Fine print is controversial because of its deceptive nature. Its purpose is to make the consumer believe that the offer is really great. Though the real truth about the offer is technically available to the consumer in the smaller print of the advertisement—thus virtually ensuring
plausible deniability from claims of
fraud—it is often designed to be overlooked. The unsuspecting customer, who can instantly see all the attractive aspects of the offer, will, due to natural impulsive behavior, time constraints, and/or personal need, generally not bother to learn the caveats, instead focusing on the positives of the deal. In some cases, the seller who uses this technique will engage in the practice of
bait and switch. The customer will be told when ready to purchase that for one reason or another, they will not be eligible for the advertised offer, and will be coerced into one that is higher priced (see
Hard sell). Reasons they may be given include his/her age, race, religion,
credit rating, size or location of residence, the type of vehicle s/he owns, the amount of prior business s/he has done with that company, or the variety of the item s/he wishes to purchase. Often when this occurs, the limitations that render him/her ineligible will apply to an overwhelming majority of consumers. Very frequently, consumers, eager to obtain a product or service they have the dire need or wish for, or that they have been coerced into obtaining, will sign their names on a binding contract. A court may find the consumer to be liable to the terms of the contract, although stated only by the fine print, and an exit from these terms may be costly or impossible. Some examples of how consumers are deceived are as follows: • A
credit card, advertised with a 0% rate in large print, will offer this only for an introductory period of a few months. After that, the rate will switch, for example, to a much higher rate of 19.95%, and may increase even more due to
universal default. • A contract may use small print that may pass unnoticed to require a customer or subscriber to pay various fees that are not stated in the headline price. A subscriber to, for example, a
cell phone contract may be bound to the contract for a specified period, subject to a large payment for early termination. Tickets for air travel may exclude taxes, luggage charges, and other unavoidable "extras". Some contracts—and sometimes services payable after a free trial period—automatically renew if not cancelled by a specified time. A holiday may advertise an attractive price in large print, with "per person, double occupancy" in small print. Words such as "from" or "as low as" may be under-emphasised in offers where more than the minimum is usually wanted. • An item such as a
car may be advertised at far below its
market value in large print, with conditions, such as military membership, or a
trade-in, listed in small print. •
Auto repair shops frequently advertise either with
coupons or large signs outside their businesses for common maintenance and repair services, such as oil changes, tune-ups, and tires. These ads fail to mention factors that may raise that price, such as fees and add-ons for various services, mechanics telling customers more costly repairs are necessary or else the vehicle may be further damaged, or the price being for each individual part (such as a wheel), where the vehicle has several of that part all needing the service, and thereby multiplying the cost by that number. Many ads will also state in fine print "most cars," but in reality, most cars, including that of the customer seeking the service, will be excluded. •
Warranties: The warranties for many products, such as automobiles, are offered or sold with the promise that they will cover a large number of scenarios, should they occur, and often routine maintenance. But they are accompanied by fine print to exclude virtually all repairs that will likely be needed. The coverage for some routine maintenance may also be a lure in which the service center will intentionally damage the vehicle, unknown to its owner, thereby forcing the owner to return for additional costly repairs in the future. •
Insurance policies: Particularly
health and
life insurance will exclude a good deal of scenarios in which one would normally file a claim. For example, life insurance will not normally cover
suicides within a specified time after the policy is bought, and
homeowners' insurance will not normally cover
arson. •
Rebates: Many products are advertised with a price printed in large numbers. However, a higher price is printed above in much smaller numbers, and the large-print price is only given after a rebate. Initially, the customer must first pay the high price. In order for the rebate to be redeemed, the customer must then follow a set of instructions. In some cases, meeting all the requirements necessary in order to obtain the rebate may be difficult, and as a result, many rebates are denied. •
Infomercial products: These come in many forms. Often, companies either load their sales with a lot of fine print, or simply do not abide by their promises (the latter is technically illegal, but many are not worried because the amount they make from ripping people off usually makes up for the amount of fines they pay to the government). • Online Marketing Scheme: Many online marketers attracted consumers with free trials and asked for their credit card details to manage the shipment of the products. However, FTC found out that they were using hidden charges to take money from the customers without their approval. == Fine print on TV and other video media ==