Consumer Complaint Filed Against Inphonic, Inc.
FTC Complaint Alleges Bait Advertising Practices
January 26, 2007 (Press Release) --
MILWAUKEE (January 26, 2007) – A consumer complaint was filed today against InPhonic, Inc., an online provider of wireless services. The complaint, filed with the Federal Trade Commission, alleges bait advertising practices and consumer fraud.
The complaint states that InPhonic enticed the customer with the offer of a high-end phone, then refused to provide an exact shipping date for the order once a line of service was established with Cingular Wireless (now AT&T), instead offering to ship a different phone than what was originally offered.
According to the FTC website, bait advertising is defined as “an alluring but insincere offer to sell a product or service which the advertiser in truth does not intend or want to sell. Its purpose is to switch consumers from buying the advertised merchandise, in order to sell something else, usually at a higher price or on a basis more advantageous to the advertiser. The primary aim of a bait advertisement is to obtain leads as to persons interested in buying merchandise of the type so advertised.”
InPhonic has come under fire previously for alleged misleading or deceptive rebate practices, most recently in a suit filed by the District of Columbia Attorney General in June 2006.
InPhonic, Inc. is based Washington, DC. Their corporate website is located at www.inphonic.com.
The complaint states that InPhonic enticed the customer with the offer of a high-end phone, then refused to provide an exact shipping date for the order once a line of service was established with Cingular Wireless (now AT&T), instead offering to ship a different phone than what was originally offered.
According to the FTC website, bait advertising is defined as “an alluring but insincere offer to sell a product or service which the advertiser in truth does not intend or want to sell. Its purpose is to switch consumers from buying the advertised merchandise, in order to sell something else, usually at a higher price or on a basis more advantageous to the advertiser. The primary aim of a bait advertisement is to obtain leads as to persons interested in buying merchandise of the type so advertised.”
InPhonic has come under fire previously for alleged misleading or deceptive rebate practices, most recently in a suit filed by the District of Columbia Attorney General in June 2006.
InPhonic, Inc. is based Washington, DC. Their corporate website is located at www.inphonic.com.
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