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Our ad is "misleading"...

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  • Our ad is "misleading"...

    I took a call yesterday.

    SC: Hi, is Derek available?
    Me: No, sorry, he's off today. He'll be in tomorrow morning.
    SC: Okay, here's what's going on. I called and talked to Derek yesterday, and we talked about installing a remote starter into my Mazda 6. He looked up all the extra modules and parts I would need, but when I came in last night to buy it, I found out that the remote starter you have in your ad--the one for $132--won't start your car!
    Me: Um...well, no. That's not a remote starter. It's a keyless entry system.
    SC: Well, I think your ad was very misleading, and because of that, I've decided to take my business elsewhere.
    Me: I'm sorry, I don't have an ad copy in front of me so I'm not sure exactly what it says. Did it say "remote start" on that item?
    SC: No, but it was in the same space as the remote starters, and it says "ignition controlled door locks". Why would it say something about the ignition if it doesn't start the car?
    Me: "Ignition controlled door locks" is a system that automatically locks your doors when you start the car, and unlocks them when you turn the car off. It's a safety feature.
    SC: Well, it's misleading.
    Me: Sir, I'm sorry you were confused by it, but it doesn't sound like it was written to deceive anyone. It just says it's a keyless entry system with an ignition-controlled locking feature.
    SC: Look, I'm sure if you're an expert on this stuff you can look at the ad and know right away what the thing does. But for all of us ordinary people, it's very misleading.
    Me: (giving up) I'm sorry you were confused by that, sir. I'll pass your feedback on to our corporate office so they can try to make our ads clearer from now on.
    SC: You do that.

    I looked at our ad later on. We have two products grouped together in one section, because both are security/convenience products which include installation in the price. The first one says "3-Channel Keyless Entry System with Relay. Features ignition controlled door locks and domelight supervision". (I'm not sure where the corporate copy-writers got the "relay" part, but it wasn't an issue in this case). The second item, much more expensive, says "2-way Auto Security with Remote Start and Keyless Entry. Features remote locking and unlocking, and flashing parking lights".

    I can't see why even an average person should conclude that the first item includes a remote starter.
    Lack of freedom can be measured directly by lack of stupid. --Penn Jillette

  • #2
    I can. It's the word ignition. Like the guy who called you, some people will just read that word not the ones around it and think that it will start their car. It's stupidity on their part for selective reading.
    Honey and Thorns ~ Handmade Knit and Jewelry

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    • #3
      Quoth RedRoseSpiral View Post
      I can. It's the word ignition. Like the guy who called you, some people will just read that word not the ones around it and think that it will start their car. It's stupidity on their part for selective reading.


      How can someone possibly see the word "ignition" & instantly assume that it's designed to start their car if they don't ask someone in the know about it 1st before even buying the thing? I'm sorry, but that's just weird.

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      • #4
        Quoth Bright_Star View Post
        How can someone possibly see the word "ignition" & instantly assume that it's designed to start their car if they don't ask someone in the know about it 1st before even buying the thing? I'm sorry, but that's just weird.
        They're SCs. They read and comprehend only what they want to.

        Enough said.
        Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil.

        "I never said I wasn't a horrible person."--Me, almost daily

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        • #5
          I didn't have this guy, but a similar incident happened at my work. We had this special on 4L bottles of oil (not easy to lift let me remind you) but it was only certain types. Some guy tried to get one of the non-special bottles at the special price, but was told that it wasn't the case (this is common and the customer will either take the original product, get the one that IS on special, leave it behind or bitch and complain). He then bitched and moaned and then started yelling out about how we were misleading him because it was on TV. The guy that handled this particular call told him that he has no control over TV but if he brought in a print ad, he'd see what he could do. The guy left the oil behind.

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          • #6
            Quoth KaeZoo View Post
            I looked at our ad later on. We have two products grouped together in one section, because both are security/convenience products which include installation in the price. The first one says "3-Channel Keyless Entry System with Relay. Features ignition controlled door locks and domelight supervision". (I'm not sure where the corporate copy-writers got the "relay" part, but it wasn't an issue in this case). The second item, much more expensive, says "2-way Auto Security with Remote Start and Keyless Entry. Features remote locking and unlocking, and flashing parking lights".

            I can't see why even an average person should conclude that the first item includes a remote starter.
            Well, knowing almost nothing about the technical side of cars, even though I'd like to , I don't get much from those two descriptions either. I can see where he'd be confused pretty easily. To me, "with Relay" seems something similar to a remote, but that's just me. If it were me calling in about it, I'd probably admit my stupidity and ask what it meant or what the difference was, not start blathering about false advertising when he obviously didn't KNOW what it meant for sure. Ah well, people always would rather say you're wrong somehow than admit they were.
            Confirmed altoholic.

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            • #7
              I like the dome light supervision. I'm picturing a tiny little gnome sitting on the roof of the car staring at the dome light 24/7, making sure it is a domelight and does its domelight duties...

              Comment


              • #8
                Quoth ShadedWings View Post
                "with Relay" seems something similar to a remote, but that's just me.
                From my understanding, and I think I know about as much as you do about the thing, there is a remote. But it's controls only the doors/locks. Not the starter. It's a keyless entry system.

                But I guess the guy in the OP just read "Relay" and "Ignition" and his 2 lonely neurons connected long enough to provide the "OMG ! Remote Starter" knee jerk reaction. Selective reading, at its finest.
                "I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."

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