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Thanks for Nothing – Spring 2025

A few times a year we spotlight offers from companies that are real head-scratchers, are actually less generous than they appear, are just plain outrageous, or may simply elicit a chuckle. Here’s the latest crop.

Clickbait Headlines

I find it very annoying when respected publishers resort to clickbait headlines that create an air of mystery surrounding the subject matter of their stories. For example, a few weeks ago, any number of publications used headlines like this to attract eyeballs.

Clickbait

*MOUSE PRINT:

They make it sound like there was some type of problem at the store that caused it to close — perhaps some toxic substance had to be cleaned up or they had to fumigate the stores for some pest problem. In reality, it was a simply a story saying that Costco or other retailers were going to be closed in observance of Memorial Day. To all those publications that did this… thanks for nothing.


5th Birthday Candle Holder

Leave it to Walmart to sell an ornament that you put on top of a cake to celebrate a child’s fifth birthday… but the product has a problem, according to Debra D. who submitted this.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Happy 5th birthday

The package contains only four candles! Thanks for nothing, Walmart.


Cheez-It Pantry Size

Meredith B. sent us this picture of two boxes of Cheez-It crackers. They are both the same size — 12.4 ounces — but the one on the left claims it is 75% more.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Cheez-It

It is 75% more than their small seven-ounce size. But it is not some type of bonus package where you are getting a whole bunch of extra crackers free. Thanks for the math lesson, Sunshine.


Arm & Hammer Power Sheets

Who knew that laundry detergent now comes in sheets? Apparently Arm & Hammer makes this product that claims you get 100 loads out of each box… but the box only contains 50 sheets. Is this the new math?

*MOUSE PRINT:

Arm & Hammer sheets

Apparently, the way you get 100 loads is if you cut each sheet in half! Thanks for nothing, Arm & Hammer.


2 TB Thumb Drives

Like a number of retailers, Walmart, Amazon, and AliExpress allow third-party sellers to advertise on their websites. In this case, all of them are promoting USB flash drives with a stated capacity of two terabytes for as low as a dollar. For the uninitiated, most thumb drives have capacities measured in gigabytes, not terabytes. (One thousand gigs = 1 TB.)

*MOUSE PRINT:

2 tb thumbdrives

The two-terabyte flash drives above are as low as 99 cents — which is a complete impossibility. A genuine one-terabyte thumb drive from a national brand goes for around $100. And two-terabyte versions are virtually non-existent. Thanks for nothing, Walmart, Amazon, and AliExpress for not vetting your third party sellers and products better.

If you want to see what one consumer received when he ordered a 20-Tb external drive for $51, check out this story from Ars Technica.


If you spot an ad with a far-fetched or funny claim, send it along to us. Thanks!

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Sometimes CBS News Interviews Are Really Commercials

When you watch a news broadcast, you expect to see bonafide news stories, interviews, and produced pieces and not infomercials masquerading as any of those types of segments.

David B. was appalled recently while watching CBS Mornings – that network’s version of the Today Show and GMA. They aired a live interview with a personal finance expert who quickly started peddling a high-yield savings account in a joint promotion by Verizon and an online bank you never heard of. And if that wasn’t enough, she then touted a Verizon package deal on streaming services and Verizon’s new three-year price guarantee.

*MOUSE PRINT missing:

During the interview itself, there was no on-screen disclosure that this was in essence an infomercial for Verizon or that the expert was a paid spokesperson.

To be fair, another co-anchor of the program did introduce the segment saying that they were partnering with Verizon who in turn had hired this financial expert to offer advice. TV shows like this have adopted the phrase “we partnered with X company” as a euphemism for really meaning that X company has paid the network to air the following segment. During the interview, Tony Dokoupil did say once that the guest was “here on behalf of Verizon” but did not mention CBS was paid too.

Multiple disclosure laws apply to segments like this from the FCC (“payola” rules) that require broadcasters to say if they received money to air a particular segment, and from the FTC to make clear to viewers that content that looks like the actual program but is really an advertisement has to be clearly disclosed. (See native advertising guidelines.) Lastly, the fact that the financial advisor was paid by Verizon also has to be disclosed under the FTC’s endorsement and testimonial guidelines.

Did the introduction to the segment really do all that as clearly as it could? And given that viewers tune in and out of morning shows as they get ready for the day, why was there no on-screen disclosure at all during the nearly five-minute interview itself? We asked the senior vice president of CBS News standards and practices about that, along with the bigger issue of whether it is ever appropriate for a CBS News broadcast to include advertising segments made to look like regular program content.

“The segment was clearly identified as a partnership and sponsored by Verizon throughout, both visually and verbally. We took extra steps to identify the guest as a Verizon “brand partner” and that she was there for the company. We did all of this in compliance with FCC regulations and to ensure our viewers clearly understood our relationship with Verizon.” — CBS News spokesperson.

See one of our prior stories where some other national programs and other media run segments that are really sales pitches.

Feel free to offer your thoughts in the comments.

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These Eyeglasses Automatically Adjust to Your Vision?

NoBlu eyeglassesIt must be a miracle. NoBlu Vision claims that their eyeglasses automatically adjust to your vision. [See their NoBlu-glasses video.]

Nearsighted, farsighted, it doesn’t matter. “Gone are the days of eye tests and endless lens changes,” the site claims.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Automatically adapts

Could any of this be true? MrConsumer contacted an optometrist who is a former member of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Optometry, Dr. David Schurgin, and asked him that very question.

The good doctor called the company twice and got different answers each time. The first representative said the glasses adjust to near and far by sliding them up or down your nose.

The second rep said that these glasses were not adjustable and are just for viewing a television or a computer. That is mentioned nowhere on the website.

The website also claims the glasses filter UV and blue light. But, the doctor was told the lenses were made of glass which he says is unlikely because glass does not usually block UV light unless they are sunglasses.

Our optometrist concluded, “The only adapting of the lenses are that they change to a darker color when exposed to UV light or sunlight.”

We wanted to verify if the nearly perfect five-star TrustScore at the top of the website was a genuine reflection of consumer reviews:

Trust score

But, looking at Trustpilot, the website that establishes the TrustScore based on actual consumer reviews, the company has very few reviews and a low rating.

*MOUSE PRINT:

No-Blue TrustPilot

Lastly, the website boasts a string of big name media logos on it suggesting the product has been written up by all these respected media entities. We could find no evidence of that.

news logos

Oddly, another version of their website has eliminated all references to the glasses automatically adjusting to one’s vision. It still shows that it received five-star reviews but it omits the TrustScore identifier.

Needless to say, we think you need to cast a skeptical eye on this product. And in the doctor’s opinion, “what a ripoff.”

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