Company Lies

I guess there is some truth to the myth of “Truth in Adverstising,” even for some of the big boys.
Advertising giants Blockbuster and Kentucky Fried Chicken recently felt the sting of government regulators, who were responding to claims of false advertising by duped citizens.
In this country, Blockbuster was recently lambasted for their “No Late Fees” campaign.
I remember when this one first came out.
I wondered out loud, “how are they going to stay in business without late fees?”I envisioned a run on “Spiderman 2” DVDs where people rented the flick, then lapsed into bouts of amnesia that might run three or four months, maybe years.
Since then, word is out.
If you’re more than 7 days late, Blockbuster simply bills you for the price of the tape or DVD.
Now to their credit, if you return the tape you now technically own within 30 days, they will “refund” (wipe the amount off your bill) the cost of the tape.
But they will add on a “re-stocking” fee, even though there really isn’t any activity that might resemble re-stocking, like tearing cellophane or opening a cardboard box.
The leader in home video agreed to pay a $630,000 settlement, which will probably wind up as a profitable move, since the “No Late Fees” scam lured in more new subscribers than any ad campaign in the last two years.
Meanwhile, in London, ads for KFC’s new chicken sandwich were cited and removed from the airwaves because the size of the sandwich shown in the ad was misleading.
Apparently, there have been a number of complaints from hungry Brits flocking to the Colonel’s nearest franchises only to find that the sandwich is about the size of a credit card (although a bit thicker).
Allegedly, the hands of the model used to display the munchie are on the smallish size.
KFC representatives claimed it was just a “coincidence.”
In any event, the English version of the FCC banned the ads, wagged their finger, and said “tsk tsk tsk,” which is the English version of a huge fine.
While it’s disheartening to know that “caveat emptor” must now apply to well known multi-national corporations the same as time shares or credit repair programs, it’s good to know that someone in authority is paying attention.