- bait and switch
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bait and switch n: a fraudulent or deceptive sales practice in which a purchaser is attracted by advertisement of a low-priced item but then is encouraged to purchase a higher-priced one – called also bait advertising;
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
- bait and switch
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n.A kind of deceptive advertising in which a merchant advertises a low-priced product to lure customers and then disparages that product or fails to have it in stock in order to persuade them to buy a more expensive item; generally prohibited by statute.
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
- bait and switch
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A dishonest sales practice in which a business advertises a bargain price for an item in order to draw customers in and then tells the prospective buyer that the advertised item is of poor quality or no longer available and attempts to switch the customer to a more expensive product. In most states this practice is a crime and can also be the basis for a personal lawsuit if damages can be proved.Category: Small Claims CourtCategory: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- bait and switch
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v. The practice of advertising a product or service at a low price to bring customers into a store and, once they are there, urging them to buy a more expensive product or service by disparaging the original item or by saying that it is no longer available. This is illegal in most states, especially when the original product or service was not available at the time it was advertised.
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
- bait and switch
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A deceptive sales technique that involves advertising a low-priced item to attract customers to a store, then persuading them to buy more expensive goods by failing to have a sufficient supply of the advertised item on hand or by disparaging its quality.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
- bait and switch
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A deceptive sales technique that involves advertising a low-priced item to attract customers to a store, then persuading them to buy more expensive goods by failing to have a sufficient supply of the advertised item on hand or by disparaging its quality.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
- bait and switch
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n.a dishonest sales practice in which a business advertises a bargain price for an item in order to draw customers into the store and then tells the prospective buyer that the advertised item is of poor quality or no longer available and attempts to switch the customer to a more expensive product. Electronic items such as stereos, televisions, or telephones are favorites, but there are also loan interest rates which turn out to be only for short term or low maximums, and then the switch is to a more expensive loan. In most states this practice is a crime and can also be the basis for a personal lawsuit if damages can be proved. The business using "bait and switch" is an apt target for a class action since there are many customers but each transaction scarcely warrants the costs of a separate suit.
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
