Earlier this week, the police arrested, in Chennai, a man who had cheated several people by selling “magnetic beds” that were claimed to cure a host of ailments. Gullible citizens had enriched him to the tune of Rs 350 crore, before discovering that the miracle cures claim was bogus. Those Rs 350 crore are a measure of the extent to which consumers take advertisements as truth, without seeking proof or authentication.

There is a gadget that is advertised as a convenient weight loss device — the batteries in it will vibrate, and “break down fat molecules” so an obese person has only to use this machine for 15 minutes daily, without any additional exercise or dieting. Consumer groups complained to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) over three years ago and investigations showed that there was no proof that this gadget helped in slimming. Yet, the ads continue to appear even today, taking consumers for a ride, because the ASCI has no powers of prosecution, it can only say that the ad should be discontinued.

Ultimately it is not the law so much as public awareness that will work — if people do not buy, such dubious businesses will not prosper.

Every time you see or hear an advertisement making some tall claims, ask yourself, “Says who?” There is an advertisement aired on FM radio in which a child answers a series of questions — “Which is the tallest mountain?” (The child answers: Everest). The last question is, “Which is the best ice cream?” and the child mentions a certain brand. The best? Says who? You pay a child to lisp a few words for an advertisement, and it will happily say anything, not just about ice cream but also about cow dung.

Another ad has a child declaring that a certain asafoetida brand is “the best”. Says who? What does a child know about asafoetida, or what goes into that brand? Who has tested it? There are advertising codes against using children for certain products, but the ASCI cannot take action unless the public sends in a complaint first (so now you know — just send a postcard to ASCI’s Complaints Committee at the Air Conditioned Market, Tardeo, Mumbai - 400034)

“The world’s largest selling brand of refrigerator” — says who? Who checks and confirms that it is indeed the largest selling brand? “Voted the most efficient brand among water purifiers” the ad claims — but who voted, where, when?

If a product package carries no manufacturer’s postal address, don’t buy the product. And don’t buy anything unseen, by mail order. “The safest, time-tested device for safeguarding your valuables, keeps thieves away — hurry, order now while stocks last”, said one advertisement. Buyers who ordered the “device” got a parcel with a lock and key, which they could have purchased for less than one tenth the price, at the local store. Once the money has been sent in (by post or credit card) the “manufacturer” often vanishes with the moolah, leaving no forwarding address.

Credit cards bring to mind another major hassle for hapless consumers — the number of complaints pertaining to credit cards is steadily rising. The New York Times reports that one grievance cell alone receives 50-60 complaints per day, but you don’t need a foreign news report to highlight the problem, hundreds of victims already know it.
Credit cards are practically thrust on citizens (often “free” at first, but at year end they impose “service charges” and: renewal fees”. I had to cut up my card and mail it back under registered post, before the threats to “take steps to recover amounts due” stopped — and those “steps have often included goonda tactics, waylaying, snatching cars, and worse). Those who are out to “harvest” your card code and break into your account are always one step ahead of those who try to curb such crimes. The only snag is that, sometimes hotels abroad refuse to let you check in, even with advance reservations, unless they see your credit card. I for one have survived without a credit card, even travelling overseas. I would rather not have a “convenience” than worry about a fraudulent debit of Rs 40,000 from my account that I did not authorise and did not know about. Forget unauthorised withdrawals, even the interest that credit card companies charge (36 per cent approximately) is horrendous, though most card holders do not seem to realise this.

Telemarketing
Insight magazine (June 2007) mentions an order from the State Commission, Delhi, which awarded a complainant Rs 50,000 compensation — “Every subscriber (of mobile phones) who has suffered agony, harassment and nuisance shall be entitled to a minimum compensation of Rs 25,000 from the Consumer Forum,” the order says.
The commission also imposed a hefty penalty of Rs 50 lakh on the cellphone service provider and the  Cellular Operators Association of India jointly, along with a penalty of Rs 25 lakh on two well-known banks which supplied the numbers to the telemarketer. The amounts goes to the Consumer Welfare Fund. The next time you get an unwanted promotional call, ask for caller’s details, make a note, and mention this judgment.