Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Q: How do I rip off the CoinStar machine that keeps ripping me off?

A: I found this tip via Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin, who writes, "I'm fairly certain this may not be legal, and it's posted here for technical analysis purposes only."

I should emphasize that T.A.M.S.Y. doesn't condone doing this either. In fact, I condone that anyone caught following these step-by-step instructions be savagely beaten.

  1. Choose the iTunes gift card option.
  2. Put in all your coins.
  3. Unplug the machine's phone cord.
  4. Select the option to have all your funds delivered via gift card.
  5. Wait a few minutes while the machine tries to figure out what the hell happened to its online access.
  6. The machine will spit out a receipt, which can be redeemed for cash money at the nearby cash register (bypassing the standard 9% fee).
  7. Burn for eternity in hell.
I stole all of that from Anti Yawn, but I don't think he can complain, given the circumstances.

As far as I know, Roger is the only person who uses CoinStar machines. But don't make fun of him; he lives in Las Vegas, where it is culturally acceptable to pour money into machines that are openly ripping you off.

please comment. it makes me look popular.