ADVERTISING: You could not make it up

One story from this weekend was that police have seized fake poppy products ahead of Remembrance Sunday next week.

To what depths will people sink? It is not only crooks who are at it.

There are lots and lots of tacky medals, coins, watches, plaques and plates etc, currently advertised ‘to celebrate those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Great War’.

Is that what they fought for, so someone could turn a quick profit?

The adverts on the TV usually say that due to demand, only one item per household is allowed.

Really? I have yet to hear of anybody buying one. It they want a second, they can gladly have my allocation.

Unless, this is just a marketing ploy and a deliberate attempt to mislead us.

Recently, the Royal Mint has also got into the act by offering for sale a special edition 50p coin for the reasonable sum of £10.

You just could not make it up could you?

Every day in the media are stories of suppliers giving special ‘deals’ only to new customers, while ripping off those who have been loyal to them – especially those who are disadvantaged or don’t have the wherewithal to chop and change to get the best ‘deal’.

The latest is in respect of insurance policies, but it is the same with telephones, gas, electricity and just about everything else.

One major supplier last week offered sale prices for broadband.

How can that be? Did they have some broadband left over from the summer that they didn’t sell or is it just another attempt to mislead and misinform the buying public.

We cannot ask the politicians to do anything about it, because if we did, this would be the conversation they would have among themselves: “Someone here wants us to stop people misleading, misinforming, lying and cheating just to get hold of their money.”

“But that is what we do best. If we took action it would be like shooting ourselves in the foot. Just tell them that in such circumstances we prefer the particular sector involved to be self-regulating, that will get us off the hook.”

“That sounds like a cop out to me.”

“Different words, same meaning, son.”

Mel Shaw,

Church Street,

Wooler