purchasing stuff), I use it everywhere.
It is NOT always fast. Far from it.
My previous card, after less than a year of use, started to wear out. Many retailers would have to swipe it three or four times to get it to read. Some couldn’t get it to read at all. I saw lots of plastic bags wrapped around the card, receipt paper folded over it, and various other tricks (most of which actually do work, but still take time).
This summer, I was in Virginia on vacation (I live in Canada) and in addition to having the usual problems with the card not reading, half way through my trip, Visa decided that my out-of-country card use was abnormal and cut it off. Of course, I had no way of knowing this, so the first couple of times it got denied, I thought that it was just up to its old tricks, not swiping well. I eventually got fed up and switched to my backup AMEX card (gives me “reward miles”, which are generally not as good), but the Visa cost me a lot of time before I made the switch. (Being in a restaurant and having the card come back declined is a MAJOR drag.) I got a new card shortly after returning home, but that also took time and effort.
So, in summary: that second ad is horrid. Plus, in Canada, we actually require a signature when the card is used, so things couldn’t work like in the commercial even in a perfect world. (I am always slightly unnerved when I’m in the US and I use my card and don’t get asked for a signature. How are stolen credit cards not a HUGE problem for you folks?)
November 17th, 2007 at 5:56 am
Don: As I understand it, signatures are not required at most places for purchases under a retailer determined amount (i.e. at some stores it’s $25, others it might be more or less.) Reason for this is, if there is a disputed purchase, it’s cheaper and easier for the store to just remove the illegitimate purchase than it is to investigate if it’s below a certain amount. So if they’re not going to investigate and just take people on their word they don’t need the signature for proof.
November 17th, 2007 at 5:58 am
My check card apparently has this feature where I can simply wave it over a sensor in the swipe box so I avoid having to actually swipe it. I guess the companies are addressing the fact that people like me always try to swipe it backward and upside-down, thereby clogging the gears of progress. The first time I missed this feature, the lady at CVS kindly informed me of my missed efficiency. Remember back in the day when you and the person behind the counter could have a conversation while they totaled your bill on paper, and while you counted your nickels? (Well, I don’t, but I’ve heard fond stories.)
Don J, your sibs’ schools take cards for tuition? Because of the % cut that the cards get, my school refused to take it — for them, that adds waaay up on a big-tag like tuition, and since most people would not be picking their/their child’s school on taking cards or not (while some people DO pick lunch based on that), there’s really no incentive for them to take them.
In Canada I was trained to check the signature, yes. And down here in the US, while I’m not in service anymore, I’m constantly not asked for a verification. Sometimes I’m not even asked for one! I don’t care how small it is, the cards are not intended to be used that insecurely. I don’t care whether the banks will pick up the charge, I don’t want to deal with the administrative hassle of tracking down such charges if little surprises show up because someone got my card/number.
November 17th, 2007 at 6:09 am
I have to laugh at them because reality is often the opposite of what these commercials portray. Where I work, the cafeteria has credit card machines at the check out line. It can take several minutes for the transactions to go through. Cash is the preferred method of payment so you don’t piss off the people behind you.
November 17th, 2007 at 6:19 am
The strange thing about these ads is that they are so blatantly false.
I often eat a cafeteria by my office- most people there pay with cash and I always try to bring cash so I can move quickly through the line. I actually feel bad when I have to pay with plastic because it takes so much longer and I can feel the cash people in line behind me getting angry!
November 17th, 2007 at 6:23 am
What bothers me in those commercials - and I hate, I despise that whole series of commercials - is not only the rampant consumerism but also incredible impatience. Our society is already in such a huge rush all the time, do we really need MORE excuses to be impatient, and angry about it?
Also, re the signature - it isn’t actually a security measure. It’s used as one sometimes, but what the signature really is is signing a contract agreeing to pay the bill.
November 17th, 2007 at 6:24 am
JD. Great Article.
I totally 100% agree. Everytime I see these commercials all I can think of is the hypnotic effect that they have on people who are still under the ‘credit cards are free money’ spell. Credit makes everything so much easier and convenient and if you don’t use it - your lame or your doing something wrong. Total Crap.
November 17th, 2007 at 6:50 am
here ya go, jd.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=P8WWd_26U94
November 17th, 2007 at 6:54 am
I used my card the other day in the work cafeteria, and about 3 people in line started laughing and recalled the VISA commercial and how cards were supposed to be fast. I prefer cash, but I left my money at home and was starving. It was funny how everyone agreed that cards aren’t faster unless it’s under $25 and no signature is required.
November 17th, 2007 at 7:00 am
Ditto on disliking the ads. This ad campaign has been commented on a lot over the internet.
That being said, the only pet peeve that I have with people who use cash are those people who will pull out their wallets to fish out the bills to minimize any paper bills they get back…..
….then they fish out their coin purse and begin to slowly fish out the coins (including pennies)…..
….and now the cashier has to tally up everything but it’s taken so long that they no longer have a running tally of the amount….
…then they get back their $2.
November 17th, 2007 at 7:04 am
They’re just scared of cash because they won’t get a cut. The horror!
November 17th, 2007 at 7:16 am
I’m chaotic and have the memory of a watermelon. Thats why I use cash, because when it’s gone, it’s gone. I don’t risk acidentally going over my budget and getting stuck with a bill I can’t pay and will gather intrest while I desperately scramble around for money I don’t have. It’s a trap!!!
November 17th, 2007 at 7:16 am
I have to disagree. The key to my financial success is not using cash. I use either my credit card (which I pay off the balance every month) or my check card for every transaction. Once upon a time I had $40K in debt, credit cards, student loans, etc. And I worked very hard to pay them off and build a nest egg, emergency fund, and get a handle on my spending.
I used to hit the ATM, get cash and try to manage my finances in cash, and I had ZERO accountability as to where my money went. I spent $20 in each of 5 places and my brain thought I had only spent about $20, not $100. And I honestly could not account for the $100. I was much more prone to impulse buys. Now I have a paper trail for every penny I spend, and I know when and where the money went. Often do not even go to places I know don’t accept cards because I find it wildly inconvenient to go to an ATM to get cash. Plus, I will often have leftover cash, which disappears without record.
Honestly, I have no issues with how long it takes most of the time to process my credit/debit transactions. It is certainly less than going out of my way to find an ATM, try to guess how much I will need, and then end up blowing the leftovers on who knows what. My plastic forces me to be accountable. I am not racking up debts, just using it as a tool to better track my spending.
It may not be for everyone, but it works for me.
November 17th, 2007 at 7:29 am
The only thing that really slows it down is when people write checks.
I have to say when I use cash I spend it more freely too. Maybe it is a generational thing? I have never really used cash so for me, cash doesn’t seem like “real money”. I spend it and it is gone. If I use credit, I spend it, and it shows up on my statement.
I hate HATE the student loan commercials encouraging students to borrow up to 40k a year. “My parents cosigned, so I got a great rate!” That is just encouraging irresponsible borrowing.
November 17th, 2007 at 7:32 am
Surveys have shown that people will usually spend 30% to 50% more when using a credit card, than they will with cash. Of course the credit card companies know this. They can’t make any late fees or interest off of cash. These commercials are terrible for the false messages they portray. Our entire culture makes it easy for most to get into hock up to their eyeballs. We have a credit card economy. I remember the days when we used to have layaway.
November 17th, 2007 at 7:37 am
I too have a credit card that pays 1% and I have never paid a penny in credit card interest. However, there many people not so fortunate. The credit card industry preys on them with their double digit interest rates. Credit cards are often like lottery tickets – the people who can least afford them end up with most of them…
Best Wishes,
D4L
November 17th, 2007 at 7:40 am
Quite timely…I was actually talking with my wife about this yesterday.
My personal experience is when I swipe my card, I have to show it to the check-out person, wait for it to finish processing, sign the receipt and then wait for my receipt to print which usually takes about 1-2 minutes at my grocery store.
Not sure where this speedy checkout premise is coming from???
November 17th, 2007 at 7:42 am
[...] JD has a post after my own heart - I too hate those “life takes Visa” ads. [...]
November 17th, 2007 at 8:14 am
Any large purchases (over $500 for me) I pay for using cash. Why? Because as I count out those 20’s it hurts, and I remember how long it took to make that money.
Also, I have a kind of special Mastercard account- it’s basically a chequing account with credit card priviledges. The money has to be in the bank at the point of sale, but I can use it to rent cars, put down deposits on a hotel room, etc. Long live cash!
November 17th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Using cash takes longer because clerks don’t know how to make change anymore :-).
November 17th, 2007 at 8:38 am
Jtimberman, I heartily agree! This happened to me TWICE in the past few months. First occurence when the computerized register was not providing a “change due” readout to the “cashier.” I had to literally do the math on a piece of paper for her (for change back from a $20 bill). The second time the register was not computerized, and the clerk was unsure of how to return my change due from $5 for a purchase of $2, plus 5% sales tax.
Math = if we don’t use it, we lose it.
November 17th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Here in NYC most places don’t require a signature for purchases made with a credit card that are under $25. At the store I work at when a credit has been reported as lost or stolen a message comes up on the screen and the register won’t process the transaction. So I would suggest reporting cards stolen or missing as soon as possible. Duh, right?
November 17th, 2007 at 8:55 am
I like using my Discover card for everything from Mcdonalds to utilities, that way when I want to review how much money I spent and on what categories it is all in one spot. I can then make the decision to to increase or decrease my spending according to how much fufillment I got from it. Checking my bill online can also influence future purchases.
November 17th, 2007 at 8:58 am
Ingrid: Yes, duh. But the problem with a lot of identity theft cases is that the victim doesn’t know that their card or identity has been stolen.
Jean: I’ll admit my math skills aren’t as strong as they used to be. Maybe I should get one of those Nintendo DS’s with Brain Age. Or borrow my 8 year old’s math book :-).
November 17th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Thanks to [this is jerry] for uploading a better quality version of the Saints commercial.
One thing that strikes me about the quick trips through the line shown in these commercials is that this really did happen in London when we were there last summer. No joke.
You’ll remember that I signed up for a credit card specifically for this trip. I used it everywhere in London. But my card was different than the kind the Brits had. My card required a signature. It wasn’t “chip and pin”. One day in a bookstore, I had an especially comical encounter. I was trying to buy a UK personal finance magazine (seriously) and paying for it with my card. This was in Victoria Station during rush hour, and there were many people behind me. The line had been flowing smoothly until it was my turn. Because my card wasn’t “chip and pin” (which, I think, means that you can just swipe and go), and because I couldn’t understand the cashier’s thick accident (British by way of Mumbai), it took a couple of minutes to pay whereas everyone else was going through in thirty seconds.
Also — I’m not meaning to condemn credit cards with this post. I’m trying to condemn these awful ads. My credit card pays me 1% back, too. I intend to use it for many transactions.
November 17th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Visa and their marketing firm are aware that the premise of the ads is ridiculous. They aren’t trying to convince anyone its faster to use plastic.
They are working to remove the stigma of using a CC on small purchases, which still (barely) exists. In the past, no one wrote checks for a gallon of milk, except maybe The Dude. The 21st century version of the check, the debit card, is more convenient than its predecessor, but its not as quick as cash. If “everyone” is using their card for “all” their purchases, than you should as well.
The marginal benefit of us waxing and waning about the spots is added value. Congrats, we’ve all fallen for it.
Its a great ad campaign.
November 17th, 2007 at 10:51 am
My new pet peeve commercial is the Burlington Coat Factory (I think) that is at Christmas party, with everyone dressed to the nines (my Christmas parties always require formal wear…) and a woman asks the little girl “Do you believe in Santa Claus” and she says (in a somewhat snotty tone), “I belive in cashmere.” Ugh…
November 17th, 2007 at 11:23 am
The issue is that we forget that VISA is selling something.
They HAVE to get us to use the card. They have saturated the market with cards so there is no growth potential there. They will continue to focus on increasing the number of transactions per card.
As a consumer the problem is that the merchant fees, interest and fraud cost all of us money even if we don’t participate in the scam. The merchant has to cover those costs and he cannot pass them on only to the consumer who uses the card. AND Studies show that we spend LESS when we use cash. As much as 18% less. Plastic costs over and over and over.
As an adult with experience I know that the biggest time waster in the line is the person who is day dreaming and waits until the items are rung up to even being the process of dealing with payment. A customer who has pen and nearly completed check in hand is faster than someone on a cell phone searching for their credit card in the bottom of their purse.
My real concern is that most kids are not even thinking about the message but they are still hearing it. They will ASSUME when they are older that this commercial is fact.
November 17th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Here’s the message I got from the cards (which I totally know better, but young people may not) is:
1) wow-you are hip and cool if you use a charge card to pay instead of cash, and
2) oh, you’re using cash? You are a loser, slowing down the process of paying, and you better feel guilty about it because you clearly aren’t hip and cool.
November 17th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Wow, just wow. Those ads are so offensive!
They wouldn’t work here in Australia as if you use a debt card you have to enter a PIN to use it, so it would actually take longer than cash. A credit card requires a signature so takes longer still.
I also hate the implication in the first ad that if you don’t use a Visa then you’re not a Saints fan and are in some way disloyal to New Orleans which is just nasty after Katrina etc…
November 17th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Even though I use a credit card for nearly everything, I will agree the ads saying credit is faster than cash are annoying, although the newest one showing the woman writing a check slowing things down is right on.
I cringe anytime I see someone break out the checkbook. People who use checks at retail stores not only deserve to be ridiculed, but should be taken out into the street and beaten to a bloody pulp.
November 17th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
these commercials are actually kinda funny to me
the people that i look at weird are the ones who have to pay exact change for a cup of coffee.. and go through their coin purse in order to do so
it’s so much easier to use a debit/credit card.. plus you don’t have to carry all that spare change in your pocket anymore (which you probably end up losing anyway)
cmon guys.. it’s the 21st century
November 17th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
[...] Roth From Get Rich Slowly posted an entry today on his blog in which he drew attention to those popular Visa ads that promote the use of credits [...]
November 17th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
What I want to know is what that music is in the 2nd ad! It’s like the perfect mad scientist song!
November 17th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
J.D., as much as I respect your opinion, I have to REALLY disagree with your negative views about this commercial and the message it projects.
Cash is on its way out and credit/debt technology is in. There are SO many more reasons to use credit and debit cards than there is not too. By using cash, you are greatly limiting yourself on the cash back and reward points you could be earning. Card transactions are absolutely quicker and more efficient than using cash. Not only that, handling cash bills is very, very dirty since it is handled frequently by all sorts of people.
I don’t usually post such opposing views, but I feel pretty strongly about this…
Please read my rebuttal.
-Raymond
November 17th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
The “slow cog in the machine” ads are annoying, not to mention ridiculous, but the one I really hate is the “Downtown” visa commercial.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KmhP5LQ4q84
The new-in-town girl is not paying attention and breaks the heel of her shoe, so everyone drops what they are doing to help her buy a makeover, a new dress, and new shoes, all with, you guessed it… her VISA. Its also disturbing that she is basically forced into these purchases by the whole town, as you can see her stumbling around dazed and dazzled and just whipping out her card when the nice people tell her to.
Basically, if you suffer a minor inconvenience you must use your credit card to make yourself feel better as quickly as possible, society compels you.
November 17th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Folks,
I just noticed that the ads are for Visa Checking Cards - which are targeting to replace check users - who, we all agree on, are the slowest.
November 17th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
I Agree that in many places like lunch cafeterias or small retailers where they have to connect to the CC company to verify each transaction CCs are slower then cash, but I have a Visa that has that no-swipe chip in it (its either called pay-pass or blink I think) and its a real pleasure to use in terms of speed. You just tap the card anywhere near the CC Machine box thing and a receipt prints out in seconds and your on your way. I think thats what Visa is really trying to promote here, and when it comes to the no-swipe technology I think they have a point.
November 17th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
I know credit cards are here to stay - just read the fine print, because they are hoping for one slip-up from you so they can impose ridiculous fees. For example, many banks charge a $29 to $39 fee for a late payment. Also, one missed payment can cause the interest rate to shoot up as high as 30%. Some banks charge annual fees, some don’t. There’s always a cash advance fee. After the low 6 mo. introductory interest rate, then know how much the interest rate increases. Also, reward cards usually have a higher interest rate than nonreward cards. It would be worth a phone call to your bank to inquire exactly what their fees are to any of the above, and even ask them if there are other penalties you’ve haven’t asked about that you should know.
November 17th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Those commercials are ridiculous because many times they show people buying things that would not cost very much - and I know that some places won’t even let you charge something if it’s under a certain amount. Plus, it takes longer by credit card. I hate that. I’m impatient.
November 17th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Many times I recognize that people wait to swipe their card through until the end, instead swiping through immediately after the cashier scanned the first product. So you just have to sign or even just get the bill at the end. That cuts the time off quite a bit. I guess many people don’t know that they can swipe their card without having all their purchases scanned already.
But nevertheless, for very small purchases I mostly use cash. For bigger purchases I use my credit card, since I get airline miles.
BTW. checks barely exist in Europe. It is so outdated and I never understand why many apartment complexes in the US still requiring checks instead of online payment.
November 17th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
You are aware that by putting these ads up, having everybody watch and discuss them you are actually promoting visa, right?
November 17th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
I don’t know. If anybody ever got on my case in a store line for paying cash and being slow, I would most likely tell them to “go to hell”. Probably not that nicely though.
November 17th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
For me, plastic is now reserved for three situations:
1) On-line purchases. I just can’t fold those bills small enough to fit through the wire.
2) Purchases where carrying that much cash is impractical. (Car repairs, hotel bills, and such.)
3) “Oh frack! I’m out of cash.”
That last is usually bad planning on my part.
I have one major credit card, and two debit cards. The credit card is now kept as a shock buffer. (”It’s saturday, my car repair money is in ING savings, and I don’t have a net terminal to move the money with.”) It also is used when I have doubts about the integrity of the merchant, as it allows for virtual numbers.
One debit card is with a local bank and is used for most on-line transactions and “Oh, frack!” moments. The other debit card is on my ING Electric Orange, and is used for those planned purchases where I move the money out of the savings where I was holding it until I needed it. (Hotel bills when traveling, primarily.) As debit cards are compulsory with EO, it is unsafe to use for regular payments, so I broke up the debit pattern into two cards. I have a completely separate account that I do my bill payments with.
The people who declare cash to be outmoded scare me. That is so wrong I can’t even think how to explain it to them.
November 17th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Cash is an asset. Your credit card is not an asset but a potential future liability which becomes a liability when you use it.
I bet master card is not happy that Visa thought of those ads and not them.
November 18th, 2007 at 1:09 am
I work in a cafeteria at a hospital so I get huge amounts of customers. We have a cash only policy. This is likely do to the fact that most people have only 1/2hr breaks and they would riot if everyone starts pulling out their credit cards/debit cards.
November 18th, 2007 at 1:16 am
The “live richly” campaign that Citibank used until about a year ago was incredibly annoying on this score. It wasn’t “be rich” - it was “live richly”.
But for Ads of the Devil, nothing comes close to this.
(Note: it’s a youtube that’ll start up immediately upon clicking…)
November 18th, 2007 at 5:28 am
I hate all of those “You don’t love your kid unless…” ads. I’ve seen them for toys, cars and any number of other things that aren’t necessary. I am the oldest of six kids and while we far from without growing up, my parents luckily never bothered with all of the extra crap that new parents buy because they think they need it. ( Baby wipe warmers for instance…) My wife and I had to field a lot of these gifts out from her side of the family when we had our son.
November 18th, 2007 at 8:36 am
[...] Rich Slowly: Looks like I’m not the only who hates certain ads and who plays tricks on [...]
November 18th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
In this context speed + safety = convenience BUT speed and safety can actually contradict so that makes it tough to decide which is the more convenient way.
Speed-wise: Cash is faster than using any card, card is faster than writing a check.
Safety-wise: Card is safer than a check (assuming that your bank will replace all stolen money/card) and check is safer than cash (you at least stand a chance to fight with a lost check)
November 18th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
The music in the second ad is Raymond Scott.
November 19th, 2007 at 3:45 am
Credit and Debit cards are a pain in the ass. Okay, I admit I will happily pay for stuff on my debit card, but at work it takes about three times as long to process a credit card as it does to whack cash in the drawer, even if the customer needs change. That’s especially true if the customer can’t remember their PIN, if they have to sign, or if I’m trying to put a card through at the same time as another cashier. Plus, I have to put a surcharge on for transactions under a fiver, so why use plastic for small purchases?
November 19th, 2007 at 7:37 am
My dad and I were talking about this “clog progress” commercial, but VISA missed the boat when it came to us. What we saw were a bunch of cogs in a machine, mindlessly throwing down their VISAs to pay for everything. I’d rather be the outsider paying with cash, thinking for myself.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Not to get too sociological, but I always thought the NoLA Saints ad was a tad offensive on a different level. I don’t think it’s about hip/cool vs preppy. I think the juxtaposition is manly football vs girly/gay man with a pink sweater.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:27 am
As always, the reason why I don’t use credit cards is because of Where’s George. I just love tracking dollar bills with that website.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:12 am
I’m wondering if its a start to get us used to the idea of no cash, as someone mentioned above.
Not so much that the credit companies get their extra cut but so that, coming soon, we won’t notice how many zeros are behind our “dollars” when the FED’s out-of-control printing draws the last dying breath out of our currency. One doesn’t notice inflation so much on a receipt as when you have to take a barrow full of cash to purchase a loaf of bread.
Germany, Japan, Former Soviet Union, Venezuela, Zimbabwe…
November 19th, 2007 at 10:52 am
I also hate the Visa ads (especially the Saints one). So does everyone I have watched football with this season.
Obviously, the blatant message that cash-users are ninnies is offensive enough, but did you catch the more subtle suggestion buried in the slogan itself?
“Life Takes Visa.” Most people probably interpret “takes” as “accepts”, the way a store accepts a credit card. Life Accepts Visa.
But you could also interpret “takes” as “requires”, as in, “my car takes premium gas.” If you understand it that way, the slogan is, “Life REQUIRES Visa.” Now folks, that is scary.
J.D., can you do a separate “Ads I Hate” for Best Buy? They are aiming for an all-time low this Christmas. The one where the family skips visiting Grandma to open their Best Buy boxes makes me sad, and the one with the 13-year-old girl on the cellphone makes me want to throw something. Oddly, neither of them make me want to shop at Best Buy.
November 19th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
drhands, I agree 100%
It made me fondly remember an Evening Shades episode where the parents realize that their kids are acting like spoiled hell-spawn, and donate all the Christmas gifts, unopened to charity.
Why not a commercial with the kids giving the mom a/o grandma a Big Blue Box for putting up with them?
November 21st, 2007 at 2:14 pm
I was wondering if anyone has seen the new Life Takes Visa commercial witht he dancers dancing away in the line…. LOLLLLL, if ever I see a bunch of people dancing “synchronized” in line, I’ll cut my visa card in half (i probably won’t). Also, if anyone knows the song to that commercial,it would be appreciated, too!
November 22nd, 2007 at 6:04 am
One of my many pet peeves at work is people who use credit/debit cards when there are 10 people in line. Cash is (usually) SO much faster.
Another pet peeve is people (usually panhandlers and brokesters raiding the penny jar) paying with pocketfuls of small change. That is much worse (slower) than using a credit card. One time I had several of them on one shift and ended up with $3 in loose pennies.
November 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 am
[...] Ads I Hate: Life Takes VISA - I agree with JD on this one. I really hate ads like this that promote the consumerist mentality, and that imply that you’re not hip and cool if you don’t put all your purchases on your VISA card. (from Get Rich Slowly) [...]
November 28th, 2007 at 6:04 am
I actually think McDonald’s is one of the worst ad makers. First there is their “let target a specific key demographic” commercials which I find borderline offensive.
But then there is the latest ad where a young man inherits a English roadster from his Grandfather and then promptly sells it because he can’t reach the McDonald’s bag at the drive through. This commercial makes me sick whenever I see it. (I tried to find this on YouTube and was unsuccessful.)
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:56 am
I know this comment will be lost in the shuffle, but I have to throw it out there.
I will never understand the claims that paying with cash helps prevent “poor personal finance” while paying with a debit card does not. Cash is easy to spend and hard to keep track of. Every time I swipe my debit card I have an electronic record of my purchase to go along with any receipt. You can download debit card transactions to a spreadsheet or Quicken with the push of a button. With cash, you need to save your receipt and enter it manually later. It just doesn’t make sense to me. Debit cards are the way to go.
December 10th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
That second ad always drives me crazy when I see it. I have enough anxiety about the cashier and people in line behind me breathing down my neck no matter how I’m paying. Like we need to speed up things any more.
I do like the music, though.
February 6th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I saw an ad on the drive-through window at a Taco Bell that exhorted me to come back for “4th Meal - the meal between supper and breakfast.” I was horrified that this place was asking me to spend money on more than one meal there per day, and also that they were encouraging an even greater caloric intake.
I sent a complaint to their contact spot on their web site, but they never responded.
May 28th, 2008 at 7:16 am
I run a register for a living and I hate Visa and all the other cards. Really stresses me out when they hand you more then one card that is “declined” which is code for maxed out and I have to tell them- they seldom respond well.
Or worse yet when you get the error code “take card.” I work in a Christian book store and had that happen with a Pastor and was very obviously a system error on the credit card company- he just got the card! Wasn’t that fun to explain to my boss and the Pastor in front of a store full of people!
In fact if I have someone hand me more then 2 cards that don’t go through I often will suggest that we do take cash or checks.
Then there’s the whole crash and reboot the server when one refuses to go through right - that takes the whole store off line for about 5 minutes. Always happens at Christmas time when we are slammed at the register!
Customers also get jerked out of place when they see their card number and expire date on the store copy of the receipt that they have to sign…as if we should not have a back up to cover our losses if the system crashes or keep the IRS off our back if they decide to audit. People don’t think about that part.
And the ones that set these rules is not the one that runs the register.
Cash is so much easier to deal with and easier to keep you out of debt. When the green stuff is gone- your done spending!Its fast & simple.
I tell my kids that Loans and credit card companies only “rent” you money.
But it costs more then its worth in the end.
I’ve worked retail all my life and if I ever saw another credit card again- it would be too soon!
July 17th, 2008 at 9:48 am
To NeoteriX: The song in the second ad is called “Powerhouse” by Raymond Scott. Should be familiar to all those who watched Bugs Bunny cartoons.
July 25th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Life takes VISA is a bogus campaign.
It tries to advertise that VISA card is better than cash, but everyone knows that Cash is ofcourse better to avoid any problems !
I hate Visa !
July 25th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I am sure that all pro-VISA card writers are VISA employees or getting paid by VISA…:)
I hate VISA !!