Hardware

I ran across a simple concept in the textbook I am reading. There is actually a rule in the securities industry that states if you advertise a good or service as "free", it has to be offered completely without conditions, as in, no strings attached. Period.

It's actually true for the securities industry, and the industry toes the line.

Why hasn't every industry adopted the no-strings-attached guideline on "free" offers? (Free credit report, anyone?)

I would like to wake up someday before I die, and not see one example of people getting hosed. It doesn't have to be a permanent thing. Doesn't even have to be fact, I just would like to go through the day one time without seeing someone walking around with wool-covered eyes.

A friend wrote about a run-in with a retailer. And it really can be annoying. Drug companies advertise medicines that have a longer list of side-effects than benefits, so much so that the commercials are cut into two parts, telling you how it can work on you, and telling you how it can hurt you, and I notice part 2 is commonly getting to be the longer portion.

I actually read the disclaimers to one site's price guarantees, and it made me think about the amount of lawyer-time that went into creating the 10,000 loopholes. And of course, the cost. I wonder if it just wouldn't be cheaper to lower the prices?

Or just advertise truthfully?

What do you think? Suppose all the prices of things went up a tad, but there were no more loophole-filled policies. Could you deal with it?

While you ponder that, I'm gonna try and get me a free $500 gift card somewhere.