How many times have you heard an advertisement on the radio or seen one on the television or in the newspaper for an item valued at $xx.xx, but when you visit the store they tell you a completely different, most times higher, price? Or you may see an ad for an item that looks a particular way, but when you visit the store it is no where near what it looked like in the ads? These scenarios are classic examples of Misleading Advertising. Misleading Advertising is the deliberate misrepresentation of an items price, look, value, quality, usability, functionality, ability, or any other characteristic in order to solicit the patronage of unsuspecting consumers and buyers in an attempt to gain sales of said items. Simply put, it is false advertising, a lie, untruth. Many businesses have been known to promote this practice so as to lure customers to their business. Unfortunately, many customers get caught in the trap and when they realize that the item they bought is nothing near what was advertised and try to return it for an exchange or refund, they are told that a clause in the sale of their items is that “all sales are final, no refund, no exchange.”
The bad thing about that clause is that it is usually in the fine print of receipts or contracts that customers get after making a purchase (it is never brought to the attention of the consumer). Some stores have signs put up that state outrightly that they do not give exchanges or refunds. The rule of thumb then would be: DO NOT buy from stores that promote such a policy. You have choices, so shop around for a store or business that will give you an exchange or refund if it should come to that. Some of the businesses that promote Misleading Advertising are often times “fly-by-night” operations that spring up from no where, literally overnight, take unsuspecting customers money then suddenly disappear from existence. Then when a customer has a complaint, the business is no where to be found. The best thing to do when buying items that are advertised is to check the items to ensure that they are what the ad says. If you are being rushed into purchasing an item, something fishy is going on. NEVER allow yourself to be rushed into buying an item. Always look at it carefully, ask questions, and inquire about their refund and exchange policies. If it does not suit you, shop elsewhere.
An example of Misleading Advertising is a store selling hair dryers that can dry your hair in minutes (when normally it should take longer). Since this would be appealing to a lot of females, they would rush such a sale and buy the hair dryer. When they go home and try it, they find out that it takes just about the same time, or even longer, to dry their hair as any other hair dryer. Or it could be a case where the air blown from the dryer is so hot that it cannot be put on one’s hair, lest it catch afire or burn the face and scalp. So the dryer never lived up to their expectations; the ad was misleading. Using he same example, the hair dryer may have been advertised for $100, but when you go to buy it you are told it actually costs $150. That is Misleading Advertising.
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