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Thanks for Nothing – Winter 2025

A few times a year we spotlight offers from companies that are real head-scratchers, are actually less generous than they appear, are just plain outrageous, or may simply elicit a chuckle. Here’s the new crop.

California Olive Oil

Rosemarie L. sent us this picture of two 100% extra virgin olive oil bottles from her local Shaw’s supermarket.

California olive oil

The one on the right, California Olive Ranch, was a dollar cheaper so she thought she would buy that one. That is until she read the bottom of the label.

*MOUSE PRINT:

10% California olive oil

Unlike the Signature store brand which is 100% from California, this one is only 10% from there. Thanks for nothing, California Olive Ranch.

American Blueberries

Tim C. wrote to us about this package of blueberries saying “it certainly leads you to believe you’re buying American-grown produce at first glance.

*MOUSE PRINT:

American Blueberries

We agree. Thanks for nothing, American Blueberries, Inc.

Macy’s Black Friday Sale

Back in August, we complained about Wayfair’s problematic search engine that returned over 9,000 results when looking for a blood pressure monitor when in fact they only had 10 real listings.

Well, what Macy’s did last month during their Black Friday sale makes Wayfair’s tech people look like geniuses.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Macy's Black Friday sale

Even the most ardent bargain hunter will not go through over 150,000 sale items in search of a great deal. Thanks for nothing, Macy’s.

Get $5 Off Any P&G Product?

MrConsumer was very excited to get this email from Procter & Gamble seemingly promising $5 off on any item. That is what the email subject said, and that is what the big print said in the body of the email.

P&G Save $5

Only in smaller print in the email did P&G reveal the true nature of the offer. They weren’t offering a $5 off coupon, but rather…

*MOUSE PRINT:

P&G Save $5 finer print

Thanks for nothing, P&G.

OmegaXL – Satisfaction Guaranteed?

Many mail order products come with a free trial or a satisfaction or your money back guarantee to help consumers feel better about trying something new. This joint supplement called OmegaXL has a most unusual policy, however.

*MOUSE PRINT:

OmegaXL guarantee

If you tried it and you were not satisfied, you can’t return it because their policy requires that the package must be unopened and unused.

Thanks for nothing, OmegaXL.

If you find a product policy, offer, or advertisement suitable for this section, please send it along to Edgar (at symbol) MousePrint.org . Thanks.

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Is TurboTax Really Free This Year?

You may have seen the TV ads for TurboTax this year promising completely free service tax preparation and filing.

Every year, Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, advertises some type of free service but it often comes under scrutiny of consumer regulators for poorly disclosed catches as the FTC found last year. This year’s offer is bolder than ever. It promises tax preparation and filing that is 100% free if you didn’t file using TurboTax last year. While the TV ads are very clear this year, here is a summary of the catches.

*MOUSE PRINT:

  • You must use the TurboTax app to start your taxes.

  • You must file your taxes using the TurboTax app by February 18, 2025.

  • You must not have used TT last year, but use of it prior to that is okay.

  • TurboTax Live is not free.

  • The app is not appropriate for more complex tax situations such as for itemized deductions, business income, investment sales, etc. However, as long as you begin your tax prep in the app, you can switch to do it on your computer even in a more expensive product like TurboTax Deluxe or higher, whose fees will be waived, they say. But you then have to return to the app to file your taxes by the February 18th deadline.

  • It is unclear if their usual fee to file your state return is being waived.

    • Perhaps those folks with very simple returns will find this to be a tempting offer, but I can’t imagine how tedious it could become for more complex situations doing it on a cellphone.

    Here’s another option for people with simple returns. Uncle Sam has expanded its new Direct File free program to 25 states this year.

    Regular TurboTax offline users, like MrConsumer, face a number of challenges this year as well. Amazon did not run its usual sale for TurboTax Deluxe discs at the end of the year. And many people missed their November 30th sale when it was $45.99 with a $10 Amazon gift card. Also changed this year, TurboTax Deluxe is a download only product — the disc version has been discontinued.

    Costco advertised in its January Connection magazine that from January 18 to February 7 it will be offering $11 off of TurboTax Deluxe (making it $44.99), $18 off of Premier, and $20 off Home & Business. Sam’s Club will have a similar offer.

    UPDATE: Amazon has matched Costco’s price and upped the ante! The Amazon offer includes a $10 Amazon gift card when you buy TurboTax 2024 Deluxe plus State for $44.99. This will be the lowest price of the tax season if history is any guide. BUT… Amazon only offered this deal for one day, Saturday, January 18th. Now it is $44.99 without the gift card.

    [Consumer World will earn a small commission if you purchase from this link.]

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    Were Cyber Monday Deals Really One Day Only?

    Much is made of the supposed great deals available to shoppers offered during last month’s Cyber Monday sales. But were the advertised prices that day really one-day only and did you save as much as they claimed?

    Cyber Monday Only Sales

    We decided to do a little spot-check of a few of the prices advertised on Cyber Monday, and in some cases they were even “Cyber Monday only” prices. We selected three items advertised in Cyber Monday ads at six major retailers — Macy’s, Walmart, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Target, and Amazon. We compared the Cyber Monday price to the price that same retailer was charging two days later, December 4th, and again a full week after Cyber Monday on December 9th.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    — Of the 18 products we checked, only two of them reverted to the so-called regular price by the Wednesday after Cyber Monday.

    — In 10 of the cases, the items continued to be offered at the same Cyber Monday price two days later .

    — A week after Cyber Monday, five of the products were still at the Cyber Monday price.

    Walmart is the only chain that never raised its price on any of the items above the Cyber Monday price during this time period. On the other hand, Target, Amazon, and Best Buy each had one item that reverted to the so-called regular price a week after the sale, and Kohl’s had two. MrConsumer is surprised that that many reverted.

    Here is the price comparison chart of all the items checked and their prices on the dates surveyed:

    Cyber Monday comparison

    So, the two takeaways from this little experiment are that one-day only sales are rarely one-day only, and don’t expect to actually save as much money as retailers claim because the so-called “regular price” is rarely charged.

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