(Mobile, Ala) - July 14 - M
any people will need a converter box by early next year when television goes digital.Some companies are offering boxes at a cheap price, but you may want to read the fine print.
Joan Payamgis is like many of us.
She has an old TV in her kitchen that still uses rabbit ears.
February 17th of next year, she'll need to have a converter box to watch that TV.
These ads have started popping up all over the country.
They promise a free converter box, no need for a government-issued coupon.
But be careful.
There's a catch.
Just pay $59 for the warranty plus shipping and handling.
Now, that free converter box will cost you about a hundred bucks.
"Is it a ripoff? We certainly would suggest that it's false advertising and pretty close to the ripoff stage," says Sandra Prebil of the Better Business Bureau.
"Our point here is that we are an alternative to the government program," contends John Armstrong of Universal TechTronics.
"The customer doesn't have to go through the hassle of trying to fill out the paperwork and go to the internet to get the phone numbers to get a coupon in the first place," adds Dave Baker of Universal TechTronics.
"And the number looks like it's going to equal about a hundred dollars to get this free box, which is totally misleading...totally false," says Prebil.
The Better Business Bureau says it's better to use the government-issued coupons at a local electronics store.
Now, your sixty dollar box with a forty dollar coupon leads to an inexpensive twenty dollar purchase, making you, joan and everyone else ready for the digital age.
Universal TechTronics claims their box is better, saves government hassle, and costs just under seventy bucks.
The Better Business Bureau is investigating Universal TechTronics for this and other products.
