Cadbury gets its P's and Q's right but makes a fool of itself over its advertising

PIC: The revised Cadbury TV ad with the apostrophe surreptitiously removed this week.

Following a flood of calls to Cadbury about the incorrect use of an apostrophe in the word "it's" at the bottom of their boring television advertisement, the offending little fleck has been quietly removed on all its ads around Australia.

Last week, it read "IT'S", this week it's "ITS".

Cadbury has paid a fortune to its advertising agency to get this basic sort of stuff right.

It's a fair bet that the problem was caused by some half-educated dumb ass from the advertising agency who wouldn't know his pronoun from his past tense.

PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Sophisticated internet scam hits CUA

This would have to be the most-sophisticated internet scam to hit Australia in the past 24 hours.

Tens of thousands of emails have been sent from the authentic-looking email address of cust_serv@cua.com.au

The email reads:


Dear Credit Union Australia member, 

We are sorry to inform you that your account is temporarily suspended due to unusual activity that was noticed in the last few days in your account,you must take action at once, and verify some of your information you have on file with us.

Click here to verify your information.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter!

© 2009 Credit Union Australia


If unsuspecting internet users click on the bogus link, it takes them to what looks exactly like the CUA logon page which enables the perpetrators to access people's accounts, once they get the logon details and password willingly provided by CUA members who don't realise they are being scammed.

Within minutes, they could strip all of the funds out of an account.

Kevin Rudd should exercise his powers under Commonwealth law to shut down websites and ISPs which allow this sort of fraudulent activity to be stopped in its tracks.

If the Federal government can stop internet pornography, it can stop this sort of fraud which hurts hundreds of struggling Australian families every week.


PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Woolworths' double price ripoff - the battlers of Australia lose again

PICS: Woolworths multiple price ripoff in full swing.


Just when Woolworths is coming out of the economic doldrums, it has staged a gigantic ripoff of battlers across Australia by refining an American-style marketing blitz designed to gouge more dollars than ever out of struggling families.

Have a close look at the above pictures.

They all appear in one of Woolworths Ipswich stores, 40km west of Brisbane.

The first Multibuys picture is for 3 packs of ice creams for $15 which is an even $5 a packet. But if you buy a single packet - which is the most many families can afford in a week - you are slugged $5.99 or 19.8% more, for the privilege.

But it doesn't stop there. The sign proudly proclaims a saving of $2.97 for the 3-pack buy. Nothing about the 99c ripoff for a single pack buy!

Look at the pizza ripoff in the next picture. Two pizzas for $10 which should mean $5 each. Don't be so quick with your sums because Woolies will force you to pay $6.79 for a single pizza.

This is a whopping ripoff of 35.8% above the true single price of $5 dollars. But according to Woolworths, you save $3.58 for buying two of these fat-laden offerings.

The deception continues with their Nestle Ice Cream pack which costs $12 for two.

No, it's not $6 for one but a massive $7.49 or 24.8% above the correct half price.

None of this is a genuine discount for volume buying. It is just a price slug for battlers who can often afford only one item or who only want one item.

It is a reprehensible marketing ploy by Woolworths who are not helping battlers in these tough economic times but ripping them off, hand over fist.

Consumer Watch recommends consumers vote with their feet and their hip pocket.

Send Woolworths a message: Don't buy 2, don't buy 1, don't buy any!


PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Mars loses Federal Court case over chocolate balls

Fresh from its insult of Australian consumers by dropping the size of its famous Mars bar and other similar offerings with no corresponding price reduction, Mars has suffered a major rebuff in the Federal Court of Australia.

The confectionery giant tried to stop its competitor Sweet Rewards from selling Malt Balls which Mars claimed was deceptively similar to Malteesers.

Justice Nye Perram booted Mars out of centre court declaring that Australian chocolate consumers would never mistake a Malt Ball for a Malteeser.

Mars lost the case and was also ordered to pay Sweet Rewards considerable legal costs.

Mars has become too big for its own boots in the Australian confectionery industry and Justice Perram's decision is both a sensible and salutary decision to this rip-off chocolate bar merchant.

PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Will we still be happy little Vegemites?

The new cheesy spreadable Vegemite announced yesterday will be for sooks and wusses.

In order to attract more sales, the company has launched a softer version of Australia's most-delectable (for some, detestable) spread.

Coming home to Australia on a Qantas Jet, there is nothing more delightful than savouring some Vegemite at 30,000 feet watched on by gob-smacked Yanks.

But give me the original, rancid, true Aussie, "knock ya dead" Vegemite version any day.

Anything less is just for sooks and wusses.

All he-men will stick to the original.

PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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