Thanks for Nothing – Page 3

Consumer World Celebrates 30 Years: 1995 - 2025
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Thanks for Nothing – Deal or No Deal Edition

September 13, 2022April 25, 2022 by Edgar (aka MrConsumer)

Welcome to a special “Deal or No Deal” edition of our popular “Thanks for Nothing” series. All these sellers make you think they’re having a big sale or making a great offer, but that may not be the case in reality.

Big Ham Sale at Aldi

Just in time for Easter a few weeks ago, Aldi’s featured sale item was their spiral sliced ham. But depending on where you lived, you either got a deal or no deal.

*MOUSE PRINT:

We invited the president of Aldi to discuss these price differences, but never heard back from him. So, for the folks in Boston, Long Island, Miami, and Kansas City who were charged almost twice the price for Easter hams, thanks for nothing, Aldi… no deal.

CapitalOne $200 Annual Cash Bonus

A big fancy envelope from CapitalOne was proclaiming a $200 annual bonus if you signed up for their business credit card.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Inside, the truth — you only get the bonus when you spend $200,000 a year. Thanks for nothing, CapitalOne… no deal. But hat tip to David B. for submitting this ad.

Groupon — Save Extra With Promo Code

Who doesn’t like to save a little extra money when buying a sale item and then getting an additional discount if you apply a coupon or promo code online? Recently, Groupon offered such an extra bonus on an oil change.

*MOUSE PRINT:

What… get an extra penny off? Thanks for nothing, Groupon… no deal.

Lowe’s — LED Light Bulb Clearance Sale

Nothing perks up a bargain hunter’s ears like a good clearance sale. For some reason, Lowe’s was practically giving away certain LED light bulbs recently, but there was one small problem.

*MOUSE PRINT:

You could neither pick-up nor order the two-cent bulbs. Thanks for nothing, Lowe’s… no deal.

Target — 50% Off Grill Sale

Lowe’s is not alone in offering great deals when they don’t have any in-stock. This week (April 24) right at the beginning of grilling season, Target advertised a great Internet only half price sale on this Char-Broil grill.

*MOUSE PRINT:

The trouble is that it is not available for pickup, delivery, nor for shipping. Maybe you’ll be luckier in your state. But in the Boston area, thanks for nothing, Target… no deal.

Quantity Discount on Lay’s Chips

More and more sellers are either requiring the purchase of multiple items in order to get the sale price or are giving you a bulk discount on each item the more you buy. Whatta deal this guy is offering.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Lay's Wavy Chips

Who could resist a deal to save $36 a bag when Lay’s chips are only $326.69 each in quantities of three? Thanks for nothing, third-party seller… no deal.

If you find an ad suitable for inclusion in our “Thanks for Nothing” series, please send it to: edgar (at symbol) MousePrint.org . Thanks.

Consumer World Celebrates 30 Years: 1995 - 2025
Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

Thanks for Nothing — Fall 2021

November 1, 2021November 1, 2021 by Edgar (aka MrConsumer)

We continue our series of little annoyances about ads and offers that are often real head-scratchers and might make you chuckle.

Example #1 — $10 Off at Amazon

MrConsumer recently received an email from Amazon with a genuinely great-sounding offer that promised $10 off if you tried their delivery service that sends your order to a pick-up location rather than to your home.

The email had a time-stamp of 6:21 p.m. Coincidentally, I was checking email when the offer came in and immediately clicked the “Claim $10 off now” button. The result:

What? Offer over? It arrived in my mailbox less than a minute earlier.

*MOUSE PRINT:

So this was a speed test? I had to click even faster than less than a minute after receipt? Thanks for nothing, Amazon.

Example #2 — Pants Under $5 at Gap

It looked like such a great deal — a pair of Dockers slacks for less than $10 and with a coupon, the price came down to $4.97. Who could resist? The disclosure at the bottom of the ad killed the deal.

*MOUSE PRINT:

What? Order the pants in October but they won’t arrive until February … if you’re lucky? Thanks for nothing, Gap.

Example #3 — Advertorials Fool Google News

When searching Google News for consumer stories one expects to find legitimate consumer news. But, here’s an excerpt from one recent search.

*MOUSE PRINT:

All three of these “stories” appeared at local newspaper sites around the country but are really advertisements for keto and CBD pills masquerading as reviews of these products. They were able to fool Google’s algorithm that presumably tries to distinguish between bona fide news and advertisements. (And if you think Bing is any better, think again.) Thanks for nothing, Google (and Bing).

Example #4 — Proof Apple Products Are Overpriced

Apple products tend to be very expensive whether it is a new iPhone for over $1,000 or one of their new laptops just unveiled last week for about $2,500. Also introduced was this polishing cloth said to be good for cleaning all Apple display screens.

Of course, you should only use genuine Apple accessories with your Apple products. And at “only $19,” imagine the profit that Apple is making on this schmatta (Yiddish for “little piece of cloth or rag”). Thanks for nothing, Apple.

Example #5 — Hanukkah, Passover, It’s All the Same

Speaking of Yiddish, for some people, it is hard to keep all the Jewish holidays straight in their mind. But those folks are the last ones who should design Jewish-themed products or advertise chazarai (Yiddish for “junk”) like this on a national website.

Thanks for nothing, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Designs Direct. But do enjoy Hanukkah in December, and Passover (“why is this night…”) in April.

If you find an example of an offer suitable for our “Thanks for Nothing” series, please email it to edgar (at symbol) MousePrint.org . Thanks.

Consumer World Celebrates 30 Years: 1995 - 2025
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Thanks for Nothing — Summer 2021

July 12, 2021July 12, 2021 by Edgar (aka MrConsumer)

A few times a year we take a step back to roll our eyes at some companies’ practices or promotions that are real head-scratchers. Here is this summer’s crop of sellers not doing shoppers any favors in these instances.

Example #1

If this bag of grass originally sold for a thousand dollars, it must have included a lot of weed.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Thanks for nothing Farm & Home Supply.

Example #2

A consumer on Reddit posted a picture of an unusual warning on the box of the HD television set that he just bought. And it was in pretty big type.

*MOUSE PRINT:

What? Your TV warranty is void if you don’t save the box it came in for possible future use if you need to move the TV or send it in for repairs? I suspect most people are not in the habit of reading those boxes to learn about their warranty rights, or save those huge things at home. Thanks for nothing, Sceptre.

Example #3

Cell companies are busy promoting their new 5G cell networks with both largest size and fastest speed claims. Boost Mobile recently advertised that it had the largest 5G network like this:

*MOUSE PRINT:

Nothing like a little pictorial misrepresentation to make you think that their 5G network is possibly larger than it really is. Can’t they try to make the map at least somewhat accurate? Thanks for nothing, Boost.

Example #4

Herb W. of Seattle, renown consumer reporter from KOMO radio and Consumers’ Checkbook, sent us a picture of a package of Impossible Foods’ plant-based burger “meat” which is sold at the fresh meat counter in supermarkets.

He wanted to check the freshness date on the package, but was having a devil of a time doing so. The date shown on that sticker above is not the sell-by date incidentally.

*MOUSE PRINT:

There it was on the edge of the package, and true to their name, it was almost impossible to read. (And we photo-enhanced the above picture to make it barely readable.) Why make it so difficult for shoppers to see this important information? Thanks for nothing, Impossible Foods.

If you find an advertisement or product label suitable for featuring in a future edition of “Thanks for Nothing,” please send a clear photo or screenshot to edgar(at symbol)MousePrint.org . Thanks.