Customer Reviews

Stick it to the Man: How to Skirt the Law, Scam Your Enemies , and Screw Big, Fat, Stupid, Lazy Corporations...for Fun and Profit!

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Some of the "solutions" mentioned in this book aren't really solutions at all, most, as one reviewer mentions, are hardly groundbreaking and derive from either common sense or common knowledge. However, being mindful of the saying "Common sense is not so common," andy by extension, Common Knowledge may not be either, I admit the book may be useful to some. I disliked the writing style intensely (sort of an odd combination of "gee whiz, guys, we can do it!" and Hotel conference room sales pitch technique). It irritated me to the degree that I could only get thru a few pages at a time before putting it down and turning to something else.
Per example: the solution to "weak, watered down, and terrible coffee:" Go to another coffee shoppe and tell the owners of that big chain you won't be back. Wow. Did you *really* need a $12 book to tell you that? The tips on dealing with airlines are no longer current-- and actually had been long outmoded *before* the publication date; anyone trying to put one over on an airline company using the "advice" contained here is going to be disappointed and probably embarrassed.
I did eventually make it all the way thru the book and was dismayed to find that in spite of my high hopes, and after searching thru the entire text again, I learned *nothing at all* about "screwing big fat corporations" or "scamming my enemies."
Here's a tip though: If you get conned into buying a book that disappoints on nearly every level and fails to deliver it's promise, register with Amazon.com and write a review that lets thousands of people know how the publisher is rooking you.
The only problem with this is that it will be rather difficult to re-sell your copy.
I gave it two stars because, if nothing else, it does cover a large number of everyday minor irritants and some larger ones, and perhaps, someone may find some tidbit or two useful.

This book failed to deliver any useful advice for me and I would categorize most of it as not advisable. Stick it to a truck driver tailgating - slow down and smile in your rear view mirror??? Avoid high real estate commissions - offer an agent $500 to put the listing in the multiple listing service??? I don't want to give more of the book away but expect more of the same advice that didn't seem to provide any insightful help to me.

Seriously, this publication proves it's true. I have worked in a used bookstore for 30 years and have rarely seen as lame an excuse for a book as this. The title does not properly explain the contents at all, and some of the missives in the book are just the author on a rant or telling stories. Also, the writing is really sub-par on top of it. Can it get any better?

Most of his other suggestions to 'stick it' to whomever are fairly obvious to the average person, or likely entirely outside of their skill set (such as checking out freeware like MySQL, Linux, and Apache via downloading and playing with them. Are all average folks really that computer savvy already?)

Okay, maybe I'm just such a brain that this book is beneath me. But it really HAS given me confidence that anyone can write a book lacking REAL content and someone may publish it. Just hit the net, gather your useless info, try and make it funny, and you are good to go!

this was the worst...most pathetic excuse for a book ever. a bad writing style mixed with "solutions" that could be thought up by the average 10 year old. one of them states "screw ur boss"....
"to get on his good side do extra hard work...then ask for lots of money". it took him five sentences to create the worst intro in the world.

my deepest regret is not buying it...but not having a "zero stars" option.

I don't know what book the other reviewers are talking about because I got three pages downloaded for my Kindle-even though I asked for the whole book. The three pages talked about how you are supposed to stroke the head of the lobster or crab before you toss them in the water to kill them and that you are supposed to do the same thing to your boss so that you can take over his position. If the rest of the book is anything like this then I am glad it only downloaded the three pages. I only gave it one star because there is no way to give it no stars.

What a waste of time. Most of these "tips" can easily be found by doing a quick online search or just asking a few friends for advice. Even a 15 year old knows that you don't have to buy your cell phone from the carrier. Also, "Ma Bell" no longer exists. It has not existed since the 1980's. Cell phone companies have always had competition.

Lewis gives us information such as big box retailers are into producing profits! WOW! Who would have thunk it? He is annoyed that he has to show his receipt when leaving a store and suggests sticking your receipt in your mouth first. Apparently Lewis is so immature and selfish that he thinks he is the center of the universe.

Here is one piece of advice Lewis gives "Call up the retailers and tell them their gig is up--You're SO on to their clever tricks". What does he think this will accomplish except to continue to feed his ever growing ego?

Lewis says truck drivers are big, mean and "always intimidating to others". I drive 60 miles a day on the interstate in a large city. I'm not intimidated by the truck drivers. Those drivers are doing their job. Very few are a problem. So his advice to the ones who do annoy you is to get in front of them and drive slow so they have to slow down. "He'll be unhappy that you forced him to downshift on such a tight deadline!" How old is this author? Does he not realize how much of his life depends on those truck drivers making their deliveries on time?

It appears that Lewis experiences bad customer service everywhere he turns. If everyone you deal with is a jerk, maybe it's not everyone else but YOU. Companies are in business to make money. That "man" you are "sticking it to" is also trying to do his/her job and support their family. If we all "stick it" to those companies, those companies will no longer exist.

BAIT AND SWITCH! This was offered for $0.00, but a $10 charge showed up on my credit card! It's not even worth the click at $0.00, and a rip-off scam that they come back and steal $10 from you!

This book does have about 2-3 pages of good information and that's why it gets two stars and not one. The rest of it is full of obvious "advice" such as "if you don't like the coffee shop, stop patronizing it".

Although the title suggests ways to flirt with dangerous ideas, it actually tells legal ways to save yourself TONS of money. There are several chapters about cell phones and cell phone contracts, hospitals and the billing practices thereof, and my personal favorite - how to make your printer cartidges last up to twice as long. That's only the beginning. This is a valuable book - not just worth the price - it's worth its weight in gold.

Interesting story about how I found out about this book... I was in line at the Apple Store the night before the release of the new iPhone 3G S. The author, Ronald Lewis, got in line at about 2 AM or so to wait for his phone. There, he shared with some of us there that he was about to release a book. He passed around a copy of Stick it to the Man, and it looked great. Just flipping through it I saw some great stuff.

The following Tuesday was the official launch of the book. I came to the Downtown Denver Barnes & Noble, listened to Ronald read some excerpts from the book and answer some questions. I then had my new copy autographed.

Reading the book went quickly, and it was a great read. Everything in there is logical and well put together. While not all of the ideas are groundbreaking, they are presented in a format that is friendly for everybody. And that, in my opinion, is what makes this a great book.

If you ever need to figure out how to outsmart your computer company, your local coffee shop, or just about anybody whose goods or services you use, this book is for you.

Excellent.