We continue our series of little annoyances about ads, products, and offers that are irritating, real head-scratchers, or just downright misleading. This time around, we concentrate on some not-so-funny class action lawsuits that all make the same point — you can’t always believe the big print on the front of the product.
| Example #1 — Blue Diamond Smoked Almonds |
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For nut lovers, smoked almonds are a real treat… like these Blue Diamond smokehouse almonds.
A more careful inspection of the product label reveals a surprise, however.
*MOUSE PRINT:
That’s right, it appears that the nuts are merely smoke-flavored rather than actually smoked. And of course, the matter is the subject of an ongoing class action lawsuit. Likewise, a similar lawsuit was just filed against Family Dollar for labeling its store brand almonds as “smoked” when they are really just smoke- flavored. Thanks for nothing, Blue Diamond and Family Dollar.
| Example #2 — Poland Spring Water |
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It has been going on for close to four years now that consumers have alleged in a class action lawsuit that Poland Spring water is not really “100% natural spring water” as the product promises.
*MOUSE PRINT:
According to the Food and Drug Administration, if bottled water is to be sold as “spring water,” it must be “derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth,” and there must be a “natural force causing the water to flow to the surface through a natural orifice.”
The consumers and their lawyers in this case say Poland Spring water doesn’t meet the federal definition because it is really ground and surface water from a bunch of artificial springs in Maine.
The latest development in the case is that the period of time for which the company could be held liable if ruled against is only three years. When you can’t believe the front product label that this is “spring water” (if that turns out to be so), thanks for nothing, Nestlé (now known as Blue Triton Brands).
| Example #3– Macy’s Sheets Thread Count |
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The plaintiffs in this case are two dissatisfied customers who claim that the bed sheets they purchased at Macy’s in California and Missouri, respectively, were labeled with inflated thread counts.
*MOUSE PRINT:
One of them claims that her 900 thread-count sheets were actually 249 thread-count and the other claims that her 1000 thread-count sheets were “far less.”
The California part of this long-running case has been allowed to proceed as the judge certified the class of consumers. If what this consumer claims is so, then the thread counts on various sheets are wildly inflated. Since that is the primary way that most shoppers judge the quality of sheets along with material used, thanks for nothing, Macy’s.
If you find a product that has been grossly mispresented on the label, or another type of ad that is just outrageous or funny, please submit it to: edgar (at symbol) MousePrint.org . Thanks.
Along with the artificial smoke flavor, just reading the rest of the ingredients used should give one pause. All that maltodextrin and hydrolyzed oils and various added crap? For what reason? That stuff can’t be good for your health. How about raw almonds? They’re delicious and nutritious.
I know how annoying nitpickers can be, but that’s not going to stop me. Although most of us would assume that something referred to as smokehouse almonds are smoked the fact is that no where on that can, or at least the part of it we can see, does it say that these are actually smoked almonds.
I don’t often disagree in favor of the company, but “Smokehouse” doesn’t immediately mean smoked to me. I bought these almonds, have them at home right now, and couldn’t care if they were smoked or not. “Smokehouse” has always felt like a flavor on almonds for me, akin to “Hickory” or “Barbeque”.
Water is a joke. No one really wants 100% natural spring water because it probably wouldn’t taste good anyway. Everyone wants heavily filtered water that has most of it’s impurities removed. Having said that, man made springs aren’t technically natural…
What in the world is a man made spring anyway? Isn’t that a well?
Thread count–that is exactly what a shopper is looking for. Just tell the truth!
The smokehouse almonds, I remember watching a documentary about smoked bacon and it was a liquid flavoring basted over the bacon. I would judge the almonds by the taste anyway.