Marketers want their products and services to be noticed and applauded, but sometimes the attempt backfires. When it does, our eagle-eyed readers let us know, submitting examples of ripoffs, poorly worded ads, half-empty packaging, outlandish claims, and goofs that have made them laugh out loud.

Mayday! Mayday!

These mixed-up messages might have you calling for assistance. 

An image of bicycles parked in an outdoor bike rack, next to a sign with the international warning symbol for no bikes.

Grinding Our Gears
This sign outside a bicycle-rental shop left us wondering: Once you get the bike, what are you suppose to do with it? (Submitted by Jonathan Thompson, Nashville, Tenn.)

An advertisement for an oil change service that touts using mother oil, an obvious spelling mistake for motor oil.

Happy Motor's Day!
We're afraid to ask what Mother Oil is, but we're pretty sure she'd rather you buy her jewelry. (Submitted by M.P. Rouse, Freeville, N.Y.) 

An advertisement for a cleaning service which uses live teams of local maids.

Pulse Check, Please
Live, too? You had us at "dedicated and local." (Submitted by Susan Morris, Wilmington, Mass.) 

An image of the package for a non-scratch cleaning pad with a close-up of the fine print which reads: This product may scratch.

Dish-claimer
Apparently, calling these "May-Scratch" scouring pads didn't get the nod. (Submitted by John Albright, Lake City, Minn.) 

Be on the lookout for goofs and glitches like these. Share them with us via:

  • Email: SellingIt@cro.consumer.org
  • Mail: Selling It, Consumer Reports, 101 Truman Ave., Yonkers, NY 10703

Send us your funny ads and we might publish it here.

Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the May 2016 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.