I posted the below comment to the Menulog prize thread but thought it was worthy of its own topic. Wondering what people's thoughts are, and if they have any other examples, of companies covertly advertising unobtainable 'offers' just to get people actively using their app. To be clear, the advertising is not even a bait and switch technique: It's where the company has no intent of honouring the deal, knowing full well that active app users will produce revenue. In the case of Menulog, they touted $50 off vouchers, without any evidence that one was given away. What made this particularly deceitful though, is that they even bothered to register a new OzBargain user that claimed they had received a voucher. But they got caught out by a moderator who was able to determine the account was associated with a Menulog rep.
Original comment:
I'm seeing a trend in companies that use apps to drive their business (not just Menulog): Advertise or email seemingly great deals to their users without any intention of honouring said deal. They likely have data that a certain percentage of users, once they've downloaded and opened the app, are likely to go ahead and make a purchase anyway. EG: 100,000 people open the app, if just 5% of them make a purchase, that equates to 5,000 x sales.
As another example of this, DiDi emailed me with a 'one free ride per week' offer, up to $20 value for each and every ride. all the way though to September 10 (for an account I never used). The fine print said no day or time restrictions. So I went and opened the app, and I did have one $20 voucher, but it was heavily restricted (use Monday to Wednesday during business hours only). But when I went to use it within that time, it only applied a 30% off voucher. There was no way to enter a code or select the $20 off. The email was a complete scam.
Companies are seeming more and more prepared to flout advertising rules.
Ask the DLGSA or ACCC… if they had a Permit for the Promo.