MISTAKE MONDAY for April 2: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment.
Here’s a key piece of information: I viewed this item when I was buying something from a website in February 2018. Without this information, you might not realize that anything is wrong with this week’s Mistake Monday item.
I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
The valid date is not correct as 12/31/2017 is in the past !
Correct! I was stunned to find this ad on the website of a major American company well into 2018.
The really important part is what happens after you purchase – does the vendor honor their promise or refuse to give you the discount. The proofreading mistake is a tipping point for a company’s regard for client service. Yelp and Google reviews are hanging in the balance.
In addition to the past date, the asterisk isn’t followed by any information. If the asterisk is there, they should note it at the bottom of the ad. For example: Save $5 on $50 or more.*
*Orders must be placed by 12/31/17. If you’re seeing this ad past the expiration date, too bad. 🙂
Russell and Laura, you both make excellent points.
By the time I got to the discount code, I was already unhappy with the vendor’s service. I wouldn’t buy from them again unless I got a really great deal. I didn’t feel tempted to test whether they’d honor the outdated deal.
I think I may have cut off the footnote text in my screen shot. I just visited the vendor’s website and noticed that the footnotes appears many inches below the asterisk on its latest offer.