OTHER SWINDLERS (15 april 2004)
Is there a conspiracy of cheating going on?
This week I already described two cases (click, click) of swindle my family was exposed to. But it doesn't stop there ...
case 1 - Dell
Computer company Dell advertises with prices which they say are so low because you don't have to pay retailer's profit.
They offer you a cheap computer for 356 euros.
"Cheap," you think. But this week I started to fill in an order. It turned out I also had to pay 75 euros for shipping. This was not mentioned in their advertisement.
And altogether I would have to pay more than I pay at my local hardwareshop.
Well, this may not be fraud, but it is at least deception.
case 2 - Railways
But what to think of the caterer of the Dutch Railways? They offer a takeaway package. This is their advertisement:
What you see in this ad is:
- a plastic bottle of mineral water
- a carton of orange juice
- a sandwich
- a cup of tea
- a Mars bar
- a newspaper
So I thought "Let's buy this".
What they did not offer me was:
- a carton of orange juice (it was either ... either!)
- a Mars bar (sorry, not available)
- a newspaper (no explanation given)
case 3 - Pearle
Pearle is a Dutch optician.
At the moment, their advertisement says: Two pairs of glasses at the price of one.
As you could read on 9 February, I need special glasses at the computer and at the piano. So Pearle's offer seemed ideal for me: one pair at the piano and one at the computer.
Sorry ... but this offer only applies to the more expensive models - which was not mentioned in the advertisement.
Conclusion:
Some companies are very economical ... with the truth.
