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.
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.
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