Stores Accused of Using Misleading Ads
The district attorney’s office on Wednesday accused the Radio Shack stores in Ventura County of using misleading advertisements to sell electronic equipment.
A civil suit seeking more than $250,000 in damages was filed in Ventura County Superior Court. The suit is also seeking a permanent injunction against the advertisements, which remain displayed in several stores, Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael D. Schwartz said.
The suit alleges that Radio Shack left sale signs hanging in its stores long after the sales ended.
For instance, one sign advertised a television set for $169.99, $30 off the normal price. But when investigators brought the television set to the cashier, they were charged $199.99, Schwartz said.
The cashier told investigators that they would have received the sale price had they asked for it, the prosecutor said. Schwartz contends this is misleading.
“We don’t think the burden should be on the customer,” he said.
He said that the sales signs “run the gamut” of Radio Shack products and that in some cases the signs remained in place six months after the sale ended. The alleged discrepancy was discovered by workers with the Ventura County Weights and Measures Department during a routine inspection.
Officials with Tandy Corp., the parent company of Radio Shack, did not return telephone calls seeking comment.
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