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BAIT AND SWITCH

29 / 05 / 2007

BAIT AND SWITCH: meaning and examples

Good morning. 

Today we will look at another expression that came up in last Saturday's Ziggurat Breakfast Club.

Today's expression is: Bait and Switch

It means: to advertise a product or service at one price, usually a low or bargain price, while actually having little or nothing of this product in stock and offering to sell the customer a similar product at a higher price.

Example 1:
I signed up for a high-speed DSL line for nine Euros per month. It seemed very cheap; however, the nine-Euro-per-month rate only lasted for one month. After that, they began charging me thirty-two Euros per month! First nine Euros, then thirty-two Euros...that's what I call bait and switch publicity!

Example 2:  
The other day I saw a flat for sale for 250,000 Euros. It was a penthouse, with a lift, lots of light, just reformed, etc. When I called, they said it had been sold, but that they had a lot of other flats. The only problem was that all the other flats cost at least 500,000 Euros. I was a victim of a bait and switch.

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Enjoy your day.