OzCar Deception

Quantumcat on 26/12/2018 - 15:01
Last edited 26/12/2018 - 15:51 by 1 other user

What do you think when you read this sentence:

20% off price marked in red

And cars are advertised on the site with prices in black (eg $20,000), crossed out, and lower prices written in red next to them (eg $16,000)

A) The car costs 20% off the $16,000 (which is the price that is marked in red) so $12,800
B) The price marked in red is the 20% off price so the car costs $16,000

My thinking is that they deliberately leave out any punctuation so that many people will think it is 20% off the red price and start to form an emotional attachment during the sale process, and end up buying the car for the higher price anyway (many factory outlets have similar things where they say "50% off the marked sale price" etc).

Another interesting thing is they advertised this 20% off thing as ending on Christmas eve. I am in the market for a new car (current one started getting problems a few weeks ago) and was considering going to Sydney a day early just to take advantage (went to Sydney just for the day on Christmas), but decided not to get rushed and it would be better to do more research even if we end up paying a little more than we need to (plus none of their deals have ever appeared here which is a bad sign if they'd supposedly good deals). Now their television advertising is exactly the same but now ending on New Years! Are businesses allowed to create a false sense of urgency by saying a sale ends when it actually doesn't?

Automotive

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ozcar.com.au

Comments

PinzVidz on 26/12/2018 - 15:29

+1

I'll just leave this here. They're always sad about negative comments, but I bet behind closed doors they're saying "have a look at this flapwit's comment about us".
- Quantumcat on 26/12/2018 - 15:42
  
  Wow, thanks! Glad I didn't go get a car the other day!!
  - [Deactivated] on 26/12/2018 - 16:08
    
    +6
    
    They still have a higher rating than those shoddy bastards over at OzBargain
    
    https://www.productreview.com.au/p/ozbargain.html
    - PinzVidz on 26/12/2018 - 17:03
      
      All poor reviews posted by Bargain Avenue admins.
    - Halo375 on 26/12/2018 - 18:45
      
      Wow, the chips on their shoulders could feed the world several times over!
- steven6 on 26/12/2018 - 16:24
  
  +1
  
  The 5 star reviews look suspicious(those users have very little activity). Scroll to the bottom or search for "When I wrote this review I was told i would receive a gift … which I have not received as yet, is this still happening ?" and my suspicion gets worse.
holdenmg on 26/12/2018 - 15:36

+2

I think they could spring for a comma after "off" or wrap some brackets around (price marked in red).

That said the "**" states:
** 20% OFF applies to cars online only, cars in dealership but not online are not eligible for 20% off.
FireRunner on 26/12/2018 - 15:38

+2

Poorly worded. I don't think its grammatically correct either.
It should be "20% off price, marked in red" rather than "20% off price marked in red"
Not 100% sure on this, English is not my strong subject.
pegaxs on 26/12/2018 - 16:10

Wrong forum. You need the grammar Nazi brigade to chime in on this one…

20% off price marked in red

Is very different to

20% off price, marked in red
- tomsco on 26/12/2018 - 18:22
  
  +3
  
  Let’s eat Grandma!
- Euphemistic on 28/12/2018 - 08:10
  
  While
  
  20% off price marked in red
  
  Is quite similar to
  
  The 20% off price is marked in red.
  
  Tomayto, tomarto. Somebody screwed up, it won’t change the price you can buy the car for.
  - pegaxs on 28/12/2018 - 09:48
    
    it won’t change the price
    
    That's it. And you only have to look around at how the average person writes, hell, I volunteer at a school and see how the teachers construct sentences and I can understand the problem at this car yard.
    
    Some 17yo intern sales trainee probably had to write it and they would be lucky if they could spell their name right, let alone put a comma in the right place.
holdenmg on 26/12/2018 - 16:33

+1

Bad name for a company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utegate
steven6 on 26/12/2018 - 18:28

+1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yuL6PcgSgM Lionel Hutz in The Simpsons teaches you the importance of punctuation
[Deactivated] on 27/12/2018 - 13:51

-3

No deal, it is a statement that the “20% off price marked in red”.
Grammar is ok, just your comprehension is off
- tomsco on 28/12/2018 - 16:55
  
  +1
  
  How is OPs comprehension off? It’s clearly missing a comma.
  - [Deactivated] on 29/12/2018 - 10:42
    
    -1
    
    The “20% off price marked in red”, if anything it’s missing a “the” at the front, but the statement still makes sense. Not false advertising, just false comprehension.
    - tomsco on 29/12/2018 - 14:02
      
      The OP comprehended it exactly as written. The thing missing is a punctuation mark between off and price.
      
      Black Price: $20,000
      
      Red Price: $16,000
      
      20% off. Price marked in red.
      
      Price is $16,000.
      
      20% off price marked in red.
      
      Price is $12,800.
      - [Deactivated] on 29/12/2018 - 14:28
        
        -1
        
        @tomsco: Nah! I bet there is more to the screenshot and Ozcar would say original price in black, 20% off price marked in red. Taking the last part on its own would lead you to think that way, but then you’d have to take hardly normal, JBHiFi, Bing Lee etc to fair trading for doing the same. They all advertise “X” for $60 and say 20% off, so does that mean you get it cheaper? No, it was $75 and $60 includes the 20% discount.
        Grammar and comprehension lacking in the OP, and from your understanding I can see English was not your strong point in school either.
        It like the difference in live and live, depends on the scenario the word is used in.
        
        tomsco on 29/12/2018 - 15:05
        
        @[Deactivated]: It’s actually basic grammar and it seems you to be the one lacking.
        
        You say it’s missing a “the” at the start. So are you saying the statement should read
        
        The 20% off marked price in red
        
        Because that is even worse and if you continue down the path of insisting the OP is incorrect, you’re just going to embarrass yourself further.
        
        Furthermore, there is no need to bet that there is more to the screenshot. There is more to the screenshot as per the asterisks. Doesn’t make the interpretation of the grammar presented by Quantumcat or myself incorrect.
        
        And it’s (I know, English can be hard, can’t it) nothing like the difference between live and live. This is purely a case of punctuation. Again, stop embarrassing yourself.
        
        [Deactivated] on 29/12/2018 - 16:16
        
        -1
        
        @tomsco: Nice to see you picking on autocorrect in the phone, well done (slow clap 👏🏻). No difference in live, as in live band performance, and live, as in live or die. Nothing to do with punctuation. What school did you go to so I don’t send my kids there.
        You and OP are reading it as “20% off the price marked in red” where it is saying “ the 20% off price is marked in red”, big difference as you’re trying to point out ( to your detriment). 20% off price marked in red is a correct statement to make when the original price is marked in black. Taking things out of context will always change the meaning for the mentally challenged among the community.
        
        tomsco on 29/12/2018 - 16:35
        
        @[Deactivated]: OP and I are literally reading it as written. You are the one that has to change the structure to suit your meaning.
        
        And it’s not just picking on autocorrect (if that is what you wish to claim). I called you out on wanting “the” at the start of the sentence.
        
        As you said - taking things out of context, in this case by changing the sentence, will change the meaning. Stick with what is written and you are 100% wrong.
        
        PJC on 29/12/2018 - 16:59
        
        @[Deactivated]:
        
        … for the mentally challenged among the community.
        
        That is unnecessarily offensive. You have amply demonstrated grammatical inexactitude is no indicator of being mentally challenged.
        
        [Deactivated] on 29/12/2018 - 17:30
        
        -2
        
        @PJC: Uh-oh the PC police 🚨 have arrived. Everyone feign moral outrage.
        
        pegaxs on 29/12/2018 - 18:28
        
        +2
        
        @[Deactivated]: Wow, nothing seals a convincing argument like emojis… 💩
        
        [Deactivated] on 29/12/2018 - 20:46
        
        -1
        
        @pegaxs: Apple seems to think so

OzCar Deception

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