June Cotte | Canadian Tire promo turns out to be a bust for consumer

Unfortunately for Canadian Tire customer Ann Siebner, a recent store advertisement proved too good to be true. Siebner, who is part of Canadian Tire’s customer loyalty program, received an email that read: “On October 3rd, redeem e-CT ‘Money’ right at checkout and collect 50X on the amount you redeem.”

Siebner interpreted that to mean, if she redeemed $25, she would get 50 times that amount, or $1,250, but that wasn’t the case. Canadian Tire initially offered no additional points or dollars, but eventually deposited $6.56 into her account.

Associate Professor June Cotte spoke with Global News about the incident and the effect that misleading advertising can have on a brand.

“It doesn’t make sense, it’s not reasonable to assume you’d get $1,250, but that’s what it seemed she’d be getting,” said Cotte. “Clarity is important in advertising copy.”

Canadian Tire did not explain the intended meaning of its advertisement, but apologized for any confusion the promotion caused.