Edgar (aka MrConsumer)

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Thanks for Nothing, Bass Pro Shops

Ron H., a regular Mouse Print* reader, recently told us about a pricing problem he experienced in Las Vegas at the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store there.

His wife spied a bargain on a nice sweater as a gift for their son.

sweater

clearance sweater

*MOUSE PRINT:

The price tag indicated that the sweater was on clearance for $59.95, marked down from… $59.95! Wow, what a savings.

Back in their hotel room, Ron’s wife was curious to know how much they really saved on the sweater, so she peeled back the clearance tag to the see the real regular price.

*MOUSE PRINT:

peeled back price

To her shock, the regular price was $39.49 — over $20 LESS than the so called clearance price. The couple marched back to the store to speak to the manager. They were denied that request, but were given back the difference in price.

The customer service person said that this was a pricing mistake at the warehouse. Being the suspicious Mouse Print* reader that he is, Ron checked some other clearance items before leaving the store. Sure enough, he found other examples of inflated “clearance” price stickers put over lower regular prices.

For that, Bass Pro Shops, we say thanks for nothing.

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FDA to Manufacturer: If You Make a Product with Love, Don’t Advertise It

Some federal agencies have been subjected to criticism lately that they are not policing the marketplace as much as they did in the past to protect consumers. For example, Bloomberg reported two weeks ago that the Food and Drug Administration was sending 30 percent fewer warning letters to companies about serious health and safety violations than they did every year since 2008.

Now comes news that in September, the FDA sent a warning letter to Nashoba Brook Bakery in Massachusetts alleging serious violations discovered when it spent three days inspecting their manufacturing facility.

FDA warning letter

Besides citing instances of unsanitary conditions that inspectors discovered, it noted a serious labeling violation on packages of Nashoba Granola.

Nashoba granola

*MOUSE PRINT:

Love ingredient

Love ingredient

Yes, dear friends, Nashoba Brook Bakery was charged with selling misbranded products because they creatively made their granola with “love” and included that on the label.

John Gates, the CEO of the bakery, explained to Mouse Print* that while they will remedy the sanitary deficiencies cited by the FDA, “we will continue to put care, attention, passion and LOVE at the center of what we do. That’s who we are and who we want to be.”

We say the FDA should concentrate on real health and safety violations like the other findings in their letter. But, have a little heart (and common sense) when it comes to unofficial ingredients like love.

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T-Mobile Advertises: Ditch Verizon, Keep Your Phone ???

Over the past few months, T-Mobile has been advertising that you can bring your Verizon cellphone to T-Mobile if you switch to them. Here’s one commercial with the offer:

If you know anything about how cellphones transmit your calls and data, their offer might sound impossible because the two companies use two different and incompatible technologies to accomplish those tasks. Verizon uses CDMA and T-Mobile relies on GSM radio waves to work.

So how can T-Mobile make this claim?

*MOUSE PRINT:

Ditch Verizon, Keep Your Phone

Certain phones are dual-network capable. They have both technologies built-in so they can work on either network. But the number of Verizon-branded phones that can be brought from that CDMA provider to a GSM provider is very limited — Google Pixel and iPhone 6S or newer only — as noted in the fine print of the T-Mobile ad.

Apple iPhones account for only about one-third of the market and newer models can be used on both Verizon and T-Mobile. But market-leading Android phones generally cannot. AT&T phones, incidentally, are generally interchangeable with T-Mobile phones because they are both on the GSM system.

So, if you think you can take your old Verizon phone to T-Mobile, chances are you cannot.