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back to article Group-buying deal for £99 iPhone 4 may have breached consumer laws

A group-buying website may have breached consumer protection laws when its advertising for cheap iPhones encouraged 15,000 people to sign up to its scheme – despite there being only eight phones for sale at the advertised price, a consumer regulator has said. The company behind Groupola and its director have signed promises to …

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  1. Piers
    Alert

    If it looks to good to be true...

    ..etc, etc...

    4 1
  2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    Penalty

    If convicted the company faces the prospect of a sternly worded letter

    8 0
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      Yup, more failure by the "OFT" process

      With such evidence as "50% sold = 202", the company should be made to sell a total of 404 at the advertised price. Being a marketing scam (sorry, scheme), they'll still have all the contact details of everyone who signed up.

      Better still they should be made to have a free give-away to those pepole for the remaining 396 phones.

      2 0
  3. Alan Denman

    Not all their fault.

    Seems to me that the media kept in the intoxicated spirit of magical marketing by reporting it in the first place.

    0 2
  4. Arnold Lieberman
    Thumb Down

    ...and it also said that the employee was not in the office at the time the comments were posted.

    That's OK then! Obviously just a very enthusiastic, loyal member of staff who made an "error of judgement" (how I hate that weasel-word).

    I wonder if said "employee" is being disciplined for lying about his/her connection to the company.

    0 0
  5. JaitcH
    WTF?

    Is this guy related to John Bloom of Rolls Razor fame?

    Or possibly a TV sales channel?

    It's the sought of tricks they play with visitors.

    1 0
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    If it were Paddington...

    [from MSE]

    The words "Paddington gave the man his hardest stare..." come to mind.

    1 0
    1. Steve Evans
      Reply Icon

      Re: If it were Paddington

      Yes, but I believe Paddington's stares really hurt.

      0 0
  7. TonyHoyle

    Typical useless OFT

    "OFT will continue to prioritise cases that protect the integrity of online consumer reviews and comments"

    Sock puppets are common.. hard to prove (but isn't that the OFT's job?) but anyone who hangs around forums long enough soon gets to see a few. That horse bolted years ago - it's considered a legitimate way of doing business now.

    0 0
  8. Robert E A Harvey
    WTF?

    Whot?

    "may have breached consumer protection laws"

    If they didn't, we need better laws!

    2 0
  9. Ydo Ibother

    OFT must be joking

    No fine? No email apology to the thousands of punters who handed over their details? Mission accomplished by Groupola I'd say. They must be laughing their heads off at the OFT

    0 0
  10. DR
    Coat

    202 = 50% of stock?

    so total stock = 404 -the phone you are looking for cannot be found

    0 0
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