Dear Claudienne

According to Claro’s Mother’s Day advertisement you could buy any phone and save up to 50 per cent on the second handset. The following phones were the only phones in the advertisement: (Zonda, Z130-$799; LG KP106-$1,4999; Nokia NK5000-$4,999; Sony Ericsoon W580-$9,999 etc, etc, etc.)

So I went into the Claro store in New Kingston on Thursday April 29 to purchase the Zonda Z130 for $700 with the expectation that I would get 50 per cent off the second phone. However, the rep told me that she could not give me the 50 per cent discount or any discount for that matter on this handset. So I instead tried to purchase the LG KP106 for $1,499 but was told I could not get the discount.

So I went back and looked at the ad carefully. On the second reading I noticed that the information at the bottom said “50 per cent discount for handsets being sold for $2,000; 25 per cent discount for handsets being sold between $2,001 and $7,499 etc, etc, etc.”

When I looked at the phones in the ad, I noticed that none of them was for $2,000. This meant that no one could qualify for the 50 per cent discount (Zonda Z130-$799; LG KP106-$1,499; Nokia NK5000-$4,999; Sony Ericsson W580 -$9,999 etc, etc, etc.)

My question to Claro is where was the $2000 phone that they said could be purchased to get the 50 per cent discount? Based on the breakdown in the ad, the promotion should have said: “Buy any phone and get up to 25 per cent off on a second phone same model.”

Could you please look into this for me because I think companies should be held seriously accountable for misleading advertising.

JBC

Dear JBC

According to Claro the issue came about as a result of the words “or less” being missing from the original terms and conditions of the Mothers’ Day prepaid ad.

“The ad was published on April 25, 26 and 28, 2010. However, the correction was made to include “or less” in all publications from April 30 onwards,” it was explained to Tell Claudienne.

Claro sent us a copy of the Ad with the revised terms.

Good luck.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 511-2436 or write to: Tell Claudienne, c/o Sunday Finance Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@ jamaicaobserver.com