Professional Driver / Closed Course / Blah, Blah,Blah

[kompressornsc]

The disclaimers on car commercials are really starting to get to me! Seems like they're getting larger and more detailed, and more ridiculous. And now they're showing crash test videos and a big 'Dramatization' at the bottom. Why show it then? Are you lying to me that the car won't hold up that well? And what's the worst one, the MB commercial where the ML destroys the sled? C'mon...

Okay...rant off...do those lawyer inserted comments bug anyone else? I think fools should be left to be fools and if they think they can drive off a cliff and land on a car carrier on the road 100 feet below, let them do it...

[TigerMike]

I agree, it bothers me as well. There's nothing like exaggerating a product's capabilities...but, it's all over the place, not just in car commercials. I also like those utterly annoying infomercials on the latest "lose weight fast" pills that show a person dropping 50 or 60 pounds in say 8 weeks, but then at the bottom it says, "results not typical" or "actual average weight loss reported is around 2 pounds over the same 8 wk period." I always think, then why show the crap if it's not the typical results we should expect!! Heck, I could lose 5 pounds in 1 week, without their stupid pills!

Then again, in their defense, I guess it just wouldn't sell too much product if they showed a person that lost 2 pounds (obviously no visual change) versus 60. lol

IMO, it is pushing the boundaries of false advertising, but like you said, those lawyers always have them put in those lame disclaimers. Kinda reminds me of the McDonald's case where the person sued over hot coffee, and now MCD has the disclaimer. Well, duh! Your coffee is going to be hot, maam! I guess disclaimers are there to keep stupid people from doing stupid things.

[Accumulator]

Heh heh, around my house we say "serving suggestion" about all this goofiness

What really bugs me is that stupid people have to be saved from themselves and will sue sombody if allowed to do something idiotic instead of just taking their lumps (or worse yet, will try to make a career out of such stuff).

Oh, and I wouldn't necessarily lump all this weirdness together...I read that the lady in the "hot McDonald's coffee case" actually suffered some pretty horrible burns, requiring major medical attention to some rather sensitive areas of her body. That's the part you don't hear about, that it really *was* a serious matter involving boiling hot coffee (some mechanical problem with the coffee maker). Imagine how *you* would feel if handed a cup of coffee that was so hot that you reflexively dropped it...in your lap

[eyeguy1]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Heh heh, around my house we say "serving suggestion" about all this goofiness

What really bugs me is that stupid people have to be saved from themselves and will sue sombody if allowed to do something idiotic instead of just taking their lumps (or worse yet, will try to make a career out of such stuff).

Oh, and I wouldn't necessarily lump all this weirdness together...I read that the lady in the "hot McDonald's coffee case" actually suffered some pretty horrible burns, requiring major medical attention to some rather sensitive areas of her body. That's the part you don't hear about, that it really *was* a serious matter involving boiling hot coffee (some mechanical problem with the coffee maker). Imagine how *you* would feel if handed a cup of coffee that was so hot that you reflexively dropped it...in your lap

Now Accumulator, if the coffee is so hot you'd reflexively drop it, how would the person giving you the coffee be able to give it to you.

[hooked]

The Toyota truck commercials showing the truck getting washed around by hightide and having tons of stuff dumped on it without a scratch are pretty lame.

[rjstaaf]

I don't think you can blame the manufacturer's for the disclaimers, blame your fellow Americans. We as a society will sue someone at the drop of a hat if there is money to be made. I seriously doubt the manufacturer's expect anyone to believe these adds, they have succeeded though as it would appear they have caught your attention and after all, that is their purpose.

[rjstaaf]

Originally Posted by eyeguy1

Now Accumulator, if the coffee is so hot you'd reflexively drop it, how would the person giving you the coffee be able to give it to you.

If the server is holding the cup at the very top they wouldn't necessarily feel the heat but, the person receiving the cup would have to grab it around the middle where the heat would be concentrated.

[eyeguy1]

Originally Posted by rjstaaf

If the server is holding the cup at the very top they wouldn't necessarily feel the heat but, the person receiving the cup would have to grab it around the middle where the heat would be concentrated.

Hmmm, I never thought of that! I had visions of leather welding gloves handing off a cup of coffee to some shaky blue hair.

[themightytimmah]

Originally Posted by hooked

The Toyota truck commercials showing the truck getting washed around by hightide and having tons of stuff dumped on it without a scratch are pretty lame.

I like the one with the jilted girlfriend who pushes it off a cliff with no apparant damage . I think the disclaimer says "Your Mileage May Vary".

[TigerMike]

Originally Posted by rjstaaf

I don't think you can blame the manufacturer's for the disclaimers, blame your fellow Americans. We as a society will sue someone at the drop of a hat if there is money to be made.

Bingo. This is the root of the problem. Everyone is looking to make a quick easy buck off a lawsuit. It's the American way!

[KevinA]

I saw a Dodge Charger commercial that said something to the effect of "closed course, professional drivers, do not attempt". The only "stunt" I could see was some chopper dude driving off a curb to follow the car. When the guy parks his car it turns out they were kids on their bicycles following him.

[Accumulator]

eyeguy1- Yeah, I figured it was something like what rjstaaf posted, plus I suppose it takes a moment for the heat to get through the cup. I didn't mean to sound all or anything, I too poked fun at the whole thing until somebody showed me a writeup about what really happened.