False Advertising / Title Exchange

[jmhelton]

Title exchange company advertises 0% interest on "every loan, every customer, every time." Is this false advertising if they do NOT provide 0% interest on every Title Pawn?

 

[mightymoose]

Not necessarily. Read the fine print. Does it depend on a credit check or other qualification? Is it only certain kinds of loans? There may be some tricky wording involved.
If you were turned down for a loan, did you ask why they did not give 0%?

 

[jmhelton]

I have had three different title pawns with this company. they gave me $0.00 fees on the first, when I paid within 30 days. The second they did not tell me that there was a limit of 1 per 12 months so I had to pay the fees for a second month even though I paid shortly after 30 days. Then I got another pawn some months later and paid the fees for 30 days. The sign did not have any stipulations or disclaimers. But since I have filed in small claims, they have added an asterisk and words that say there is 1 per 12 months, under the words that still say every loan every time. Sounds like a lie, and false advertising to me even though the contract (minus the verbal) says you have to pay the fees.

 

[jharris352]

Sounds like you may have gotten them if they changed the sign after you filed. But the court is going to be of the opinion that you had to know they can't charge "0% on EVERY LOAN, everytime" because they are a business and would not make any money.

 

[jmhelton]

I don't think weather I "should have know' is the issue. the law states than any advertising that is false, or a lie, is false advertising and punishable by fine and I feel that I was damaged by their not giving me the 0% interest that they advertised. I even said to the guy on the second pawn, I'll probably try to pay it within 30 days to get the free fees, but he didn't tell me that there is only 1 allowed per 12 months. they lie in their billboard, and they lie by withholding the information.!

 

[jharris352]

Well sir, if you knew the law, why did you ask our opinion? It's true, that is what the law says. However, have you ever wondered how someone gets away with saying, "We have the best burgers in the world!" When they don't necessarily. I'm not saying you don't have a case, the fact that they changed their sign says that you hit pretty close to home. However, the idea that they are a business means they can't charge Zero percent on every loan all of the time. It isn't a believable advertisement and they can't be held to it. You are free to sue them, I imagine you will recover something. Their advertisement isn't very bright either.