Untrue Claims on websites

How do you handle it?

[Liane]

There is a web site in my country (which affects my business) that makes the following claim:

"We provide a directory and links to all businesses with web sites."

(This is in reference to our very small country.)

It is a patently untrue statement. There are at least a hundred sites they don't link to! They charge for links and the site is rather poor. There is no way I would pay for a link from them.

But is there any recourse for this untrue claim? How would you handle it bearing in mind that everybody knows everybody else here. I don't want to create any enemies ... but I want them to change this text. It grates on me!

Ideas?

[Liane]

bump

[bcolflesh]

Add copy to your site like:

"Are you willing to trust your business to companies that make false claims about their data? Are you willing to pay inclusion fees for poor service and no real exposure?..." etc...

[goodroi]

I find most companies in my industry make the same type of false claims. There is no real way to make them stop. Users usually realize these are false claims when they can't find a site they are looking for.

[Liane]

Add copy to your site like: ...

My site isn't a directory as they "claim" to be. I am just one of several thousand sites in the country and one of the one's not included on their site ... which they claim lists all companies with a web site.

I just want them to change that text because it is very misleading and an out an out lie. If someone actually finds their site and thinks all companies are listed ... why would they keep searching?

Its not a huge problem because I rank above them in almost all searches, it just ticks me off that they have been making that claim for many years and it isn't even close to the truth!

Oh well, I guess anyone can make any claim and get away with it. No truth in advertising there, that's for sure! :(

[PhraSEOlogy]

I have a site that lists the best websites - probably not exactly a true statement but I wont list it as some of the mediocre or worst site on the net.

Get over it - realize that marketing or sales copy is not exactly the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

[Jon_King]

This subject either makes laugh or sigh depending on my state of mind.

Liane the lack of accountability for ad copy is standard in the US. Stretched truth claims are absolutely rampant in ads. Unfortunately, I'm not sure anything meaningful can be gotten from any action you might wish to take.

All legal claims must be based about some monetary loss before the courts will even get involved, a lie is not enough. So can you make a legal claim that you have been financially hurt by their actions? Are you willing to try to prove this in the courts? Most likely no, like almost everyone. ...Hence rampant false or stretched claims are prevalent.

This applies in the US as I know it.