Crowd Cow’s ‘$100 of Free Meat’
As a TINA.org reader put it, it’s only “free” if you first spend money.
This Free Movie Pitch Wasn’t Perfect
You may now be seated -- if you're lucky enough to get in.
Imagine being invited to Easter dinner only to be denied a seat at the table once the meal is ready and all your aunts, uncles and cousins have gathered round.
Not very nice by any familial standard, but that’s basically what a reader from Los Angeles said she experienced after receiving an unsolicited email from previewfreemovies.com. The email invited her to see a free pre-release screening of Pitch Perfect 2 in Hollywood.
The reader said she and her daughter waited in line for nearly an hour and a half and still did not get in. They eventually left but not without paying the cost of parking at the theatre.
“It happened to be my daughter’s 14th birthday so I went to a huge amount of trouble for her to go,” the reader wrote in an email to TINA.org. “When we got there, it was all a lie. It was a press screening and we were ‘seat fillers.’”
Later, while reviewing the confirmation email, the reader said she spotted a section toward the end that stated seating was not guaranteed:
The theatre is overbooked to ensure capacity and therefore you are not guaranteed a seat by showing up at this private event.
Advertising imperfect.
Find more of our coverage on the movies here.
Our Ad Alerts are not just about false and deceptive marketing issues, but may also be about ads that, although not necessarily deceptive, should be viewed with caution. Ad Alerts can also be about single issues and may not include a comprehensive list of all marketing issues relating to the brand discussed.
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