Deceptive Advertising

Advertising Space - After your Hub is published advertisements may be placed in this space.

Ad Copy for Coldwater Creek Deceptive

For anyone interested in seeing the ad, place your email address and I will email it to you. The advertisement would not copy and paste into the hubpages format. I have saved it and will send it as an attachment to you.
It reads as follows:
More than 500 styles
SALE online only
TAKE an extra 50% off
already-reduced sale prices
Shop sale while it sizzles
ends 7/13/12
Promotion is valid through 7/13/12 on your merchandise purchase of $100 or more. Use Offer Code WFH7343. Free Standard Shipping is valid for all in-stock items shipped anywhere in the contiguous United States. May not be combined with any other Offer Code or discount. Not valid on previous purchases. No cash value.

Sale Online is valid through 7/13/12 or while supplies last. Items priced as marked. Not valid on previous purchases. Sale prices available online; not available in stores, by phone or mail. In the event of a return or exchange, the amount refunded will equal the actual merchandise purchase price paid. No cash value.

Today I opened my email to read the ad that I have copied and pasted above. I have always enjoyed the styles from Coldwater Creek. I spent about an hour or so canvassing the sales. I entered the code that was listed in the ad and nothing happened. I thought perhaps I had inserted it incorrectly. I returned to the ad and retyped the code. Still – no results. I went out online and went shopping for another coupon code with 50 percent off. I thought that perhaps there was a typo in the advertisement. I found that others had tried the same code with no results. Those who had shared their lack of success also informed that they had contacted the online support with no help.
I decided that I also needed to contact an online representative. I felt that I had invested an hour of my time shopping due to their advertisement, which I declared was false advertising and misleading in my view and believed that this was unacceptable.
At one point I told her that they were about to lose a customer.
I was told that the markdowns are on the items online. I responded that nowhere in the advertisement does it indicate that the markdowns are already accounted for on the online site. The agent gave me a copy of a policy that had nothing to do with what we were chatting about. I felt that she was becoming flippant with me until I informed her that I blog online and began recording the time that we were conversing after each comment that I made. I could see the notation that the agent was typing. It was at this time that she stopped typing and recommended that I contact a supervisor and gave me the phone number to call.
Unfortunately, my computer chose this moment to reconfigure and I lost the transcript of our conversation or I would have included it in this blog.
I almost let it go and moved on with my day. Sometimes, though, we just have to stand on principle. I made the phone call. Of course I was on hold for a few moments. I do have to say though that it was a reasonable period of time. I do try to give credit where credit is due.
I shared with the supervisor what the issue was. She tried to clarify the situation but once I made my case I know she had a hard time disputing what I was saying as well. She finally said that she would pass the information on to the advertising department. I told her that did not compensate me for my time investment. I informed her that I should send her company a bill for my hour shopping based on the ad and my half an hour online talking to an agent and speaking with her. She repeated that she was going to pass the information on to the advertising department.
This just did not sit well with me. I asked her what her company was going to do to compensate me for my time. She hesitantly offered to give me the discount that was in the advertisement of the fifty percent off. I almost declined as I nearly felt that I no longer wanted anything from this company. Then I thought to myself. No, I am going to take her up on her offer. Perhaps then if enough people call and demand the same and they lose money they will be a bit more upfront in their advertisements.
I would love to hear your comments on the advertisement and how you interpret it. Please let me know how you feel about such deceptive campaigning.