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can you summarise in 1 or 2 sentences?Originally posted by JoshuaSamuel:I wrote this letter to the Straits Times forum, Dont know if it'll get published but i thought it'll make an interesting topic for aunt agony.
The Devil in the Fine Print
As the Christmas season nears, the need for presents and presentation is high on everyone's mind. Presents, as we've been socialized to understand, is only considered a present when it is presentable. Christmas has intensified this meaning of gift wrapping to becomes as important as the gift itself. While major departmental stores have focused on this aspect of Christmas, busying itself with gift wrapping and the sale of gifts, it appears that the Christmas spirit is lost in the NTUC's presentation of their "Christmas Party Set 3".
Having seen an advertisement of a Christmas basket labelled as "Christmas Party Set 3" at the NTUC fairprice outlet in Hougang Festival Market mall, my mother was led to believe from the advertisement that this would make a good gift due to its exquisite portrayal of the gift basket. Moreover, the cashier confirmed the presentation of the gift basket to be similar to the advertisement when she made the order. It is thus not surprising that the lack of presentation in the gift basket came as an unpleasant surprise to her today. In fact, there was no presentation to speak of at all. What she received was a basket, coupled with an NTUC fairprice plastic bag within.
After making queries, the store manager noted that the fine print in the advertisement stated that "Trimmings and props are not included for all items". However, he did offer to gift wrap the Christmas basket for her. Nevertheless, gift wrapping by the store manager was limited to placing all the items into the basket and covering it with a transparent piece of plastic. While she is grateful for the attending supervisor's attention to customer needs, she felt cheated by the fine print and also peeved at how her Christmas plans to present the "Christmas party set 3" as a gift is thwarted. Despite having requested and successfully attained a refund, she felt that it was important that the Straits Times be made aware of the possible pit falls of the fine print. It may be common knowledge that 'the devil is in the fine print' and that we should not be entirely trusting of advertisements, the vast differences between what is purchased and what is advertized is truly appalling. It makes me wonder if it is ethical for trusted family oriented companies such as the NTUC to use fine print to negate what is presented in their advertisements. A customer should at no point be led to think that he or she is purchasing something fundamentally different from the advertisement. Similarly, a turkey, honey baked ham and german pork knuckles do not make a Christmas party set, rather, i would argue, the presentation does. Moreover, as noted by my mother, the stereotypical 'heartlander aunty' would not be aware of such fine prints nor would they understand that it is their right to assert that what they purchase be similar to the advertisement. However, we would still like to commend the store manager at the Hougang Festival Market mall's NTUC outlet for handling the situation in the most professional and customer oriented manner.