I'm usually pretty vigilant about looking for and identifying deceptive marketing, sales, or regulatory tactics. Recently, however, I discovered I had fallen victim to just such a tactic, even when I should have had ample clue.
Some tactics are outwardly illegal or immoral, like the internet email made to look like it came from your bank asking for account number verification that links to some scam originated in a -stan country, not your bank at all. However, many deceptive marketing tactics are not illegal or immoral. The best ones are subtle. As in this case, when I received a letter notifying me that my U.S. Coast Guard documentation for the Wayback needed to be renewed. Every year, the coast guard sends a reminder letter that motivates me to send in my $26 fee for annual renewal. This year I got in my mailbox what I thought was that letter, with an offer to do everything online, instead of in the mail as usual. The letter was colorful and in a clearer layout (clue #1). Immediately, I entered all my info online and submitted my renewal application, but after hitting the submit button learned that the cost had increased to $75. Those dirty buggers, I thought. More government revenue enhancement, and this one was blatently aggressive (clue #2) - a nearly 300% increase. Oh well - what are you gonna do?
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| U.S. Coast Guard letter on the left, deceptive letter on the right. |
A week later (clue #3 - the government is never that fast) came an email stating that my registration was not renewed in 2016, and that it would have to be reinstated. The charge for reinstatement was $350. What??? Indeed, in looking through my records I did not find the 2016 registration, or any evidence that I had submitted the reregistration last year. Referencing the site again I learned that if you miss a year, reinstatement would be necessary and could take weeks. What are you gonna do?
Back through the online service with a charge for … gulp… $350. Man, has the government ever got this revenue enhancement thing figured out. It was time for a letter to my congressman.
Good thing I didn’t send it. I received my reinstatement two weeks later in the mail, prompt and complete. A week after that, I saw a Passagemaker newsletter article about expensive service businesses sending official looking letters that look like they’re from the Coast Guard to unsuspecting boat owners. As I read the article I had the combined sensation of acute embarrassment and anger. It explained that the website referred to in these letters looked official too, but if you looked at the fine print at the bottom of the page, it stated that it was an online service agency not affiliated with the government, designed to help boat owners with their registration. Indeed, when I surfed on the official U.S. Coast Guard site, they provided a form you could mail in with your $26 for reregistration, or $84 for a reinstatement. The article continued by warning boaters to be on the look out for these entirely legal sites, judging the $50 and $265 service fee to perhaps be a bit steep - especially for an online business.
It’s getting to the point that I don’t trust any solicitation. Even when searching under “U.S. Coast Guard registration,” the first listing is an ad for one of these service bureau’s. See how easy it is to get hooked through a deceptive posting? The site owner argued that it's service is entirely legal, that disclaimers (to being affiliated with the government) can be found on all of their communications, and that the elevated fees are compensation for their services. ‘Mistrust and verify’ is the modern rule of thumb, I guess.
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