Failure to include needed information in an advertisement

Charlotte Level 1

October 18, 2014, 4:59 am

6

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Is it considered illegal if you fail to give all needed information in an advertisement that might influence a buyer's decision?

For instance, let's say you are selling a collection of 20 books for $20 but fail to mention in your advertisement how these are 'abridged versions', rather than full length. Would this be considered deceptive advertising to not include that info?

Just how detailed do you have to be when writing your advertisements for services/products? Must all information be included or what type of information can be left out?

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Tandy

Tandy

Failing to include all necessary information or hiding the truth about your product could be a violation of some applicable laws.

In the United States, the FTC or Federal Trade Commission is in charge of deciding these things, so you should consult their website.

As for whether these rules apply to all types of sales including services offered online, is up for the FTC to decide.

12 years ago

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spotondot

spotondot

That still sounds like fraud to me. Leaving something out could wrongly influence someone in a direction they should not go. You should include all information needed when advertising.

12 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

I am not aware of a law on the issue of a misleading advertisement. It is only proper for the seller to divulge all the particulars of the product but failure to do so is not illegal, I think. Anyway, when something goes wrong like in the example that the books are abridged then the buyer can always return it with no questions asked. That’s another issue if the seller wouldn’t refund the buyer.

9 years ago

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mildredtabitha

mildredtabitha

It is not compulsory to include every information. But hiding information that you feel might chase away potential customers can make the advertisement misleading especially if the customers find out later about that extra information for themselves.

I always like to know more about a good or a service before paying for it. Information is not important to everyone because some people focus on quality while some focus on quantity.

9 years ago

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augusta

augusta

Forgetfulness is part of human existence and as such situation like this are bound to happen but what makes it seems a deliberate act is when it isn't corrected when such is first noticed. We have a word like edit and it must come to play immediately. If you was a print advert then edit and include the right thing or a giggle withdraw and reedit before continuing with the adverts.This way it doesn't look a fraud

9 years ago

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