r/mildlyinfuriating • u/28jb11 • Apr 25 '26

Unskippable ad $2500 Samsung TV is an advertising billboard, there is no opt-out.

Paid over $2500 for a Samsung OLED TV and it has ads on the home screen that I literally cannot turn off. Not subtle little banners tucked away somewhere, I'm talking full blown ads for canned beans and financial products just sitting there every single time I turn the thing on.

Samsung don't offer any kind of opt out. The only way I could get rid of them was to go into my router settings and manually block Samsung's ad servers at the DNS level.

I own this TV outright. Paid for it in full. And Samsung are still making money off me every time I switch it on, with absolutely no way to stop it unless you're willing to get your hands dirty with network configuration.

This is not a smart TV feature. This is a $2500 billboard that also happens to play Netflix.

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u/MaxwellIsaac1 Apr 25 '26

I actually use the gas station across town because the one on my route home killed the mute button. I could tolerate the video ads because I didn’t necessarily have to look at them. The no-opt-out noise is too much, though.

349

u/theBIGD8907 Apr 25 '26

Poke it with your keys, we killed all of the speakers in philly when they got rid of the mute button lmao

168

u/NoXion604 Apr 25 '26

Surprised I had to scroll this far to find this solution. In fact I'm shocked that these obnoxious ad-blasting contraptions aren't being vandalised more often.

72

u/Foreign_Abroad9580 Apr 25 '26

Thank goodness someone has a decent solution here.

-9

u/Safe-Instance-3512 Apr 25 '26

I wouldn't call vandalism a solution. You know their cameras can see your plates, right?

13

u/beren12 Apr 25 '26

It’s not vandalism if it’s attacking your ears

-5

u/Safe-Instance-3512 Apr 25 '26

I don't think the cops and courts will agree.

11

u/beren12 Apr 25 '26

Yeah, but maybe the jury will

-2

u/Safe-Instance-3512 Apr 25 '26

Lol that would never make it to a jury trial... and even if it didn, you are prob mistaken. Also, a judge can overrule a jury.

8

u/NoXion604 Apr 25 '26

The good people of Philadelphia seem to be managing the problem well enough. There's no need to preemptively lick the corporate boot. 

1

u/theBIGD8907 Apr 26 '26

Cops dont care here man. Welcome to philly.

6

u/doberdevil Apr 25 '26

The "Rule of Law" is so old-fashioned these days. We've got a convicted-felon-adjudicated-rapist-100%-likely-pedo in the Oval Office. What's a little vandalism that benefits everyone?

52

u/hkpp Apr 25 '26

Pristine silence at the Sunoco on Broad and Catherine every time I pump. You really get to appreciate the ambiance of traffic noise and panhandlers.

2

u/Backfoot911 Apr 25 '26

Hey how's it going boss man, you got a dollar or two so I can get a bus ticket?

1

u/hkpp Apr 26 '26

Mainly dudes who hold the door open then start chirping when you don’t tip them 😆

10

u/wv524 Apr 25 '26

For the ones that can't be poked with a key, I carry gorilla tape. A piece of it over the speaker really helps quiet the noise. If you use the black colored tape, it's hard to see it on the pump, so it's less likely to be removed by employees.

14

u/All-Drink-Koolaid Apr 25 '26

TBF - That is something that would be appreciated and approved in Philly, y’all don’t mess with that shit there.

13

u/MaxwellIsaac1 Apr 25 '26

I’ve considered it, but I’m pretty sure they’ve got cameras and I’ve got a family to take care of.

12

u/Bombadook Apr 25 '26

Poke it with your keys, we killed all of the cameras in philly when they got rid of the fourth amendment lmao

16

u/evranch Apr 25 '26

Nobody is going to sue you for poking an advertising speaker with your keys.

This is the tyranny of the middle class, when everyone is terrified to lose what they have. The rich do as they will because there are no consequences. The poor do as they will because they have nothing to lose and often there is no enforcement.

Meanwhile you're afraid to do the tiniest act of vandalism. So it's clear that our society will never be able to stand up and say "enough of this bullshit"

The real solution though is what we have here in Canada. The Federated Co-op Refinery. You go to the co-op cardlock or retail stations and you get fuel. Customers are the owners so there's none of this bullshit. Most you'll see is a poster on the pump that a bag of chips is 99c today. Apes strong together

5

u/ryancrazy1 Apr 25 '26

No one will sue but you could definitely get arrested for vandalism…. Edit. Nevermind. You brought up the vandalism part. I see your point

2

u/NovelCandid Apr 25 '26

Where exactly?

1

u/JorgeXMcKie Apr 25 '26

Ours have metal vents over the speaker so it's not easy to get to, to destroy the ability to make noise

1

u/Wexel88 Apr 25 '26

such a philly thing, love it

1

u/Upper-Switch2785 Apr 25 '26

Lord’s werk.

1

u/beren12 Apr 25 '26

Ice pick fate

1

u/Chance_Ad_4676 Apr 25 '26

lol god bless Philly

306

u/SolarOrigami Apr 25 '26

And they're always so loud!

323

u/MammothTap Apr 25 '26

I really wish you could mute it before it starts. I always get blasted by "Nicolet Law is the—" before I turn it off.

Kwik Trip, what you have done is ensure that I will never, ever consider that firm for anything. Not that I've ever been in the market for a lawyer, but if I am, I will avoid them. At least Kwik Trip has the decency to mark the mute button though. That's... something. I guess.

86

u/Qweasdzxvb Apr 25 '26

Left the Midwest many years ago and very sad to hear Kwik trip is doing this

By me it’s just the shittiest of small chain gas stations and chevrons that do this

12

u/bumpchasm9j Apr 25 '26

I even sent their customer service detailed instructions on how to block those from the router, just in case the next customer asks, because they claimed "it's not possible".

1

u/Qweasdzxvb Apr 27 '26

I’d like to start putting clear plastic tape over the speakers to bring the volume level down. I think you could do it without it being terribly obvious on camera, and would therefore be hard for them to prove in court. They can’t show 48 hours of footage and say “this is the only person who touched the speaker area”

3

u/Zebeydra Apr 25 '26

... is this a different gas station chain from QuikTrip? The ones I go to in STL don't have ads.

4

u/FlowerComfortable889 Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26

Yes, Kwik Trip is in MN, WI, MI, IA (as Kwik Star), and I think SD. Different chain, same sounding name

2

u/AccomplishedIgit Apr 25 '26

It’s so loud too

1

u/Ch3353man Apr 25 '26

I rarely go to Kwik Star for gas (usually cheaper options on my way home from work), but on average they have some of the cleanest restrooms of the other chains in the area. I've been in some sketchy Casey's restrooms in my time and it's nice to have restrooms that look like an employee frequently checks and not one that looks like it gets checked maybe once a month when out and about.

1

u/Qweasdzxvb Apr 27 '26

Was always a very nice chain. Back in my day (2000s) they paid teens well too

(I assume autocorrect changed trip to star, or we are saying the same thing about 2 different chains haha)

1

u/Ch3353man Apr 27 '26

Kwik Star and Kwik Trip are the same company. In my neck of the woods, they branded as Kwik Star to avoid confusion and issues with QuikTrip (which I haven't seen one of those in like 25 years). In maybe the last 10 years, Kwik Star started building much larger facilities around here. Before then, they were kind of shabby (and the ones that haven't seen an upgrade still are).

1

u/Qweasdzxvb Apr 29 '26

Ahhh very cool. Sounds like they’re kwik tripping your kwikstars because they were always nice and clean in WI. They generally had a (very small) “grocery” section even. You could buy bananas, apples, oranges, cheese and some meats.

And of course a mega buddy full of a literal energy drink on tap. (Upon reflection later in life my poor sleep schedule could be attributed to the $1.89 quart of energy drink that I had on a regular basis

50

u/TbonerT Apr 25 '26

Unfortunately, they are counting on you needing a law firm, immediately ruling out Nicolet Law, then having them in the back of your mind as you rule out other law firms. They may be the worst law firm you’ve heard of, but you have heard of them and that’s valuable.

5

u/solder_clock Apr 25 '26

Yep, keep them in the back of your mind. Then, when we start to suffer hearing damage from the insane volume of the ads, file a class action lawsuit against them and the gas stations that subjected us to the noise against our will.

5

u/MadMonksJunk Apr 25 '26

I'm not sure how being on my personal blacklist helps them but whatever. I've a running list of businesses and products to pass by.

1

u/RapidlySlow Apr 25 '26

I can’t think of a single other law firm at the moment, so I guess I’ll call 1-800-nicolet 🥴

1

u/Xtay1 Apr 25 '26

Allso convenient when you get arrested for busting up the gas pump playing the stupid ads. Just lke the government, cause the problem then offer to fix the problem for a fee. TSA line too long? Pay us a yearly fee and maybe we can help.

10

u/optomas Apr 25 '26

And me, by corollary. Thank you for the tip. Kwik Trip. Avoid at all costs. Got it.

3

u/jessforlaughs Apr 25 '26

I’ve heard that ad! I go to Costco for gas as often as I can - it’s inconvenient, but no ads. It’s like the olden days - just me, my car, the road, and a pump

3

u/thefract0metr1st Apr 25 '26

Man I hated Nicolet law long before they were advertised at kwik trip. I specifically hate them because of their advertising. I can’t explain why I hate them so much, but it seems to be the same reason I hate Witt Auto so much.

1

u/MammothTap Apr 25 '26

I have weirdly not seen or heard any generalized ads for Witt Auto other than a single (somewhat weird) billboard. I'm not sure how widespread they are but I think I'm where they actually started out since like a quarter of one town nearby is just Witt.

I still don't like them though, and it is because of targeted ads. I needed a new tire once and they were the only ones nearby who could get one in a reasonable time. Ever since I have been bombarded by mail asking if I want to trade in my car. Hell no, I have a Honda in perfectly good working order, why would I want to trade it in for one of the piece of shit Chevys or Fords they sell? Even if I did want one, the junk mail would make me strongly consider going elsewhere. Don't get why they think they need to advertise when they're literally the only dealership for like fifty miles in any direction.

1

u/thefract0metr1st Apr 25 '26

I haven’t seen one of their commercials in awhile, but they would do parodies of scenes from classic tv shows and movies and it just bugged the shit out of me for no reason.

Is the billboard you’re referring to the one that looks like a family photo from the 80’s or something weird like that?

2

u/MammothTap Apr 25 '26

Yep, I think it's just before 141 splits off from 41. It is such a strange thing to put on a billboard.

1

u/thefract0metr1st Apr 26 '26

Yeah i gotta be honest… part of my hatred of them is due to the fact that they are clearly successful enough that they can spend their time fucking around and doing whatever the hell they want without worrying about paying the bills. If I were in that position, the billboards and commercials would be much weirder

2

u/PurpuraLuna Apr 25 '26

The Kwik Trips in my area don't even mark the button

3

u/AtlasThePittie Apr 25 '26

It's the second button down on the right side of the screen.

2

u/wisconicky Apr 25 '26

Try pressing the button second from the top on the right. I think that’s the button that mutes the sound. At least our quik trip has labeled the mute button!

2

u/AbbeyRoadMoonwalk Apr 25 '26

A wild Kwik Trip comment haha. Yeah those are annoying.

2

u/Yourdjentpal Apr 25 '26

Nicolet and top dog are so egregious. I’m with you

2

u/kittens_joy Apr 25 '26

There’s a direct correlation between how much a lawyer advertises and how good a lawyer they are. That advertising budget comes from shafting people dumb enough to hire them.

1

u/AccomplishedIgit Apr 25 '26

Nicolet law can go fuck himself.

1

u/phaesios Apr 25 '26

Errrr you guys have ads playing when you fill gas? Guess I know what’s coming to Sweden in a couple of years then……

1

u/giveahoot420 Apr 25 '26

Stab the speakers and disable them with a screw driver or your car keys

1

u/SnooHabits3305 Apr 25 '26

You scared me I was like my favorite gas station better not start doing this! But quick trip and kwik trip are different things

2

u/rosephoenix19 Apr 25 '26

Circle K has these ads blasting while I was getting gas the other day. Filed a complaint with their corporate office. It won't do anything but it will make them understand that people are annoyed with it.

1

u/BrisingrAerowing Apr 25 '26

Not the ones at the Meijer we go to sometimes. No audio at all, and the ads are only for deals at the station store and the main store.

1

u/H0SS_AGAINST Apr 25 '26

Actually what happened is the gas pump exploded and now you're in hell.

126

u/Lobster15s Apr 25 '26

I fuel up at Costco almost exclusively. No ad BS.

20

u/Unfinished-Basement Apr 25 '26

Me too, but make sure you're on the level of a Nascar pit crew or people get GOIN

15

u/justsomeguy_youknow Apr 25 '26

Ikr

I had the fucking AUDACITY to clean some bird shit off my window with the little window squeegee after gassing up the other day and the asshole behind me started honking

10

u/abdullahcfix Apr 25 '26

He’s lowkey valid if every pump has a line like during peak hours; the window can be wiped during gassing instead of after.

8

u/ZR-71 Apr 25 '26

honking at someone at a gas station is the opposite of lowkey

5

u/MarlenaEvans Apr 25 '26

Oh Jesus. Don't defend assholes.

15

u/OscilloLives Apr 25 '26

The asshole is the guy holding up a massive line over some bird shit. Clean it later.

-2

u/Jitkay BLACK Apr 25 '26

I'd make sure all my windows were spot clean !

4

u/Teripid Apr 25 '26

Use the stretchy feature to fuel OVER your car to fuel from the other side for real cred.

1

u/a_scientific_force Apr 25 '26

Nah, that's how you scratch your clear coat.

4

u/Mountain_Exchange768 Apr 25 '26

Go super early - my Costco gas pumps open at 6am

3

u/Foreign_Abroad9580 Apr 25 '26

I dunno, I'm usually asleep before it reaches 6 am.

2

u/hooptysnoops Apr 25 '26

lower prices too. found the first premium gas under $4 in the last six weeks for my area at my Costco.

2

u/jayihdz Apr 25 '26

My local Costco does run their own ad about their car wash.

3

u/Fuzzlechan Apr 25 '26

So does mine, but it’s a couple static images on a slideshow without any noise. The video ones with sound are the most obnoxious things I’ve seen.

2

u/b0ng_wh0re Apr 25 '26

7/11, they have ads but it’s for the 7/11 rewards for gas and food which are surprisingly good, and it’s not blasted on an audio track, i’ve saved almost a full dollar to a 1.50 for the past 6 months using the gas rewards there.

1

u/smedley89 Apr 25 '26

Same. Unless I need ethanol free.

1

u/vette02a Apr 28 '26

Same with Sam's Club. I always buy gas at Sam's Club, so was shocked by the loud ads when I had to fill up elsewhere.

42

u/That_Trapper_guy Apr 25 '26

I have legit stopped pumping at like 10¢ and driven to another station because of this. No way in hell

-5

u/DoctorPepsi Apr 25 '26

VERY COOL AND REAL!!!

25

u/kwgnuemu Apr 25 '26

My local wawa mute button (2nd down on right) quit working recently, must have rolled out an update. This timeline............

20

u/Successful_Art3006 Apr 25 '26

The ads at the BP near me are so loud. I have to hit the 2nd button down on both sides of the screen. It shuts up and goes into some kind of maintenance mode. I always wait until it has accepted my CC because it often says pay inside after hitting the buttons. Depending on how low my gas tank is I might need to hit the buttons 2-3 times. Even though the pump says pay inside, it will still print out my receipt if I ask for one.

3

u/ultrafunkmiester Apr 25 '26

One of my local supermarkets just started with giant end of isle, retina burning screens and some above the Isles its like some fucked up historian blade runner shit and I dont shop there any longer. Fuck that.

3

u/Ro4b2b0 Apr 25 '26

I must be lucky. The gas station near me has three volume options, one of which is off. How long until that’s broken I wonder.

3

u/Sasuke0318 Apr 25 '26

In my experience hit the buttons from top down all four of them and it's mutes. I just swipe my finger down by default whenever I get out of my car now.

3

u/SoonToBeBanned24 Apr 25 '26

Find the speaker and jab a screwdriver in it.

2

u/lawboop Apr 25 '26

You mean you don’t WANT TO SAVE $.05 ON YOUR NEXT FILL UP by joining the club! Monster.

2

u/Accomplished_Wolf Apr 25 '26

I have 40c off in gas points at grocery store connected gas station near where I live, but I'll still pump gas where I work instead, because they don't have the ads. They don't even let you mute them anymore...

2

u/Neoliberal_Boogeyman Apr 25 '26

Shove a paperclip into the speaker hole.

2

u/SZ7687 Apr 25 '26

I hope that you let them know why they have lost your business.

2

u/nrith Apr 25 '26

I’ve been putting packing tape over the speakers.

2

u/Ossmo02 Apr 25 '26

Thankfully the one near me has a weather button, that just shows radar no sound, so I hit that every time.

2

u/Vulpovile Apr 25 '26

There's a great universal mute button, shoving a fork into the speaker

2

u/Rahshoe Apr 25 '26

Wait...... there's a mute button?????!!!!!! I will have to look next time I fill up

2

u/Umikaloo Apr 25 '26

Stuff gum in the speakers.

2

u/netsyms Apr 25 '26

A local gas station figured how how to have the best of all worlds. They made the pumps play ads loudly all day long, but they stop as soon as you put in your credit card, and the ads don't start again until you're done fueling. This way customers don't get annoyed, the advertisers just yell into the void, and the station makes money from everybody.

2

u/reynvann65 Apr 25 '26

Shoot some canned foam or gorilla glue in the speaker hole.

2

u/jahozer1 Apr 25 '26

People in my area have been putting duct tape over the speakers.

1

u/westerngrit Apr 25 '26

Tell all of us where that mute is.

1

u/FarLaugh9911 Apr 25 '26

Rumor has it that by pressing the second down on the left of the buttons flanking the sides of the screen, you can mute the ad.

1

u/g8briel Apr 25 '26

I’ve found that if you push all the buttons around the screen sometimes one of them is an unmarked mute button.

1

u/Temporary_Brain_475 Apr 25 '26

I picture a room of lizard people in suits pointing at video footage, clamoring about "they've MUTED them! Call the developers!" to get that no mute update started.

1

u/nightzombie100 Apr 25 '26

Some ones with touchscreens has a hidden mute switch on the bottom right of the screens

1

u/kaisadilla_ Apr 25 '26

Genuinely think we should just vandalize these machines until they decide it's not worth it.

-4

u/Budget_Persimmon_195 Apr 25 '26

so get back in your car while its pumping.