Humor

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Bored at Home? Reading “Terms of Service” Agreements Will Fill Your Days!

Most of us usually don’t have the time or patience to read a website’s “terms of service” (TOS) agreement. We simply click “agree” if we are even asked in the first place to consent to their various conditions. But now that we are all cooped up at home, we actually have the time to review those contracts. I know, you’d rather clean your kitchen counter one more time and wipe down all your groceries instead.

Some of those policies are ridiculously long. The Microsoft TOS agreement, for example, runs over 15,000 words — just slightly shorter than Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

So, to help you visualize what a daunting task it would actually be to read the TOS agreements from 14 of America’s leading companies and websites, the Visual Capitalist created this infographic. It depicts the comparative length of each company’s policy and how long each would take to read.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Terms of Service

Scroll down the chart OR Click to enlarge.

These companies rely on the laziness of their customers who rarely take time to read the fine print of what they are agreeing to. And most times, the terms benefit the company more than you.

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Thanks for Nothing: CVS, Aldi, and Kmart

We once again look at various advertised offers that seemingly promise a good deal… at least until you do a little more investigation.

Example 1:

Last month on December 8, CVS advertised “lowest prices of the season” on 500 count bottles of CVS ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin — bottles were only $9.79.

CVS lowest prices of the season

There’s just one problem. Two weeks earlier, Consumer World’s “bargain of the week” featured a sale on some of the same CVS pills when they were only $5.

*MOUSE PRINT:

$5 CVS Ibu

Thanks for nothing, CVS.

Example 2:

Plant-based burgers are all the rage now with the two leading brands, Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger, finding their way into chain restaurants and the meat counter at your favorite store. When MrConsumer saw that super discounter Aldi was now carrying Beyond Burger he got excited expecting to finally find them on sale at an affordable price.

Beyond Burger at Aldi

*MOUSE PRINT:

Here they claim that their price for Beyond Burger is “budget-approved.” But a closer inspection of the ad reveals that for $4.49 you only get two burgers with the package weighing a total of only eight ounces. Even organic beef is cheaper — $4.49 for a full pound (in this large package).

Thanks for nothing, Aldi.

Example 3:

At one of the Kmart stores that was not going out of business at the time, they were having a clearance sale on some items.

Kmart clearance

Wow, what a deal. Thanks for nothing, Kmart.

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Consumer Humor: TV Station Tricks Interviewees with Unexpected Fine Print

Note: The next new Mouse Print* story will be published on January 6th.

To teach people why they really need to read the fine print of contracts before signing, the local NBC station station in Green Bay, Wisconsin decided to pull a prank on shoppers at a local food court. Before interviewing each passerby, the reporter handed the person what was purported to be a standard release form to sign. This release, however, was peppered with absurd requirements.

Did anyone read it before signing? You can guess the answer.

So, as you are deciding on your new year’s resolutions, consider making reading the fine print in contracts and advertising one of things you vow to do in 2020.

Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas from Mouse Print*.