Over the past year, hundreds of you have asked Whistleblower for help. While we can't investigate each tip, we want to share more of what you tell us. In 2009, we started publishing a few tips each week to stimulate online discussion and create ways for our readers to help each other. Unlike our news stories, we have not verified this information, so we do not include the names of the parties involved. If you have a tip, send it to whistleblower@startribune.com.
A shopper at a large home supply chain store thinks he's spotted misleading advertising.
"How can [the store] get away with advertising that an item is 'FREE' after rebate?" he wrote to Whistleblower. "You still have to pay for the item, and the rebate is in the form of a merchandise credit check, which takes a while to get. So in reality you are getting a merchandise credit towards your next purchase."
The Federal Trade Commission has rules about when businesses can use the word "free," including requiring a retailer to disclose the conditions of the offer. Click here to read the rules.
Do you think it's unfair to call a product free when you're not getting cash back?
