Ripoffs on TV

[Lightmeup]

Lately I seem to get constantly bombarded by scam commercials selling garbage on TV. Things like Enzyte (male enhancement), various pills that promise you can lose weight effortlessly without dieting or exercise, electronic pest repellers (Riddex) that claim they will rid your home of roaches, ants, or mice simply by plugging it into a wall outlet, and colonic cleansing products that claim they will make you healthier by flushing scads of garbage out of your large intestine.

These products strike me as being so patently idiotic that I can't even imagine why the average person would even take them seriously, let alone pay for them. But apparently they sell well enough to pay for expensive TV commercial time. Shouldn't the FDA, FTC, or some regulatory group be charged with policing these conmen to at least some minor level of performance, to keep outright fraudulent products off the market?

I don't mind infomercials for things like ShamWow, etc., where atleast you are getting something for your money, but come on, male enhancement?

 

[mossyoak]

you mean to tell me enzyte doesnt work? i just ordered some tonight. damn i feel dumb...

 

[jtr1962]

....and colonic cleansing products that claim they will make you healthier by flushing scads of garbage out of your large intestine.

Hey, here I was thinking we all had 20 pounds of impacted fecal matter in our intestines that we just had to get rid of. :sick2:

These products strike me as being so patently idiotic that I can't even imagine why the average person would even take them seriously, let alone pay for them. But apparently they sell well enough to pay for expensive TV commercial time.

As do only somewhat less idiotic things like Viagra and Cialis which are now advertised incessantly, even on prime time when children might be watching. Not to mention the ads for other prescription drugs which mostly only compensate for a poor lifestyle, if that, and really have no business being advertised to laypeople anyway. And let's add car commercials which frequently show dangerous or just plain idiotic driving (i.e. weaving around tractor trailers or going too fast on very curvy roads). Unfortunately, the average person really is far too easily influenced by these scams. Just look at spam for example. The majority of spam is so obviously a scam yet enough fall for it to make it profitable.

Shouldn't the FDA, FTC, or some regulatory group be charged with policing these conmen to at least some minor level of performance, to keep outright fraudulent products off the market?

In theory it should but I've given up. It seems if someone is making money it doesn't matter what's being advertised. IMHO here's the types of ads which shouldn't be allowed:

1) Any type of prescription drug. The US is only one of three countries allowing direct to patient advertising of prescription drugs. I can't think of one valid reason why a layperson needs to have prescription drugs advertised to them. They're not in a position to prescribe them, nor even to know if using them is the best course of treatment. Seeing a commercial or reading WebMD doesn't make one a doctor.

2) Products which aren't proven by an independent testing facility to perform exactly as claimed.

3) Toys or any other type of non-educational, consumer type product directed at children. Why? They aren't in a position to buy these things directly, and are influenced far more by advertising than adults. Lots of other countries have such bans.

4) Anything showing dangerous and/or illegal actions unless the ad is purposely designed to convince viewers not to do said action (i.e. ads against drunken driving are fine, car commercials showing dangerous, illegal driving shouldn't be, even if there is a disclaimer).

5) Any ad louder than the program. This has long been one of my pet peeves.

Granted, my guidelines would probably make about 90% of TV advertising illegal but who cares? Most paid for by advertising "free" TV stinks anyway. And there are other business models currently gaining popularity (i.e. downloading programs right off the Internet, bypassing the broadcaster completely) which can get by with significantly less advertising.

 

[AlexGT]

I don't need it! :nana:

you mean to tell me enzyte doesnt work? i just ordered some tonight. damn i feel dumb...

 

[Mike Painter]

It sells. You know those phone calls trying to sell you something that drive you sane? They work. Even on a local level with eight full time people, a manager and some expensive software selling windows it makes *big* money.

A friend recently asked for the name of the company that was telling him his car warenty was expired. A word that started in F, end in K and was not ForK was yelled at him and they hung up.

I just won the lottery in Denmark so will be hireing someone to answer thphones for me, not that I would ever fall for such a scam.

 

[McGizmo]

Why should there be truth in advertising when there is so little of it anywhere else. This is not by accident either, IMHO. I don't think the majority want truth. There is so much more to be said for fantasy and enhanced reality!

There was an old bumper sticker from the 60's: "Reality is for people who can't handle drugs".

I bailed from the discipline of economics in part due to assumptions made. In particular, micro economics at the time assumed that consumer's had "perfect knowledge". What a laugh riot! Marketing and commercials were just as full of it back then as they are today. How did consumers come about this perfect knowledge when even the manufacturers and experts fall short? Do we have perfect knowledge of flashlights here on CPF? :candle:

When I started modding flashlights, I had no idea one side effect might be ED........ :nana:

 

[raggie33]

im going to sue em all they named a sexaul defunction after me waaaa but then again i spell my name with 2 ds

 

[Sgt. LED]

I just won the lottery in Denmark so will be hireing someone to answer thphones for me, not that I would ever fall for such a scam.

Priceless! :twothumbs

 

[RyanA]

Why should there be truth in advertising when there is so little of it anywhere else. This is not by accident either, IMHO. I don't think the majority want truth. There is so much more to be said for fantasy and enhanced reality!

"Populus vult decipi":shrug:

 

[dudemar]

Well, that's Kevin Trudeau and his "coral calcium" for you.:shakehead

The one I really don't get are the exercise machines. Don't spend $300 on some bogus machine, just put on a pair of shoes and run! Jump around! It's free AND you lose weight!:shakehead

 

[Lightmeup]

The most ridiculous one to me is the Riddex pest repeller. Supposedly it will drive bugs and rodents out of your home just by plugging it into an electrical outlet. Duh! If it actually worked, Orkin would be out of business and you wouldn't see any bugs or rodents in restaurant kitchens at night.

 

[UncleFester]

I've always wondered how that thing knows the difference between a pest (mouse) and a pet (hamster? Cat? Rat?)

 

[Burgess]

Gee . . . .


And i thought this thread was about RipOffs holsters

being advertised on the television.



_

 

[Mike Painter]

I've always wondered how that thing knows the difference between a pest (mouse) and a pet (hamster? Cat? Rat?)

It's secret and highly technical but uses the same principle that lets a vacuum bottle know if it should keep things hot or cold.

 

[Burgess]

:lolsign::lolsign::lolsign:
_

 

[KC2IXE]

Hey, if you want to go get rid of that 20 lbs of impacted matter in your colon, do yourself a BIG favor - schedule yourself for a colonoscopy - you know you are probably overdue anyway. The chemicals they give you will clean you out

 

[LukeA]

Hey, if you want to go get rid of that 20 lbs of impacted matter in your colon, do yourself a BIG favor - schedule yourself for a colonoscopy - you know you are probably overdue anyway. The chemicals they give you will clean you out

Doctor: "How much of that stuff did you drink!?"
My Uncle: "The whole gallon...you told me to!"
Doctor: "Yeah but nobody ever does!"

 

[KC2IXE]

Doctor: "How much of that stuff did you drink!?"
My Uncle: "The whole gallon...you told me to!"
Doctor: "Yeah but nobody ever does!"

My answer was "I couldn't choke down the last 2 cups" they said "That's OK"

It felt like I had a built in power washer

 

[phenwick]

It felt like I had a built in power washer

O M G! :sick2:

 

[lctorana]

This reminds me of two stories:

First one is OLD
Doctor: "Have a hot lemon after a nice long bath, you'll feel better in the morning."

Next Day:

Patient: "I feel so much worse - I'm bloated, my nose is running more, and I can't stop going to the toilet."

Doctor: "Oh, sorry to hear that. Did you try the hot lemon?"

Patient: "No, couldn't fit it in. I was too full after I drank the bath."

Second one comes from UK comedian Alexi Sayle in his Bobby Chariot persona: "They told me to try colonic irrigation, but I said "you know where you can stick that"..."