Lately I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in advertising around San Diego that, I have to think, is so borderline false and misleading advertising, I’m wondering when it crosses the line legally.
My example deals with smog-checks for cars (yes, something we have out here in environmentally friendly Califonia). It started out years ago with ads for a ‘$30 smog check’. Then about 7-8 years ago it became ‘$22 smog check*’ with the tiny note ‘$8 certificate fee’ which sounded like bullshit to me, but became standard practice. Now it is ‘$20 smog check’ with a note in smaller writing 'w/$8 certificate fee’ with the EVEN more tiny note ‘* plus $2 transfer fee’ What the fuck? How far can you segment your price until it becomes illegal? Any legal precedents for clearly misleading advertsing like this from you lawyers out there?
I’m waiting for the day when it says ‘Disneyland Admission Price: FREE*’ with the tiny note: * with purchase of a $50 per person parking and amusement park use permit
Ah, as if water & gas & elec there weren’t high enough.
Yes, the smog guy has to pay $8.00 for each little slip of of that smog certificate paper himself [Might be $7.00]. So, you must pay that. I bet they now make him pay $2.00 for transfer too.
Well, I’m no business/ advertising genius, but if it is the case that these fees are really state imposed, which I find a little hard to believe, why not say this all as one note and note that these are, in fact, fees levied by the state because obviously consumers like me assume it is a way to sub-divide the price further and further to make it look cheaper than it really is. I still smell a rat. Are there any auto mechanics out there that can confirm this?
Now that you mention it Handy, I guess I DO notice all the certificate fees are always $8.25 most everywhere I’ve looked, but the so-called transfer fee seems to range from $1-$3 so at least THAT part must be a scam.