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A little common sense, please.
Posted by Anok • 4/02/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: consumerism, stupidity
There are times when I get really fed up with consumer stupidity. I have been using a dietary supplement to help my PMDD for a while now - it worked, and it worked really well. But it's been increasingly harder to get, and I couldn't understand why. So I investigated.
As it turns out, consumers brought private lawsuits against the company for "exaggerated advertisements" and shut them down. Not, changed their ads, not asking for better regulation, just simply put them out of business, because "millions of women were duped into using a product that netted marginal results".
Anyone with half a brain knows that ads are exaggerated. Everyone knows that companies use tricks to make their products more popular. So I'm left wondering why these "millions of women" who spent a couple of bucks on a product that didn't work miracles for them should be able to shut down a company that wasn't selling anything dangerous?
I researched the product before taking it (what a concept!), and found that it was designed for women during menopause. I found that it contained a combination of vitamins, and a small amount of caffeine. I found that the directions state it will only net proper results when combined with a good diet, and regular exercise. I found that there were no recorded side effects, and no dangerous chemicals in it. That research told me that it was a supplement, designed to be used during hormonal fluctuations, and the product alone wasn't going to solve the problem, but it would help.
I then decided to try it, and I followed the instructions, and amazingly enough, it worked! I didn't drop from a 16 to a size 5, but I never expected to. Common sense says that that kind of rapid weight loss isn't possible.
But now, because a bunch of idiots out there got mad because they spent a couple of bucks on a product, and they didn't look like a supermodel at the end of the month, they should get it pulled.
And people like me, who used the product successfully to control a real health problem, can't use it anymore.
Thanks idiots!
I'm all for making sure that companies aren't passing off a dangerous product as safe and successful - by all means, supplements that are causing heart attacks need to be pulled. But for goodness sakes - this is ludicrous.
Try a little common sense the next time you buy a product!!!
/rant over.
Question:
Do you believe everything the ads tell you? Do you get mad when a product doesn't pull off every claim?
User Comments
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No, in fact I didn't even try Oxyclean until it hit shelves in case I wanted to return it.-
Oh, Oxyclean LOL that's a great example! I've found the results to be "marginal" at best, although it works OK on some stuff.
Sue them!! Burn them!!!
OK, maybe i would just feel better if they got a new spokesman - that pointing guy scares me
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He's in everything now. Orange glo, some hamburger thing, a clean the toilet thing that my son insists we need so he never has to clean the toilet, a car ding thing he's starting to get annoying.
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Run away! Run away!!
He's just so...pointy! He's always doing that thing with his hands... -
That bearded f~cker?! I just want to whack him with a stick of rebar
grrr
*Agit8r is irritable today* -
Agit8d?
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I would actually pay to see that.
"Agit8r and the Oxyclean guy - cage match at 7..." -
not as bad as I want to smack the sham wow guy -
yeah, what a sleaze
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That's really infuriating...there are so many products that really don't do what they are supposed to and they are allowed to stick about! grr!
I never believed ads...but in the UK the Advertising Standards Agency has had a crack down on exaggerations so now cosmetics and toiletries adverts have amusing subtitles:
"Model is wearing hair-extensions"
"Model is wearing false eyelashes"
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Oh jeez. That's ridiculous (although I think it's equally ridiculous to use prosthetics to advertise a product ).
I mean, who believes everything they see and read? -
apparently there are enough gullible morons out there to warrant that kind of thing!
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*smacks head*
The stupid....it hurts.... -
in fairness though, while we all know not to trust adverts, shouldn't we be holding these companies to their word? I don't mean put them out of business if they're not entirely accurate...but shouldn't we insist on accuracy in adverts? I think it's an odd thing when adverts bullsh*t us so much that we can have a company (Ronseal) whose slogan is "Does exactly what it says on the tin" ...shouldn't everything do exactly what it says on the tin?!
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I certainly agree with that - fairness and truth in advertising - yes. I would say that if complaints about a product start to surface, a consumer protection group should look into it, and make sure that the product is being advertised correctly.
And if it's not, require the company to change the ads. Perfectly reasonable, in my opinion.
But not private lawsuits putting a company out of business because the ad was exaggerated. The product still worked just fine - it just didn't meet their expectations, apparently. -
I agree...the lawsuit was unnecessary...unless these women started growing tails or gills or something...
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they should put that in beer commercials...
"actress won't really talk to dumpy guys"
"scene is filmed through beer-goggles" -
LOL.
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or Obama/Biden ads could say
"we're actually going to put you in WORK CAMP"
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As far as drug advertisement in the US, this is actually one of my hot button issues.
Drug companies claim that the higher cost of drugs in the US is because of the greater cost of marketing drugs in the US. Why is it so much more to market in the US than it is elsewhere? Because the US allows drug companies to advertise their products directly to consumers. Before this was allowed (only within the past 15 years or so), drug companies marketed their products directly to doctors and hospitals. Now, they market to not only doctors and hospitals, but directly to the consumer/patient.
Doctors have complained about this for years as it creates "drug trends". Patients come in demanding expensive and ineffective treatments based on being influenced by advertisements and marketing.
For example: Claritin. Claritin was prescription only, but spent millions on a national advertising campaign direct to consumers. It was wildly successful even though as an allergy medication, it was not any more effective than other medications. When the patent on the prescription expired, the company chose to slightly reformulate the prescription version and offer the older version OTC. The original Claritin is available in generic formulation now as well.
What consumers do not realize is that Claritin has basically tripled the cost to the consumer by going OTC. Claritin created a large brand loyalty through advertising and now is making a killing from consumers who don't know any better.-
I agree that the use of brand recognition as a weapon to triple costs is bad. However controlled medications must come from the doctors, so, at that point, the consumer still has an intermediary and, if the medication isn't appropriate for what they have, they shouldn't be getting it anyway.
But not private lawsuits shutting down companies because the weight loss wasn't drastic enough to meet the customer's expectations. Which - in my experience as a trainer - are almost always unrealistic.
I loathe companies that honestly do prey on consumers, but something has to be said for some personal responsibility here, too. If you don't want to make a foolish purchase, then take the time to do the research before making your purchase. We spend more time comparing TV's for quality and price than we do for products we put into our bodies... -
As far as weight loss companies go, I think most are snake oil salesman. Most weight loss drugs are not regulated by the government because they fall under the category of supplement.
Weight loss drugs are booming business and people who are desperate to try anything will do so. What people do not realize is that just because it says herbal or natural, doesn't mean it's safe.
You're right, people need to take some personal responsibility and do their research before they buy these drugs. But, I really feel that the vast majority of weight loss drugs should be taken off the market because they actually present real health risks to the consumer. -
Most of the ones with ephedrine have been removed, if I remember correctly. That was the biggie - it was causing heart attacks and whatnot.
I totally support the regulation of dangerous substances such as that. Anything that can cause a heart attack when used as directed needs to be taken off the shelf.
When the lawsuit did an independent study of the product I'm talking about - nothing dangerous was found at all. It's quite literally a multivitamin with a small amount of caffeine.
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I'm curious what this supplement was. Do you mind sharing?-
Slimage, but several other products were taken down as well.
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you were taking a supplement called 'Slimage'? ...yummy...
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Well it has an umlaut over the a if that helps It's Swedish, whaddya want?
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Swedish? What would Sati say?
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Shhhh don't tell him
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Do you believe everything the ads tell you? Do you get mad when a product doesn't pull off every claim?
Seeing is believing -
Yep! I'm not afraid to try something to find out if it works or not!
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As an added note - part of my irritation here is that I'm just tired of such an over-litigious society. I'm tired of it, plain and simple!
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i agree w/you....we're a "sue happy" society and honestly i don't understand it. are your neighbors kids playing in your yard? watch out if one falls, the parents might sue you. did your coffee from mcdonalds scald you? why not sure the entire chain for serving hot beverages (how dare they!). the list goes on and on and on....
but to answer your earlier question, no i don't fall for those "miracle" ads. i used to when i was 15/16 and wanted a wonder diet pill, but i quickly wised up to that....now i'm that jaded consumer who googles everything to get consumer reviews before i buy anything
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I don't believe everything a advert is telling me but it depends on what the ad is claiming to do and how reputable the company is. If their claims can be backed then I expect the proper authorites to reprimand them.
When it comes to weight loss and diets, society says that being skinny is good and being fat is bad...especially for women. Ad companies know this. -
Sometimes our country just drives me nuts. They allow things to stay on the shelves that do real harm because the amount of money involved with the pharmaceutical industry and yank other things for nonsensical reasons such as this one.
What a drag, Anok.
Edit: Can you order this online from other countries?
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