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UK government considers fining providers with confusing T&Cs
Although companies are legally required to list terms and conditions when a customer buys something, they can often be confusing or outright misleading. ISPs and mobile operators are especially guilty of this and a lot of the time consumers ignore them completely. The UK government has decided now is the time to act, so it's launched a new consultation to make things simpler for consumers and possibly fine online companies that don't comply.
Toshiba reneges on promise of free laptops and TVs if Spain win World Cup
Buy a Core i5 laptop or a Toshiba TV, and if your country wins the World Cup Final, we'll refund your money. Simple and to the point, don't you think? Toshiba ran this advertising campaign in Germany, England, Portugal, Italy and Spain in the run-up to the global football tournament, but now that one of those nations has actually gone and scooped the silverware, refunds seem remarkably hard to come by. As it turns out, the small print on that ad included instructions to see Toshiba's site for further details, which elucidated a requirement that all claimants must register their product by the 17th of June. Naturally, that's now led to a whole heap of peeved Spaniards feeling cheated, and big time consumer association Facua arguing that such a major condition to recovering your cash shouldn't have been hidden away online. In the absence of it being clearly marked on the promotional materials, it argues, Toshiba should honor everyone's receipts irrespective of registration. We're inclined to agree -- maybe the Japanese company can recover any losses from the wages of its cheeky advertising staff.
