"up to" offers

benskia

benskia

benskia

Associate
Joined
6 Oct 2005
Posts
576
Anyone else not even bother clicking when they see the words "up to" to advertise a sale.

I've just spotted the most ridiculous one ever from Thomas Cook.

GUARANTEED SAVING OF
up to (in the smallest font ever)
£250 off our holidays*

There's even a * with further caveats no doubt about what there "up to" offer actually includes.

So literally their advert could be rephrased as:
GUARANTEED SAVING OF
at least £0.01
off our holidays*

Just a rant.
Over and out.
 
While we're on the subject of special offers, Holland and Barrett seems to constantly have a 'buy 1 get for for 1p' sale on, am I being cynical or is that just advertising the fact that they have massive margins on their placebo pills?
 
I also find 'from just' is in the same boat. Like the car insurance adverts saying you could get your insurance from just £xxx, then at the bottom it states 10% of people get this.
 
Spunkey said:
While we're on the subject of special offers, Holland and Barrett seems to constantly have a 'buy 1 get for for 1p' sale on, am I being cynical or is that just advertising the fact that they have massive margins on their placebo pills?
Click to expand...

It's just effectively BOGOF. It's a loss leader, most people who go in for that deal will also buy something at full price while they're about it.
 
It reminds me of that Parcelmonkey thread on OcUK a while back, where the OP paid x amount to cover a £400 monitor. Then in the terms and conditions, this so-called "cover" covered absolutely sod all. So what was the point of that cover? Sounds like a get-out-of-jail-free card to me for when they conveniently "lost" the monitor.
 
Clarkson said:
I also find 'from just' is in the same boat. Like the car insurance adverts saying you could get your insurance from just £xxx, then at the bottom it states 10% of people get this.
Click to expand...

that but:

'starting from just'




FERRARI'S STARTING FROM JUST £50.*
 
I find it more annoying when something is advertised for a certain price followed by a further charge you have to pay to get it.

For example the Megabus service says £1 to London and then in small writing 'plus a 50p booking fee'. Why not just say it's £1.50.

There's a talktalk ad like that on at the moment. "Broadband, phone and TV. Get all this for just £16 a month" they say, before adding "...plus £12 line rental". Just say it's £28 FFS!
 
If something is advertised as 'up to 40% off', as per ASA rules, at least 10% of the products should be 40% off.

Whether or not that's adhered to...
 
estebanrey said:
I find it more annoying when something is advertised for a certain price followed by a further charge you have to pay to get it.

For example the Megabus service says £1 to London and then in small writing 'plus a 50p booking fee'. Why not just say it's £1.50.

There's a talktalk ad like that on at the moment. "Broadband, phone and TV. Get all this for just £16 a month" they say, before adding "...plus £12 line rental". Just say it's £28 FFS!
Click to expand...

What else annoys me is when they overvalue stuff. IIRC, it was Talk Talk that valued their 'u-view' TV boxes at £299 :mad::eek:

There are people who think they're genuinely getting an amazing deal :(:(:(
 
Don't knock it too far, an old housemate of mine did his PhD in Psychology and went on to make a FORTUNE in marketing psychobabble. Blame him for Asda's yellow label offers that often work out dearer than buying either the next biggest or 2 smaller (e.g Ketchup).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom