Beware of Deceptive
Advertising Claims for Gas Savings Devices
By
Scott Siegel
http://www.beatthegaspump.com
There are all kinds of gas saving devices being advertised
now. Do a search in Google and you will find that google
finds 1.5 million web pages concerning fuel saving devices.
As with any situation where people smell money, unscrupulous
individuals are always ready to steal your money with the
latest scam.
The latest scam is trying to convince you that a fuel saving
device attached to your car will miraculously cut your gas
consumption 20, 30 even 40 percent. The federal government
has done a lot of testing of fuel saving devices. From this
extensive testing comes this advice.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns you to be wary of
any gas-saving claims for automotive devices or oil and gas
additives. Even for the few gas-saving products that have
been found to work, the savings have been small.
There are some general themes and methods to the fuel device
advertising strategy. Here are a few to beware of:
Be very skeptical of the following kind of advertising
claim. "This gas-saving product improves fuel economy by 20
percent." Claims usually tout savings ranging from 12 to 25
percent. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has evaluated or tested more than 100 alleged gas-saving
devices and has not found any product that significantly
improves gas mileage. In fact, some "gas-saving" products
may damage a car's engine or cause substantial increases in
exhaust emissions.
Also be skeptical of ads that feature glowing testimonials
from satisfied drivers such as: "After installing your
product on my car, I got an extra 4 miles [6.4 kilometers]
per gallon [3.8 liters]." You cannot put your hard earned
dollars at risk because of some amateur drivers claim.
These ads feature glowing testimonials by satisfied
customers. No consumer has the ability or the equipment to
test for precise changes in gas mileage after installing a
gas-saving product. Even if they did have the right
equipment they could not control the conditions and the
environment under which they could actually test the device.
Many variables affect fuel consumption, including traffic,
road and weather conditions, and the car's condition. For
example, one consumer sent a letter to a company praising
its "gas-saving" product. At the time the product was
installed, however, the consumer also had received a
complete engine tune-up - a fact not mentioned in the
letter. The entire increase in gas mileage attributed to the
"gas-saving" product most likely was the result of the
tune-up alone. But from the ad, other consumers could not
have known that.
These are just some of the tactics that those selling fuel
saving devices use to legitimize their claims. They are out
there to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers desperate
to find a way to lower their gas costs. Don't become a
victim of these scams. Be wary of their claims. Remember, if
something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
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Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of industry insider information
on saving gas and money at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to learn how
you can get better gas mileage.
Find out how to increase gas
mileage.
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