While surfing around the Internet last week, MrConsumer came upon this banner ad from Comcast advertising up to a $500 Visa card if one signs up for their Xfinity service. (The ad appeared on a world time website, rather than a local website with a local target audience.)
When clicking the ad, you are taken to a Comcast page with this list of offers:
*MOUSE PRINT: (click graphic below for a larger version)
The only offers shown are for plans that provide Visa cards from $100 to $300. Where is the advertised $500 card? We asked Comcast to explain this discrepancy that looks an awful lot like a bait and switch scheme.
“[W]e did indeed have a limited-time online promotion, which offered up to a $500 Visa prepaid card. It was a geo-targeted campaign aimed at consumers in select markets.” – Peter Dobrow, Comcast Corporate Communications
I’m sorry, that doesn’t cut it. Advertisers can tell from your IP address roughly where you live, and can target ads accordingly on the fly. An offer for $500 back meant for one locale should never appear on a national website if the offer is not available to those who view it.
When did you discover the ad, since it expired on Thursday the 24th?
Also, the ad does clearly say, and not in micro print, “up to a” thereby leaving themselves an out. Yeah, it’s meant to reel you in, but I don’t see it as blatantly deceptive.
Edgar replies: This ad was displayed while it was still valid — on May 24. “Up to” does NOT give them out unless they really have such an offer. They did not when clicking through. They might as well as said “save up to $1000” or $10,000 for that matter. Under Massachusetts law, for example, they actually must state both the smallest bonus and largest bonus in equal size type, and the largest amount cannot be illusory.
Coincidentally enough, I was shopping around for a new cable provider and saw the ad as well — a “quick” (not) chat with an online rep reminded me of just how much I loathe Comcast–and why I could hardly wait to get rid of them in the first place.
Looking at the HD “triple play” revealed so many required add ons (a $7 month fee for a “required” digital voice router for phone service–how can you offer phone service (digital voice is simply broadband bandwidth) without the equipment necessary to use it–particularly when it was strongly implied I couldn’t get the “required” equipment from anyone else?) was just one of several charges the provider adds back in at the end in order to be able to advertise a “low” monthly rate.
In the end, if I added in required extras, I would end up paying even more for service as compared to my current provider (Verizon FiOS).
Clicking the banner ad and seeing no offer that provided me with the promised giftcard was merely the cherry on the sundae that is Comcast’s typically deceptive advertising and sales practices.
By the way, I was so furious with the fine print contained in the “promo offer” I totally forgot to ask about which offer included the $500 giftcard. lol
In short, there are reasons consumers leave Comcast in droves when their contracts are up. Deceptive ads are just the tip of the iceberg. I really wish state regulators would step in and call XFinity/Comcast out on these offers.
Screw the pre-paid card crap and just give me a monthly discount on my cable bill….
Comcast is full of lies, in all their TV ads. The $500 dollar gift card, saying their the fastest internet, Fiber, etc. What did you expect!
Verizon doesn’t lie in all the TV ads. I used to have Comcast, I like Verizon much better! qui pro quo!
………Marv
I also switched to Verizon from Comcast. For years I’d just call up Comcast (AKA – Comacast) and ask them to match local competitors offers and I’d reup for another year. This time around they said no one (Verizon) had an offer. A flat out lie. I even told them the links to the ads and where it appeared in print. They continued to stonewall saying “not in my area.” I again provided them with all the links that showed I was a click away from getting a $89 deal and a $300 Visa Card from Verizon. (I didn’t expect a Visa from Comcast). Again, they stated “Not in my area.” So I got Verizon. They literally chased me away.
My contract will be up in a two years and I fully expect to (finally) convince my wife a land line is unnecessary. In fact so is cable. Many option to totally avoid cable TV unless you are a high end TV junkie.