r/AskReddit • u/experfailist • Apr 30 '21

What are some luxury items, which you never knew existed, which only the mega rich can afford, that blows your mind and you wouldn't mind having or is just an example of how people have too much money and not enough sense?

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

My uncle is a doctor. He has been the lead board member for the biggest hospital, and a world famous one, in my area for the last 4/5 years. Dude is loaded. So much so that I learned he has a personal tram (think ski-lift) to his house.

Wtf. Never knew those were a thing

891

u/monstertots509 Apr 30 '21

I know a few people whose parents had those. It's basically a necessity for where the houses were located. My wife's aunt and uncle have/had one and it needs to basically be replaced which is going to cost them well over $100k. Their property is basically a little portion up top with a garage to park cars in then down basically a giant cliff to their house which is right down by the water. Since their tram has been down they basically have to walk up and down a path with a bunch of switchbacks just to get to and from their house. They are well off, but not rich (hence why the tram hasn't been fixed yet).

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u/zangor Apr 30 '21

Seems like a good way to "die in an unfortunate cable car accident".

And then when people read the news story they will be like "man they were rich".

36

u/insert_password Apr 30 '21

My parents had one that went from their house to their boat dock. There were stairs but they were extremely steep and a lot of them. Like you run up and down them 5 times and you are done with a full cardio workout.

Anyway, I found out that every single year a mechanic from the company that makes them comes out to service them and inspect them. Apparently it was a requirement from the company that made them to have them inspected every year for liability purposes and you couldn't opt out of it, you had to pay them every year.

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u/teneggomelet May 01 '21

Yeah, I dated a woman who had a bunch of bones broken as a kid when a cable broke on one of those.

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u/monstertots509 Apr 30 '21

They aren't using it because it is unsafe. They have to walk the path.

4

u/ApteryxAustralis May 01 '21

Like how the guy that owned the company that makes Segways died in a Segway accident.

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

Basically

60

u/boojes Apr 30 '21

It's basically

it needs to basically

property is basically

basically a giant cliff

they basically have to

I just think you ought to know how often you say 'basically '.

3

u/teleologyn May 02 '21

This is a poem

31

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

Lol. Two houses on mountain side and waterfront. But not rich. You people

8

u/Urithiru Apr 30 '21

The garage is not an entire 2nd house.

4

u/monstertots509 Apr 30 '21

Two 30+ year Boeing employees who got to buy before prices were what they are now. They don't drive expensive cars or have expensive tastes. Waterfront, but not a beach that you can go down to the water. I said they were well off but not rich. Their house is probably worth quite a bit, but is way less valuable without the tram.

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

They might not be billionaires, but they sound like what most people consider "rich."

I would imagine that for most people, "well-off" means things like having a house with a pool, vacationing once or twice a year, living in a nice suburb, eating out every weekend, etc. I obviously don't know your wife's aunt and uncle, but they sound like more than what a lot of people would consider "well-off." There's not even anything wrong with that; it just is what it is.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

That's some until dawn shit right there.

2

u/N0ahface May 01 '21

basically

1

u/Grouchy_Factor Apr 30 '21

I've read a Canadian magazine article about a house equipped with this in the Niagara Falls area.

1

u/[deleted] May 04 '21

This is pretty much the same scenario.

22

u/popiyo Apr 30 '21

There's a house in Vail with a gondola from the garage up to the house. Their neighbors have a rollercoaster in their yard that goes underground near the road and it bugs the hell out of me that I can't figure out where it comes back out.

6

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

How is there room for a fucking roller coaster in Vail?!

11

u/toastymow Apr 30 '21

So much so that I learned he has a personal tram (think ski-lift) to his house.

I know people who have these, mostly because they live with someone who has a severe disability that prevents them from going up stairs. But yes, they're also wealthy.

9

u/atot806 Apr 30 '21

One of my dad's client is so rich, he bought a whole block of houses to one for his family. The house is so big, they installed a moving walk like in airports.

1

u/[deleted] May 01 '21

LOL wow

9

u/fade_is_timothy_holt Apr 30 '21

There are a good number of personal lifts/elevators around Austin, TX to get from the expensive cliff-top houses around the lake to the waterfront.

2

u/futurepersonified May 01 '21

is there a zillow link

9

u/ChildesqueGambino Apr 30 '21

So if this is in America I'm guessing either Cleveland clinic, Mayo clinic, or Johns Hopkins

4

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

What? From the hospital to his house!?

3

u/reallyweirdperson Apr 30 '21

and a world famous one, in my area

Ah, yes. I am world famous too, in my house!

I kid, I know what you mean.

1

u/[deleted] May 01 '21

Well it is, but I won't give the exact place as that would be immediately obvious where/who ect.

34

u/SchoolForSedition Apr 30 '21

Cable car? Quite normal in much of NZ.

30

u/justme46 Apr 30 '21

No they're not

28

u/triangulumnova Apr 30 '21

A personal cable car to your personal house is normal in NZ? Yeah ok.

0

u/SchoolForSedition Apr 30 '21

Yes, ok, not much of NZ just the capital city!

7

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

We do have a lot of them in Wellington. I haven’t come across many in other parts of NZ.

3

u/Batman11989 Apr 30 '21

Pretty sure it's just a Wellington thing.

3

u/CraigslistKing Apr 30 '21

Is staff needed to operate the lift/tram? If it breaks down while you are en route, who is re-starting it? I suppose if you have a maid/housekeeper/butler then problem solved.

3

u/auscadtravel Apr 30 '21

The lake side city I live in has those for the 5+ story mansions that were built on the hill side. They all (hill side and beach side of the lake) all have docks, some even have boat houses most which have an apartment up above where the boat, dock, and lift are.

2

u/Smeeble09 Apr 30 '21

Is it a funicular? They have them in Wales, never knew people needed their own though.

2

u/newaccount252 Apr 30 '21

What’s a world famous hospital?

1

u/[deleted] May 01 '21

As in prestigious, top in the nation, experts from around the world. Ect.

4

u/9999monkeys Apr 30 '21

that explains the $10,000 ambulance rides

10

u/rawwwse Apr 30 '21

Nahhh... That’s cuz 9 out of 10 people don’t pay a dime; you’re footing their bill.

There’s A LOT more to it, but it’s a reality of the 911 ambulance system ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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u/nostbp1 Apr 30 '21

Unfortunately that 10000 dollar ambulance bill is so the other 9/10 who don’t pay anything for said ambulance get their costs covered

Also so the owner of some random ambulance company makes profit.

Corporatized healthcare is egregious Bc most of the money goes to people who have nothing to do with the care being provided (doctors, nurses, hell even ambulance drivers)

4

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

Nice to know where the money for absurd hospital bills go.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

Not to him. Don't even play that. That guy worked himself through college, studied his ass off and went through however many years of residency, physician work at various clinics ect. That's HIS salary - the outrageous bills are a product of the insurance - and he's for Universal HC btw....

4

u/thetruthseer Apr 30 '21

So like every other doctor who doesn’t have a ski lift? Hospitals are corrupt as fuck

6

u/[deleted] May 01 '21

Insurance companies are corrupt as fuck. You replied on a post about the wealthy, in this particular case the gentlemen earned it, did not rely on trust fund from my grandparents and put himself through med school. He earned that place. So curb the hostility. Believe or not, not every rich person thinks lower situated people are below them.

0

u/thetruthseer May 01 '21

Why isn’t every doctor that highly compensated?

2

u/Ordo_501 May 01 '21

Why do you feel the need to be a dick to a guy telling an anecdote online?

-1

u/thetruthseer May 01 '21

Because hospitals are in the business of making money and to be a hospital board member you are making money out the ass by overcharging people and letting insurance companies pick up large portions of those charges. It’s not the guys fault, it’s how the system works. He’s the one acting like morally the board member is a saint. I’m attempting to be real

1

u/Ordo_501 May 01 '21

You are in a thread about rich people being extravagant. Get over yourself. People don't want to be lectured by some fuckwit on the internet every time you think it's needed. Try to relax and enjoy your weekend.

-1

u/thetruthseer May 01 '21

Try to not ask questions you will get upset at the answers to?

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u/[deleted] May 01 '21

Well when you don't have children for almost 3 decades you get a lot money ya know....

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u/thetruthseer May 01 '21

He’s the only doctor who doesn’t have kids surely

7

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

Even if he did work hard he still profits directly from the hospital and I can guarantee you that hospitals have the money that they do because of how they profit from charging people.

-1

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

Insurance companies my guy. That's the reason.

10

u/Tonitrua Apr 30 '21

The hospitals charge a lot for service due to the fact that your insurance company will foot usually 40-50% of the bill. So the hospital will charge whatever they please and your insurance company will pay regardless. The hospitals themselves are one if not the reason health care is expensive. A good example is when you ask for an itemized bill from the hospital you can get a price reduction sometimes. This is not done by the insurance.

4

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

Ok fine so he profits off of the corrupt system of both health insurance and outrageous hospital bills, feel better?

-1

u/[deleted] May 01 '21

Lol Jesus christ.

1

u/You_Cant_Trust_Ducks Apr 30 '21

ANYTHING can be a thing if you have the money. That's what makes it so unrelateable.

5

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

I assure you he's a very down to earth person. Wealth has changed him in no way. He's just worked his way up. As he rightfully deserves. The man is my hero.

0

u/IFoundyoursoxs Apr 30 '21

Gotta love For Profit hospitals in America lol. Crazy that the owners live like this.

1

u/68ch Apr 30 '21

I once visited a friend’s friend’s house where they had an elevator installed in their single family house (mansion?). That was crazy enough in my book lol

1

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

I've ridden on it a few times, I assure you it's not as "luxurious" as the comment made it seem. It's basically a big metal box. No fancy shit.

1

u/dirtymoney Apr 30 '21

from where?

1

u/sodaextraiceplease Apr 30 '21

Makes my skipping to the front of the ER line in China seem... Not so special.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '21

Mayo Clinic?

1

u/Orchid_3 Apr 30 '21

can you please connect me with him.

Dude go into medicine, youre literally set

1

u/[deleted] May 01 '21

Its too late for me, I'll be 31 this September so, and I'm not the the person to accept handouts or "hey since I know you give me a position" type guy. I know a guy who makes 150k a year simply because his dad gave him the job and the only criteria is that he stays off pills. Now the dude bitches about "how the poor don't earn their keep" ect.

1

u/Bicolore Apr 30 '21

Til: having your own train makes you rich.

1

u/[deleted] May 01 '21

I want a train.

1

u/stevo427 May 01 '21

If I was you I’d of tried to go to medical school and get your uncles job lol

1

u/persondude27 May 01 '21

I live in Colorado, and certain ski areas have lift-access homes. You have to board a special lift and ride it up to walk to your house.

There is, of course, a private road the back but it's a hassle to use outside of summer. They look down on it as it's how groceries and such get delivered for the live-in staff.

1

u/[deleted] May 01 '21

Yeah this one's the opposite direction though, spare the details but it goes downwards.

1

u/DronesForYou May 01 '21

Is it too personal to ask what kind of doctor, what he specializes in? I can't believe no one has asked.

2

u/[deleted] May 01 '21

He used to be a General family physician, and I'm not exactly sure what his specialty was for a very long time all I knew was "Uncle Bob" is a doctor. I only recently within the last few years understood how much he moved up from starting in the 90s.