Comments on: Customer Stories: But It’s In The Picture!

By: Katherine

Katherine — Sat, 23 May 2009 03:13:27 +0000

I know there will be a time when I need to do this … I’m stumbling your article so I can refer to it and learn from it when the time comes. My friend Michele Tune alerted me to this article on Facebook and am thrilled to have re-found your blog!

By: AmandaLP

AmandaLP — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:40:53 +0000

Why not use this as an affiliate opportunity? “Rings not included, but you can visit X store for jewelry options?”

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:24:18 +0000

Thanks everyone for your inputs. I think we are actually not going to do anything about it for now. If we get repeated calls like this one, we will definitely reconsider. We’ve taken thousands of calls and this is the first time that this has happened. Quite amusing actually.

By: Jace

Jace — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:42:49 +0000

If you add it, what’s next? “Do not eat” “Table not provided” “You can re-fold them” “Pictured next to quarter for size comparison” “Quarter not included” …

Don’t include it. You don’t need to “dumb down” your products or your brand to account for the lowest common denominator of customers because all it’ll do is make your other non-amoebic customers feel like you had to clarify it for them.

There are so many things these days with warnings and notes about acceptable behavior that I feel insulted to even venture to the grocery store.

If the door pushes one way, put a push plate and a pull handle on the other side, instead people put pull handles on both sides and then stick 100 stickers on the door that say “pull don’t push” or my personal favorite at a local shop here that says “Be smarter than the door, pull…”

If you get 100 calls about it, then rethink it but don’t let a handful of idiots devalue your brand.

By: Wojciech @ Fiscal Fizzle

Wojciech @ Fiscal Fizzle — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:34:55 +0000

It seems ridiculous, I know! I was once selling some water filters on eBay in loose form, and my description clearly talked about selling only 2 of them out of a previous 6-pack.

The auction was going along just fine until someone came along and saw my stock photograph of a 6-pack of filters and bid up the price 2-3x. Everyone else who came by next just assumed it was the 6-pack because of the price and didn’t bother to read the text!

As you can imagine, I canceled the auction in all fairness and won’t be using that photo again!

By: The Happy Rock

The Happy Rock — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:59:47 +0000

I would say you should include it. Sure 10 bucks for rings and handmade linens is ridiculous, but it will make sure there isn’t any confusion. It is a big world and lots of varied opinion and interpretation.

By: Amber

Amber — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:52:03 +0000

There is no such thing as making something too clear on a product description. There is also no such thing as writing a description that will be translated the exact same by every single person who reads it. All you can do is shoot for the best, simplest, most descriptive text possible and hope for the best. I’m wondering if we need to include ‘baby not included’ in some of our product shots

By: Uri

Uri — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:11:17 +0000

Yes, you do need to state the obvious sometimes… quite unfortunately…
precisely because of these “misunderstandings”…
this is why you see on the corner of the cereal boxes,
under the ginormous bowl of cereal with fist-sized strawberries,
the tiny disclaimer that says: “strawberries not included” and “not actual size”
yup.
or you see on an internet ad for a camera case the disclaimer:
“camera not included”
sometimes the line between common sense and idiocy gets blurred in the ad world…
unfortunately.