Originally Posted by
halfspeed
There's "marketing" and then there's borderline fraud. I've worked for an ethically challenged company and got out before the feds closed them down. That kind of business isn't the kind of company I'm going to trust to build something that I'm going to use at 40+ MPH. Fanboys can excuse anything in the name of a "bargain", I can't.
Where's the fraud? Lot's of companies quote exorbitant MSRP that nobody pays. Car companies for example. Is anyone buying cars at the MSRP? Or Macy's, they have an add in the paper this morning advertising gifts for Mother's Day. If you read the fine print it says "Reg/Orig prices are offering prices and savings may not be based on actual sales". Meaning that nobody ever actually bought the stuff at the prices they quote as the original price. Is Macy's committing fraud?
Giving away equipment for free or at a discounted price to get a review isn't fraud. Lots of companies do that. Is Bicycling mag buying the bikes they test? Pez did a review on the Quarq this week. Did they buy it?