You've probably heard some of the same commercials I have. Buy a new car, no money down, $5 down, good credit, bad credit, no credit. And like me, you probably thought...yeah right. And like me, at some point you might have even said, "That's false advertising!"
Well I have thought the same thing. Some deals just sound too good to be true. We have all seen the TV commercials that try to sell you a magic pill that cures all, but has its own set of side effects. I thought it would be interesting to explore some instances were false advertising got a couple of companies in trouble.
The first claim involves Dell. Dell has become a popular brand computer and this may be attributed to its no interest or no payment advertising claims. Well in 2008, a judge found Dell had engaged in false advertising, abusive debt collection practices, fraud, and deceptive business practices. After its ads promised no interest or no payments, many customers were slammed with high interest rates.
Ever used Pantene Pro-V? Well some of users were apparently not very satisfied with its claims. One of its ads in China claimed the shampoo would supplement amino acids to make hair stronger for a lifetime and up to 10 times stronger. After several complaints regarding the ad's authenticity, a British advertising authority determined that the ad wouldn't be shown with those claims. Procter & Gamble had a similar ad discrepancy with a skin cream that claimed it would make skin look 12 years younger. Apparently, some people used it and didn't quite see the results they had expected. I remember the commercial, never used the product though.
The next time you hear or see an ad and you say to yourself, that sounds too good to be true. You just might be right.
There is almost always some level of false advertising on tangible goods where the average consumer would have no clue of just how much bang he/she is getting for his buck. The sad case is that most of it is LEGAL, unless it poses a threat to your life, health or is an obvious crime where people get swindled out of some money etc. We are all trying to make it, so when it comes to what we spend out money on just remember that old adage, "believe half of what you see and none of what you hear."
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