MOUSEPRINT. ORG Exposes the Strings and Catches in Advertising Fine Print
To save shoppers money, a new consumer website, MousePrint. org, exposes the often costly loopholes buried in the fine print disclaimers of popular advertisements.
Boston, MA (PRWEB) September 26, 2006
To help protect shoppers’ pocketbooks, a new consumer education website, MousePrint. org, [http://www. mouseprint. org (http://www. mouseprint. org)] is exposing the sneaky and often costly loopholes buried in the fine print of advertised offers and product claims.
“The ‘gotchas’ are usually hidden in those hard-to-read disclaimers," said Edgar Dworsky, editor of Mouse Print and a former assistant attorney general in consumer protection in Massachusetts. “When consumers forget the old adage, ‘the big print giveth, and the little print taketh away,’ they can get snuckered.”
Each week, Mouse Print dissects one television or print advertisement, a consumer contract provision, or a product label, and spotlights the potentially costly surprise lurking in the asterisked details.
Among the companies and products caught in Mouse Print’s crosshairs:
-- American Express Clear Card
PROMISE: “Absolutely no fees of any kind”
MOUSE PRINT: Transactions in foreign currencies are subject to a 2% additional charge.
-- Charles Schwab
PROMISE: “…commission prices start as low as $9.95”
MOUSE PRINT: “$9.95 trading price is for clients who have $1 million in qualifying assets…”
-- Washington Mutual Cash Rewards
PROMISE: Earn cash rewards with each purchase with WAMU’s gold debit MasterCard, up to $250 a year.
MOUSE PRINT: Customers earn 3 cents (not 3 percent) per purchase. At that rate, one would have to make 8,333 separate purchases per year to receive the maximum rebate.
-- Chrysler Satisfaction Program
PROMISE: Buy a Chrysler car, and “if not satisfied, simply return it within 30 days.”
MOUSE PRINT: “Customer responsible for 5% MSRP restocking fee, 50 cents per mile driven, and all financing, insurance and tax charges.” All these charges could easily add up to over $2000 for a one-month test drive.
-- Mazda Dealer Deception
PROMISE: Buy a $21,000 Mazda for $9,500.
MOUSE PRINT: Local dealers cleverly subtract a large down payment from the car’s selling price to create an amazing but artificially low advertised price.
-- CBS’ Big Brother
PROMISE: Get ringtones, pictures, show updates, etc. by texting “FAN” to 99888.
MOUSE PRINT: $5.99 monthly subscription charge, not orally disclosed in TV ad.
-- Scott Toilet Paper
PROMISE: "Now Improved" 1000 sheets per roll.
MOUSE PRINT: Each sheet was actually shortened and dimples added, allowing 300 inches to be lopped off each roll.
-- Hellman's Mayonnaise
MOUSE PRINT: The time-honored quart jar is now only 30 oz. The product's inconspicuous downsizing helped to mask a price increase.
Whether any of the practices highlighted in Mouse Print are illegal is often a matter of varying state laws. At a minimum, says Dworsky, when all the facts are finally made known to them, consumers exposed to ads that hide key details can feel surprised, disappointed or angry. At worst, the impression created by some ads can mislead shoppers, and result in unexpected costs.
About Mouse Print:
Mouse Print is a service of Consumer World® [http://www. consumerworld. org (http://www. consumerworld. org)], a public service, consumer resource guide founded by Edgar Dworsky in 1995. Dworsky has been a consumer advocate for 29 years, a consumer educator and lawyer, and is a former television consumer reporter in Boston.
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