Shopping options abound

By CHERYL FRANKENFIELD
and BETH LUCAS
Collegian Staff Writers

While the food dehydrators may make excellent beef jerky and the Eurosealer may seem like the best invention of the century, consumers often just buy these "miracle" products because of the sometimes-deceptive lure of infomercials.

"People are using (infomercials) for lots of different things," Micki Carroll, marketing coordinator for Infinnity Direct, said.

Infinnity Direct produces infomercials for many national companies, including Jenny Craig Centres, Celebrity Cruises, Sony Electronics and Warner Bros., according to its World Wide Web page.

Typically, electronic, fitness and beauty products are most commonly advertised through infomercials, Carroll said. Other new products are also introduced through this medium.

A 1997 survey conducted for the Electronic Retailing Association found 53 percent of people shop through television because of the convenience, according to the association's Web page.

Those polled who never bought from television said they hadn't because they cannot look at the product, they distrust the advertising, and they assume a lack of privacy of their credit card numbers.

Others just find infomercials entertaining.

"Probably the main reason I watch infomercials is because they are funny," Dan Heckman (sophomore-biology) said. "I don't think (the products are) worth the money."

Although some companies are reputable, consumers' suspicions have led to charges against other infomercial companies.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office filed charges last year against Kevin Trudeau, an actor and director for Mega Systems International Inc., which creates infomercials.

Trudeau was accused of producing and participating in infomercials that offered fraudulent guarantees for products including "hair farming" and the "addiction breaking system."

"(Mega Systems) said some things on TV that were impressive and maybe some that were verifiable," said Barry Creany, senior deputy to the attorney general at the Bureau of Consumer Protection. "But the (Federal Trade Commission) has done a lot of action through the years, usually joint action, against the overblown hype like this."

Television-based infomercials aren't the only ones receiving complaints --companies that are expanding onto the Internet also hear grievances.

In January, a Pennsylvania resident who auctioned Furbys on a World Wide Web site was ordered to refund almost $3,000 to customers in 20 states after the toys were not delivered.

"We have received a lot of complaints about buying and selling on the Internet," said Barbara Petito, deputy press secretary for the attorney general. "A lot of people have been buying products online and didn't get what they thought it was."

But the infomercials are more dangerous than Internet sites because their visual aspects can make them more deceiving, Creany said.

"You can misrepresent on TV, but online you can investigate what you are getting," Creany said.