I am so tired of companies using the word "free" in their ads for things that are not free.
The latest one is on the Fandango website. You know, Fandango, that site that lets you buy movie tickets from home with no human interaction. Then you print the tickets with your ink and paper, take it to the movie theatre and don't even go to the box office. You just go straight up to the guy tearing the tickets, give him the piece of paper that no one but you has ever touched, and he or she lets you in. It's a great system and Fandango makes out like a bandit. literally.
Fandango charges you $1 per ticket. so for a family of 5 going to Harry Potter just got $5 more expensive, plus printer and ink, but dangit, it's convenient.
And now they're advertising on their website that if you purchase something from one of their pals, you get a free ticket. They don't even say "Free" (with quotes as opposed to without). And they don't even hide the surcharge in the fine print.
So, if you play along, you can have a Free ticket for $1.00. Well, $1.00 plus whatever you have to pay in order to meet the qualifications of the Fandango Partner.
Hence this: I'd like to offer my free webservices to anyone who is interested. Please note, that while my web expertise is free, I charge $85 per hour plus $1 per keystroke. And normal billing charges will apply.
One Comment
Ugh… Most annoying. Not sure which is worse, the sleazy marketing practice or the people buying into it.
I've noticed, too, that an item is free but you pay the "S&H" – shipping and handling. That gets pretty expensive, too.
I love the inside back cover of Consumer Reports for exposing such things. Plus, it makes for good potty reading.