# Sketchy marketing BS you've seen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234 "2015-01-29T16:27:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/121 "2015-02-04T16:52:37Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Years ago, I saw an ad for a TV antenna that claimed to “pull signals RIGHT OUT OF THE AIR!” That infomerical still airs late at night. It is hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/122 "2015-02-04T20:27:45Z")
The car dealer ads that scream “During this sale all credit applications WILL BE accepted!”. Um, yes, they will. By Federal regulation a lender must accept all credit applications (Reg B) and retain them for a set period of time, generally 25 months. They do not, however, have to approve them. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/123 "2015-02-04T20:51:40Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > The car dealer ads that scream “During this sale all credit applications WILL BE accepted!”. Um, yes, they will. By Federal regulation a lender must accept all credit applications (Reg B) and retain them for a set period of time, generally 25 months. > > They do not, however, have to approve them. There’s a local dealership that LOVES to trumpet that one, sometime adding “Our goal is 100% credit approval!” as a cherry on the shit sundae. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/124 "2015-02-04T21:15:07Z")
> [@Cephkiller](#): > > I was recently at fault for a minor auto collision. When I called my insurance company to ask if my premiums would increase as a result, the reply was, “Of course not! We would never raise rates on a customer because of one minor accident.” There was then a slight pause and the rep continued, “Of course, you will lose your 15% safe driver discount.” :smack: > Maybe not marketing per se, but definitely sketchy BS in my book. Well, they wouldn’t raise the rate. They would lower the discount. Completely different thing and no sketchiness involved. (Pretty much like all “dealing” with a new car salesman. They’re happy to lower this or add that… because all the cups will contain the same amount for them when it’s done.) ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/125 "2015-02-04T22:03:20Z")
Products which say they are “Unsurpassed”. The common impression means it’s better than all the rest, but unsurpassed just means that there isn’t anything better. There could be 100 products exactly the same and each one could call themselves unsurpassed as long as there was not a better product. WRT having “100% \” on the label, I just noticed I have a loaf of “100% whole wheat” bread at home. However, there are many other ingredients in the bread other than wheat. The 100% indication is just saying that of the wheat in the bread, 100% of it is whole wheat. There is no other kind of wheat used. But they can still put whatever else they want in the bread as long as it’s not a different kind of wheat. I think if they make a statement like “100% \ \” then it means 100% of that specific ingredient is that type (“100% whole wheat”, “100% cranberry juice”, etc), but not that everything in the package is that ingredient. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/126 "2015-02-04T22:24:32Z")
> [@Cephkiller](#): > > I was recently at fault for a minor auto collision. When I called my insurance company to ask if my premiums would increase as a result, the reply was, “Of course not! We would never raise rates on a customer because of one minor accident.” There was then a slight pause and the rep continued, “Of course, you will lose your 15% safe driver discount.” :smack: > Maybe not marketing per se, but definitely sketchy BS in my book. I would file that both in the bullshit and chickenshit folder. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/127 "2015-02-04T23:22:42Z")
That reminds me about how banks say there is no penalty if you decide to pay off your loan early, be it car, home, or other type of loan. Technically not a penalty, but it will still cost you a bit more than had you just went with the shorter term loan to be begin with due to much of the interest is coming in on the earlier payments, and very little on principle. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/128 "2015-02-05T00:40:13Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > That reminds me about how banks say there is no penalty if you decide to pay off your loan early, be it car, home, or other type of loan. Technically not a penalty, but it will still cost you a bit more than had you just went with the shorter term loan to be begin with due to much of the interest is coming in on the earlier payments, and very little on principle. But you had the benefit of lower payments early. No sketchiness involved here; you received a service and paid for it. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/129 "2015-02-05T00:52:12Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > But you had the benefit of lower payments early. No sketchiness involved here; you received a service and paid for it. Maybe so, I’ve had very little experience with banks. On the payment sheets I’ve looked at, isn’t the earlier payments lopsided with much of the payment going towards interest, and very, very little to principle? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/130 "2015-02-05T01:56:18Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Nope. [3G](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G) and [4G](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G) are well-defined technical standards established by an international body, not just “marketing lingo”. I think your own links belie that. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/131 "2015-02-05T02:26:08Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > Maybe so, I’ve had very little experience with banks. On the payment sheets I’ve looked at, isn’t the earlier payments lopsided with much of the payment going towards interest, and very, very little to principle? Yes. Typically early payments are mostly interest on any term of loan. My point is just that by taking a longer-term loan initially, each payment is smaller. Maybe you need this to get the car now. If you later can pay more, pay it off early, you still received a service that enabled you to get the car when money was tighter. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/132 "2015-02-05T16:50:14Z")
Look at it this way, and correct me if I’m wrong, Peremensoe ( or others), but isn’t the catch if you pay it off early, you technically end up paying a much higher interest rate for the time you had the money loaned to you, compared to if you had actually had paid the loan off when due. E.g., that 5% interest rate on 7 years, just became what kind of interest rate, if you had ran into money and paid it off, at say, 1 year? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/133 "2015-02-05T22:19:35Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > Look at it this way, and correct me if I’m wrong, Peremensoe ( or others), but isn’t the catch if you pay it off early, you technically end up paying a much higher interest rate for the time you had the money loaned to you, compared to if you had actually had paid the loan off when due. E.g., that 5% interest rate on 7 years, just became what kind of interest rate, if you had ran into money and paid it off, at say, 1 year? Sure, but you pay less in total dollars in interest, which is a positive for you. On top of that, there’s no sketchiness involved because the terms of any conventional loan are going to be known to both parties up front. Taking a longer loan period with a lower monthly payment is a decision you made with all the information in front of you. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/134 "2015-02-05T22:52:53Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > A lot of livestock are given sub-therapeutic antibiotics as a precautionary tactic, which becomes more or less necessary when they are in crowded feedlot conditions. Chickens actually do grow slightly faster when tetracycline is added to their feed in tiny doses. This accounts for a sizable percentage of inappropriate use in livestock. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/135 "2015-02-06T03:00:49Z")
I was eating some tzatziki dip and I noticed on the package that it had 1/2 serving of vegetables, which sounds good. Except that this was 1/2 serving of vegetables per package, which is actually 9 servings. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/136 "2015-02-06T13:02:36Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Sure, but you pay less in total dollars in interest, which is a positive for you. On top of that, there’s no sketchiness involved because the terms of any conventional loan are going to be known to both parties up front. Taking a longer loan period with a lower monthly payment is a decision you made with all the information in front of you. I guess I couldn’t be much of a salesman. I can see how it would benefit the bank in a positive manner, but not so much for the customer. You are only paying less dollars, simple because the bank didn’t have your loan money as long, but in terms of investment, the bank got a higher percentage of your money on the loan than had you just let the loan run the course, and a substantially higher interest rate if paid off much earlier. But I do agree that most banks do show you your payments, and it’s all printed out, and it is all legitimate. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/137 "2015-02-06T16:20:57Z")
Back to the OP … Saw a good one yesterday. A pamphlet by a cash register touting an American Express pre-paid travel card. The idea being you preload it with money and then use it like a credit card for online purchases or while traveling. The supposed benefit being that if it’s compromised, that won’t affect your real credit cards, bank accounts, credit ratings, etc. IOW, no identity theft risk. In great big print it said “FUNDS REPLACEABLE IN EVENT OF FRAUD” followed by a tiny asterisk. After some effort to find the corresponding tiny type with the asterisk AmEx explains what they really mean. In the event of any fraud, that stolen money is gone forever. But once you call Amex and tell them you’ve been stolen from, they’re going to graciously not only cancel that card to prevent further theft, but even give you a new card so you can still use the remainder, if any, of the money you already gave them. In other words, AmEx’s idea of “replaceable funds” is that after bad guys steal half your money, Amex won’t pile on and steal the other half. I lost a lot of respect for them when I saw that. They’ve always been corporate and stuck up, but I didn’t think of them as thieves. I do now. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234/138 "2015-02-06T16:33:33Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Back to the OP … > > Saw a good one yesterday. > > A pamphlet by a cash register touting an American Express pre-paid travel card. The idea being you preload it with money and then use it like a credit card for online purchases or while traveling. The supposed benefit being that if it’s compromised, that won’t affect your real credit cards, bank accounts, credit ratings, etc. IOW, no identity theft risk. > > In great big print it said “FUNDS REPLACEABLE IN EVENT OF FRAUD” followed by a tiny asterisk. > > After some effort to find the corresponding tiny type with the asterisk AmEx explains what they really mean. In the event of any fraud, that stolen money is gone forever. But once you call Amex and tell them you’ve been stolen from, they’re going to graciously not only cancel that card to prevent further theft, but even give you a new card so you can still use the remainder, if any, of the money you already gave them. > > In other words, AmEx’s idea of “replaceable funds” is that after bad guys steal half your money, Amex won’t pile on and steal the other half. > > I lost a lot of respect for them when I saw that. They’ve always been corporate and stuck up, but I didn’t think of them as thieves. I do now. Was is the AMEX Global Travel Card? I just read the Card member agreement, and didn’t see anything like that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sketchy-marketing-bs-youve-seen/711234.md?page=6)