Push, Pull or Drag in....Another Misleading TV Commercial

Push, Pull or Drag in....Another Misleading TV Commercial

Have you ever been watching TV and seen a car commercial that says, “ Come on down to your local Ford Automotive, and you can get a car of your choice for just $129 a month (Spitzer, 2003).” Some have even used lines like, “Do whatever you have to do push, pull or drag your car in, and drive away in a brand new car” (Spitzer, 2003). The commercial may never stop to give you the details of the qualification requirements for the cars. So making those push or pull journeys to the dealer ends up costing you more money than you expected. This type of TV commercial can be confusing to many consumers, and end up misleading the consumer into a deal they did not expect.

The Attorney General and the Department of Motor Vehicles of several States are now putting auto dealers on notice. In the states of New York and Nevada they are warning them: “Your advertisements had better be accurate” (Knapp, Eyewitness News, 2004). Studies from the Attorney General of New York Eliot Spitzer, gives many consumer tips to finding misleading advertisements. “Push, Pull, and Drag it in, Guaranteed Trade-in $3,000!” This is a ploy slogan that really confuses consumers, especially college students. In reality, the dealers cannot pay money for a trade in no matter how much it is actually worth. The dealers can only put that hypothetical “trade-in money” toward the purchase of another car. “Dealers often raise the prices of the cars on their lots prior to this sale” (Spitzer, 2003). So in the end, you are really not getting much of a bargain. When watching a car commercial, look for the details in getting this new car for your “push or pull,” there should be a description of how much money must be put down at the time of the trade. If this is not being done, you can report the violating car dealer to your state attorney general’s office.

Another misleading portion of car commercials is the financial explanation is: “$49 down or $0 down with no interest for 6 months” (Spitzer, 2003). Sounds great doesn’t it? Well, this is where many college students are tricked because they never tell you about the tax, title, and registration fees that are included at the time of your purchase.