News, Views Etc . . . Naughty Part-works

A couple of bits of news concerning part-works, one new, one old and one borrowed, but nothing blue, however; the 12,000-worder is still in edit, I'll see what I can do 'blue' there! In the light of the recent Panini UK agent's World Cup Sticker Album tribulations, the first story is the more interesting, concerning - as it does - cost.

Hachette

This global part-work issuer was castigated last week by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for failing to make clear that their current 'Build a London Routemaster Bus' part-work would run for 130 issues and cost consumers a total of more than £1,150.

The company said it had made the cost clear (on its website), but the ASA was having none of it and banned the TV-ad' promoting the publication, as the TV-ad' was considered to be misleading.

The real news here, as I see it; is why it has taken 30+ years to point out the bleeding obvious?

Because it requires an actual complaint, from a named complainant, willing to appear as a witness, before most modern watchdogs are able to act at all, under their - quite deliberately - ham-stringing Thatcherite-Raganomic remits, which put business (not 'big' business; all business) ahead of natural justice, or the rule of law.

It's not enough to know there are snake-oil salesmen, but to have to find villagers willing to paint their houses red, to scare them off!

Atlas Editions

It's not the first time the ASA has acted recently; they also upheld a complaint against Atlas Editions UK Ltd., back in August of last year, again 'misleading' sales techniques were fingered by the beak, only this time it was the website considered out of order, not the media publicity.

Although - It seems they are serial offenders as a well as serial issuers!

Other part-works are Available

These have also been in the media recently and from the left we have:

A set of Zippo lighters, never to light anything? A 'Merrythough' Bear which costs more than all the bears, rabbits &etc of my entire childhood! Paddington coins and a DC/UK thing, I would write more but this weeks got off to a busy start and I'm all over the place!

Close-ups of the important bits, in the bear's defence; he is rather smart! But who would want a whole display of rather hideous Zippo's, identical to the other 9,000 (that's; NINE . . . Thousand) sets? Madness!