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Overhype

by Mike Masnick

Thu, Feb 24th 2005 1:10am





Fined For Out Of Date Website? Not Quite

from the false-advertising... dept

The Inquirer headline screams Firm fined for out of date website, which certainly seems ominous, until you read the details. The "firm" in question is a restaurant. The site in question is a menu. The problem, obviously, is that the online menu is advertising the restaurant so people will go to it -- only to find out many of the dishes are no longer served and just about all of the dishes cost much more than what's on the website. In that situation, it seems pretty clear that the website is false advertising -- and the fine is for that fact, not necessarily for being "out of date." If the same headline said "Restaurant fined for false advertising online," the story wouldn't seem so interesting.

5 Comments | Leave a Comment

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  1.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 24th, 2005 @ 2:14am

    No Subject Given

    hmm... i'd argue that having a website does not construe advertising

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    dorpus, Feb 24th, 2005 @ 3:46am

    How about dangerous medical advice?

    This First Aid how-to web site is hosted by a city government in Japan. It advises amateurs to drag around injured persons by holding adult women around their chest, mend their broken bones with newspapers or umbrellas, put Q-tips in your ear to get out foreign objects, hold children upside down and hit them until they stop choking, and other horrifyingly bad advice.

    http://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/04bousai/oukyu-menu.html

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 24th, 2005 @ 6:01am

    could be caused by being out of date.

    I frequently find small sites from small shops etc. that are quoting prices for products that they no longer carry or sales they no longer have. and the reason is because they haven't updated their site.

    Many smaller businesses will get a web-design deal, and once the site is created and hosted they basically forget about it.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Feb 24th, 2005 @ 7:08am

    Re: could be caused by being out of date.

    The point is the business IS adverising if they are posting prices AND dishes that they either do not serve or are sold for a higfher price than advertised.

    Thats bait & switch.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    Boilerbob, Feb 24th, 2005 @ 7:39am

    Re: No Subject Given

    It depends how they worded the menu. If it's clear that the menu was posted in 2001 and there's a disclaimer that they might update the prices then I would agree that it is historical not advertising. I would assume that an old menu might be out of date. However if the site says "here's our menu check us out!!!" that's advertising.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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