Posted on 03/06/2015 5:21:51 AM PST by PROCON
But wait, there’s more — hidden charges!
A company that hawks “As Seen on TV” wares like the Snuggie and Perfect Bacon Bowl will fork over $8 million to settle charges that it duped customers, sources said Thursday.
Allstar Marketing Group promised “buy one, get one free” deals, but charged customers nearly twice what they expected with “deceptive” processing and handling fees, the Federal Trade Commission says.
“This agreement returns money to thousands of consumers in New York and across the nation who believed they were buying items at the price advertised on television but ended up with extra merchandise and hidden fees they didn’t bargain for,” said state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who worked with the FTC on the settlement.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
But customers who went for the “double offer” ended up paying $35.85.
I suppose we can say this is the "New Math"?
Let the buyer beware.
The law firm that started this will walk away with $7.5 million.
Those who were duped will get a coupon for 50% off their next ShamWOW purchase.
Someone got me a Snuggie once. I think it was for a birthday or Christmas. It was a thin, cheap POS. The only reason I didn’t throw it away was because I wanted to be able to pull it out when the person came to my house to show them I still had it as to not hurt their feelings.
This is a common lure.
Price for one: $20
Price for two: $25
S&H for one $15
S&H for two $30
Note the last phrase you always here, “S&H separate for each.”
That shamwow guy just kills me!
He did a commercial for the Slappy Chop- “Linguine, Fettuccine, Martini, Bikini!!” And then demonstrated chopping peanuts, saying, “You’re gonna love my nuts!”
And then he got arrested with a meth whore.
Just spill some red wine on it and oops, had to throw it out.
*Sigh* So few understand how to use the English language...
Yesterday while viewing a HAWK flying overhead, I determined I should HOCK some of my unnecessary trinkets from my basement.
These people should work in DC.
Anyway, while I hate their ilk and I have no sympathy for them getting dinged... My sympathy for the customers that allegedly got duped is also somewhat limited. The total cost should not be a surprise. Did they not pay attention to the itemized costs? If they're gullible enough to fall for this kind of scam and lose a few bucks they should consider themselves luck.
My Dad used to say education is expensive no matter how you get it. Well, they learned a valuable lesson in buyer beware. That lesson may save them hundreds, even thousands on the purchase of something bigger like vehicles, homes, etc.
Better check a dictionary.
Proving once again, P.T. Barnum was correct.
Hell, I am a real old dude and I knew the S & H fees would exceed the price of both items.
“Hawk” as used here is the correct usage. Look it up.
If you decided to "hock" your trinkets at a pawn shop you would be correct.
However it is perfectly correct to say that someone on TV selling products is "hawking" them.
(*Sigh* So few understand how to use the English language...")
Even if I get tempted to buy one of these I look up the S&H on the web and run off.
last time i did one of these things, they wouldn’t let me off the phone whist they tried hawking me several other items, which i kept on declining until i finally hung up the phone. it is because of THAT that i haven’t ordered off the TV ever since. ebay has the same stuff anyways...
hôk
verb: hawk; 3rd person present: hawks; past tense: hawked; past participle: hawked; gerund or present participle: hawking
carry around and offer (goods) for sale, typically advertising them by shouting.
"street traders were hawking costume jewelry"
synonyms: peddle, sell, tout, vend, trade in, traffic in, push
"hawking his wares on the street"
Origin
late 15th century: back-formation from hawker1.
I got sham-wowed at Sam’s Club a couple of months ago.
Young kid working there had a mic that was tied into the PA and was giving out tickets for a “free gift” (”It’s a surprise we can’t tell you what it is”) to watch him and another guy do a dog and pony show for a new product (food saver lids).
Wasted 15 minutes of my life for a crappy lint roller.
I wait for it to show up
in the "As Seen On TV" aisle
at Walgreen's
You get to see it and touch it
*before* you buy it.
(And the price is right there
on the shelf.)
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