Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Sneaks and Scams

On this blog, I'll frequently be talking about Sneaks and Scams. Most people know what a scam is—a really underhanded and usually illegal attempt to separate you from your hard-earned money—but what is a Sneak?

"Sneak" is my term for marketing and advertising pitches and practices that are probably within the letter of the law , but almost certainly intended to mislead. One example might be a TV mail-order item that's priced ridiculously low...and it's not until you check your charge card after ordering that you realize the "shipping and handling" charges—which were never disclosed—were ridiculously high. Sneaks are one reason you should always ask questions when a deal seems too good to be true....and also why you should always check the fine print of any contract you sign. One thing to be aware of when it comes to Sneaks: even nationally known companies sometimes resort to them.

I'll be posting info about Scams and Sneaks on this blog, and they'll be labeled as such. Sadly, I doubt I'll ever run out of new material. The stinkers who come up with this stuff are endlessly inventive!

No comments:

Post a Comment