I can sympathise. I experience it most often at restaurants. The worst part is you knew you shouldn't do it... and then you get burned again. So you feel like you had it coming. Or maybe invoked the bad karma.

Slight detour from topic: I applied for a credit card linked to SAA Voyager (with a bank I already have cards from). I had so much grief trying to get the stupid card that I eventually decided to let it go. Then I was approached again by an agent of Voyager at the airport and invited to apply. This time I stood firm. I told her: "Never again!". And that I didn't think my blood pressure was up to another application runaround. At her request I briefly told her what I'd been through. A few weeks later the bloomin' card arrives!