Have you ever bough something because  "special" promotion pricing? Have you bought a product to get a "free" gift? Have you rented a car because of "discount" rate? If so, you've been a victim of deceptive marketing practices.

Some marketers seek to entice customers by offering something that seems really good. Usually, it's a special price or a discount or a "bonus." What they fail to mention is that you may have to pay extra for the bonus (many cosmetic brands do this) or that the special price doesn't include something that you are required to pay.

Recently, I fell for a "special rate" from Thrifty. I was planning a trip to Boston, and researching rental cars when I got an email from the car rental company offering a 30% discount. This made the base fare for a rental car in Boston much better than the competition. It seemed a no-brainer.

Last Friday, after landing in Boston, I got to the counter at Thrifty to find out that in addition to my discounted rate, I would be forced to pay an $11.99 per day toll charge for each day I rented the car. Massachusetts has joined other states in getting rid of toll booths (and jobs for toll collectors, but I digress) and instituting an all-electronic system. You need an E-Z Pass to pay, or else the toll authority will take a picture of your plates and send you a bill.

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At no point in the reservation process, nor in any confirmation email, did Thrifty tell me that Boston was a place that has all electronic tolls and that I would have to pay an additional toll pass fee. They also did not disclose the amount of the fee for the toll charge, which they add on for <em>all</em> Boston renters.  Had I known, I could have brought my own E-Z Pass and avoided the extra charge. And had I known that tolls would be an issue, I could have researched the toll charges at other car rental companies,  and may have chosen one of them instead.

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Deception 1: Not telling me the true cost of my rental

Thrifty used a special rate to entice me to use their services. Thrifty also charges higher toll pass rates than other companies.

Deception 2: Not providing enough information

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