Consumerist
misleading
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misleading
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misleading
follow ups
Feazel Roofing Responds To Misleading Junk Mail Accusations
Last week, we wrote about a roofing company that had sent out a "Defective Roof Notice" to potential customers. The blogger who received the junk mail thought it was deceptive, and so did we. To make matters worse, he wrote a complaint to the company and was ignored—but a few weeks later a fake "customer review" appeared on his site that was traced back to Feazel. Now the owner of Feazel Roofing has responded and apologized for the junk mail:
More »Obviously, the real message got lost in “sales language” – the piece went way overboard, and I should not have allowed it. Therefore, it was my mistake, and I sincerely apologize.
scams
Roofing Co Sends Misleading"Class Action" Junk Mail, Fakes Customer Reviews Online
Update: The owner of Feazel Roofing has responded and apologized for the misleading nature of the junk mail.Blogger HolyJuan was annoyed with a piece of junk mail he received from Feazel Roofing, because it was written in such a way that it could (intentionally) mislead homeowners into thinking the roof inspection being offered was somehow official, required, or necessary. In fact, it was simply an attempt to drum up new business for the company—but when you lead off with "DEFECTIVE ROOF NOTICE" and then mention class action lawsuits in the first paragraph, it's hard to claim marketing innocence. HolyJuan complained about the letter on his blog, and a few weeks later an anonymous "customer" posted a rebuttal full of praise for Feazel Roofing—from the IP address of the company, naturally. More »
fine print
TIME's "Subscribe For $1.99" Offer Misleading
First, we want to say thanks to TIME Magazine for naming us one of their top 25 blogs. Now that's out of the way, and we can ask why they're using such a misleading ad on the masthead of their site: "Subscribe to TIME Magazine for just $1.99" it says! Yes, but when you click through to the sign up form, you see that your "subscription" is for six issues—six weeks—and that the fine print indicates you also agree to an auto-renewed fee of $19.95 every six months. We don't mind the $1.99 tryout period, but hiding the real subscription fee in fine print is sneaky. Any magazine with the good taste to recognize our blog should also respect its readers enough to be upfront on the details of its subscription offers.
rants
Domino's Pizza: Sacrificing Our Delivery Drivers So We Can Use Our New Slogan
Domino's has a mildly amusing television campaign right now to promote their new slogan "You Got 30 Minutes," but the fine print on Domino's site points out that this should be taken only as a suggestion, not a service guarantee: "Because safety is a priority "You Got 30 Minutes™" is not a guarantee but an estimate. You may get more." A former Domino's delivery guy is not impressed: "Some douchebag ad exec wants to trick customers into believing that the '30 minutes or it's free' guarantee is back, then leave it to the delivery drivers to explain to inevitably angry customers why their pizza isn't free when it gets there in 31 minutes." More »
misleading
Is It Legal To Use Out Of Date List Prices For Comparison On Sales?
Last week we pointed out how Apple artificially inflates the discount of its refurbished units by using the original introductory list price as a comparison, even if the price has since dropped and the true list price is now lower. Now a reader writes in to say he caught Toys R Us doing the same thing on sale prices of Playstation 3 bundles and 30 gig Zunes. Our question: is this legal? New York City's consumer protection law seems to imply that—at least for retailers doing business in NYC—it's not, unless you clearly indicate the trail of price reductions, something neither company is doing. More »
misleading
You Can't Discount The Past, Apple
A reader noticed that Apple is selling refurbished 8gb iPhones for $349, and they're listing the original price as $599. "Save 42% off the original price," says the Apple Store. Gosh, that's a huge savings! Wait... well sure, the original original price was $599, but we all know that Apple knocked that down fairly quickly, and now a brand new 8 gb model sells for $399—which means actually you're only saving 12.5% off the Real World Price Right Now of a brand new iPhone, if you went and bought it today. More »
fast food
If you're planning on buying some Hot Wings from KFC in Colorado Springs, Colorado, your cheapest option is to buy them in sets of six no matter how many you want. KFC charges you slightly more per wing as you buy more—"Guess they just hope nobody's good at quick math," our reader Jay writes.
More »
KFC Is Sneaking Extra Profit From Bigger Orders
If you're planning on buying some Hot Wings from KFC in Colorado Springs, Colorado, your cheapest option is to buy them in sets of six no matter how many you want. KFC charges you slightly more per wing as you buy more—"Guess they just hope nobody's good at quick math," our reader Jay writes.
More »
misleading
Chase: By Cashing This $9.25 Check You Agree To Give Us $59.99
Reader Aaron writes in to complain about a "scam" that he can't believe is legal. Many of you know about this little marketing tactic, and we've written about it before, but some of you probably do not. More »
secret website
Does Urban Outfitters Have A Secret In-Store Website?
Reader Chaely C tried to return a gift to Urban Outfitters, only to find that the website in the store showed that her item was on sale for $19. Chaely knew her friends paid $58 for the item via Urban Outfitter's website, and told the cashier this. More »
marketing
Sara Lee "Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Bread" Has More Water Than Whole Grain
The CPSI has announced its intention to sue Sara Lee over its "Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Bread," which claims to combine "all the taste and texture of white bread with the goodness of whole grain," when actually "there is more water in this product than whole grain," according to the CSPI. More »
badvertising
This Road Side Sign For Roses Is Not At All Misleading
According to LAist, this small roadside sandwich board type sign is visible "as you drive down Sunset Blvd. eastbound toward Vermont." As you can see, it's extremely honest.More »
it's not a lie if you believe it
Budget: Cash This Check And You'll Be Enrolled In A Service You Don't Want
Reader Larry writes in with a complaint about a commonly used "scam." We call it a "scam" because we believe it's misleading and designed to take advantage of people who do not read things carefully, but you judge for yourself. Here's how it works:
