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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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 Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:12 am Post subject: |
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CentralCali-You work for AAFES? Sounds like it. Then you do know that PLENTY of AAFES employees have been caught "cashing in" on the black market. Do I need to post links to any of those arrests and convictions?
Otherwise you'd realize how much AAFES raises prices to "match" prices in a given area instead of offering REDUCED prices for soldiers and their families.
AAFES routinely tries to gouge soldiers in Korea with items like: internet service, long distance calling plans, and gas prices.
http://www.aafes-sucks.com/index.php
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/347/RipOff0347220.htm
AAFES phone card scam
http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/411983.html
Besides, AAFES is making money off the black market stores. 
The black market stores resell their products.
Last edited by wylies99 on Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:43 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:14 am Post subject: |
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| wylies99 wrote: |
| CentralCali-You work for AAFES? |
No.
That is your whiny attempt to discredit me when I have asked you to substantiate your description of the outfit as a scam.
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| Then you do know that PLENTY of AAFES employees have been caught "cashing in" on the black market. Do I need to post links to any of those arrests and convictions? |
Yes. I think you should. AAFES does not retain those individuals in employment when they are caught stealing. "Plenty" of people at other retail outfits get caught also and their employers also fire them. That does not, by any means, make the employer a scam artist. It shows the particular employees stealing to be dishonest.
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| Otherwise you'd realize how much AAFES raises prices to "match" prices in a given area instead of offering REDUCED prices for soldiers and their families. |
Is there a point--or even any sense--in that sentence?
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| AAFES routinely tries to gouge soldiers in Korea with items like: internet service, long distance calling plans, and gas prices. |
Routinely? Gouge? You offer what to prove your assertion?
Yeah, right. 
By the way, you mentioned above you are a veteran. Well, so am I. I'm retired from the Navy and have access to AAFES here. So, your claim to know what you're talking about based on having once shopped at the place holds no water with me.
You obviously do not know the meaning of the word scam.
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| Besides, AAFES is making money off the black market stores. |
Yeah, right. Why, then, do they assist in investigations into black marketing?
Oh, what follows below is the information provided for the 550-minute prepaid phone card offered for sale on the AAFES website (it requires an account--only offered to persons authorized to shop at AAFES--to access it.) I accessed the site at 1:20 a.m. Korea time, August 13, 2008.
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AT&T 550-Minute Global PrePaid Phone Card
Price...$27.50
The 550 minute card offers the best value of any of the phone cards we offer to service men and women serving in OEF/OIF.
BY USING THIS PREPAID PHONE CARD YOU CONSENT TO THE TERMS, CONDITIONS, RATES AND CHARGES BELOW AND IN THE SERVICE GUIDE AT www.att.com/prepaidguide; ALSO AVAILABLE FROM CUSTOMER CARE AT 1-877-288-3404.
Minute value applies to state-to-state calling only. A surcharge not to exceed 15 minutes applies to U.S. pay phone calls, a portion of which compensates pay phone providers. One minute billing increments; partial minutes used are billed as full minutes. Rates may be higher for calls to/from mobile phones. For calls that begin and end within the same state, minutes will be deducted at the following rates per minute of talk time: 1 minute: DC, IL, IN, MA, RI, USVI; 3 minutes: AL, AR, CA, CT, DE, GA, HI, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MS, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PR, SC, TN, UT, WI, WV; 5 minutes: AK, AZ, CO, FL, IA, ID, MN, MT, NC, NH, OK, PA, TX, VA, VT, WA, WY; and 8 minutes: MO, ND, SD.
International rates are higher than state-to-state rates, vary according to area called, and are subject to change. Call Customer Care for international calling information before leaving the U.S.
Recharge minutes may have different rates, surcharges and terms and conditions and are not refundable. Directory Assistance rates are higher than state-to-state rates. Minutes do not expire. Card cannot be used for toll free calls, calls for paid services with premium charges or for operator-handled calls.
Service provider makes no warranties and its liability is limited per service guide. Any disputes arising from purchase or use of this Card are settled by arbitration, which doesn't apply to CA residents for disputes arising in CA.
Safeguard your Card and PIN. You are responsible for loss or unauthorized use. Card may be terminated without notice if fraud is suspected.
Card is not returnable or exchangeable unless defective. Direct unresolved complaints to the regulatory agency in the state where Card was purchased. Use of Info to Go will incur additional minute deductions. Service provided by AT&T Corp. or affiliate; by AT&T Alascom in AK. Service provided where authorized.
FREE SHIPPING on all orders purchased with your Military Star Card or orders totaling $49 or more. Non-Military Star Card purchases valued less than $49 will incur a $4.95 shipping fee. Shipping/handling fees may be applied to oversized items. |
Seems to me that the purchaser should read the terms of the contract. |
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sineface
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Location: C'est magnifique
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:25 pm Post subject: |
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Um, actually, AAFES is downright amazing in my opinion. I take your assertion that they're matching local prices and call ABSOLUTE BULLSH!T. Do your week's shopping in Emart versus any commissary and you'll spend 2 if not 3 times more. You will also be bashed about, pushed to the back of the queue, stared at, heckled, pointed at, and have to deal with those horrendous men with microphones screaming in various corners.
PLUS Emart's idea of stocking enough foreign food for a burgeoning expat community is having a few tins of pork and beans. Seriously, come on now. They don't pack my bags for me, tell me to have a nice day, or order something in from a larger emart store just for me. Food shopping in Korea is reeeediculous. It shouldn't have to be such a bl00dy trial just to get a variety of food. We are not in deepest darkest (insert country not claiming to be a fancy developed nation).
Basically, your AAFES hate confounds me. WORD. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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| sineface wrote: |
Um, actually, AAFES is downright amazing in my opinion. I take your assertion that they're matching local prices and call ABSOLUTE BULLSH!T. Do your week's shopping in Emart versus any commissary and you'll spend 2 if not 3 times more. You will also be bashed about, pushed to the back of the queue, stared at, heckled, pointed at, and have to deal with those horrendous men with microphones screaming in various corners.
PLUS Emart's idea of stocking enough foreign food for a burgeoning expat community is having a few tins of pork and beans. Seriously, come on now. They don't pack my bags for me, tell me to have a nice day, or order something in from a larger emart store just for me. Food shopping in Korea is reeeediculous. It shouldn't have to be such a bl00dy trial just to get a variety of food. We are not in deepest darkest (insert country not claiming to be a fancy developed nation).
Basically, your AAFES hate confounds me. WORD. |
Matching prices IN THE USA.
Obviously they don't try to match prices in Korea. |
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Beej
Joined: 05 Mar 2005
Location: Eungam Loop
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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Do you notice that all the AAFES thieves are Korean employees? If they just stopped hiring Koreans the problem would be solved. |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:27 pm Post subject: |
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Expanded below.
Last edited by CentralCali on Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:47 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:45 pm Post subject: |
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| wylies99 wrote: |
| I'm telling you that MANY current soldiers and veterans have big problems with AAFES and the pricing policies. |
Then show what the actual problem is and quit shouting like Chicken Little.
I was unaware that AAFES had any control over the decisions made by a judge in a South Korean court.
Did you even bother to read that story? The US military and South Korean authorities investigated the perpetrators. AAFES fired them.
Did you bother to read this one either? The authorities arrested the perpetrators. If you had, you would've seen this nifty comment:
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| South Korean customs officials often investigate black marketing cases, as the resale of goods violates tariff laws. U.S. Forces Korea is allowed to bring goods in the country duty-free but restricts access to people who have authorized ration privileges. The command is bound by the status of forces agreement to take measures to stop black marketing. |
It's beyond obvious that the USAFK are taking measures and are assisting the South Korean government with investigating the crime.
AAFES also takes measures to prevent shoplifting. Of course, it's not 100% effective. That does not mean that the company is participating in the criminal act. It's a victim of the act.
So, once again, how is AAFES a scam? |
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sineface
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Location: C'est magnifique
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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| wylies99 wrote: |
| sineface wrote: |
Um, actually, AAFES is downright amazing in my opinion. I take your assertion that they're matching local prices and call ABSOLUTE BULLSH!T. Do your week's shopping in Emart versus any commissary and you'll spend 2 if not 3 times more. You will also be bashed about, pushed to the back of the queue, stared at, heckled, pointed at, and have to deal with those horrendous men with microphones screaming in various corners.
PLUS Emart's idea of stocking enough foreign food for a burgeoning expat community is having a few tins of pork and beans. Seriously, come on now. They don't pack my bags for me, tell me to have a nice day, or order something in from a larger emart store just for me. Food shopping in Korea is reeeediculous. It shouldn't have to be such a bl00dy trial just to get a variety of food. We are not in deepest darkest (insert country not claiming to be a fancy developed nation).
Basically, your AAFES hate confounds me. WORD. |
Matching prices IN THE USA.
Obviously they don't try to match prices in Korea. |
But dude, your gripe seems to be with the black market issue, and there's no need for a black market scam in the states, because they're just selling what you can get at any normal grocery store. So what does it matter if they match prices to local ones in the States? Where's the crime in that? If they're not making them more expensive then quit complaining, I say. I think it's far more important that they dont do that in places like Korea where you'd end up getting shafted if you paid local prices. Access to base and the commissary etc is of WAY more use when you're abroad anyway, and as long as they're providing a huge selection and variety of food, for good prices, in these foreign locations, I can't see what they're doing wrong. Yeah some employees cheat and black market, but so do some of the soldiers, so do some of their spouses and dependants. Hell, find me one business that always has been and always will be, in every manner, 100% straight and I'll eat my hat. I'm not saying it's right, but it happens and it doesnt mean AAFES is a scam. It just means someone's scamming it |
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JERGENIUS
Joined: 09 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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| hustle till death |
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Kikomom
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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I'm going to attempt to make a connection between the two following statements, military policy, and the Korean black market.
| Beej wrote: |
| Do you notice that all the AAFES thieves are Korean employees? If they just stopped hiring Koreans the problem would be solved. |
| sineface wrote: |
| Yeah some employees cheat and black market, but so do some of the soldiers, so do some of their spouses and dependants. |
In most AAFES exchanges and PX's, spouses and dependants are the primary employees with a set number of foreign national positions to maintain continuity.
Isn't it true that ROK is an unaccompanied tour and there aren't that many service members who bring family along on these assignments? If so, for the Korean AAFES the only available labor pool are Koreans.
Do the unaccompanied tours somehow contribute to this problem to make the Black Market more common in ROK?
Last edited by Kikomom on Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:53 pm Post subject: |
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| There are both accompanied ("command sponsored") and unaccompanied tours in South Korea. For the military personnel, possible consequences of getting caught black marketing include loss of rank, confinement in a military prison, and an undesirable discharge. For dependents, possible consequences include trial in the Korean courts and, of course, loss of command sponsorship. |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:46 am Post subject: |
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Actually, it's you. AAFES obviously has a problem with dishonest employees, just as any other store with dishonest employees has a problem. AAFES is not scamming when they assist the authorities in bringing the dishonest employees to justice. I'm already aware that certain employees and customers are thieves.
So, care to explain exactly how AAFES, the company--not the employees and customers stealing from them--is a scam? |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:55 am Post subject: |
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CentralCali- OBVIOUSLY, I have explained that AAFES pricing and the dishonest conduct of the employees is THE SCAM. You just refuse to face the facts, no matter how many LINKS are presented to you.
CLEARLY, YOU, or someone you know, must be an AAFES employee.
FESS UP. |
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