Internet

NetZero wanted MrConsumer back as a customer (do they know who they are dealing with?? ) and sent me a postcard offer with a fabulous price — $4.95 per month (click on picture on the right to see the entire offer). There is an asterisk after the $4.95, and one would have hoped that would lead to the catch: only if you buy a computer for everyone in your family, only if you sign up by no later than yesterday, or only for the first two months of service, etc.

Their mouse print on the postcard reads: “Additional phone and live technical support charges may apply. Special pricing not available to all members. Service not available in all areas.” [NetZero offer received 6/30/06.]

Okay, nothing (seemingly) bad there. But, when I visited their website link for this offer, that’s where the real catch was lurking.

*MOUSE PRINT: “Up to 10 Hours only $4.95 per month.” [website 6/30/06]

It is unfortunate that a company that goes to the trouble of sending you a personalized offer, does not include one of the most important details, even if only in the mouse print. Instead, they force the reader to go to a website to find the catch.

One test of deceptiveness is to measure how far away from the original claim the asterisked disclosure is. A fine print footnote in a print ad is often considered too far away from the headline. But how do you measure the distance from the $4.95 postcard offer in my hand to the disclosure only found in cyberspace?