We all love a good bargain, but when a high-end Italian appliance brand like Smeg starts displaying a retailing price of R60 for a designer kettle, something definitely sounds suspicious.
Recently, the Smeg professional kettle has been traveling through social media with the news that it can be purchased from Takealot for just R60 – marking something of a 98% discount.
The ads spreading the news like a virus took on user names like ‘Takealot Africa’ and ‘Special Offer’, and journeyed through Facebook and Twitter as users shared the ‘thrilling’ news.
To the dismay of many and the accurate eagle eyes of others – the ads are fake, and designed to drive users to ‘dodgy hardware reviews’ as BusinessInsider reports.
The publication investigated the ads and confirmed that they do not lead to the land of discounted Smeg appliances, but reviews on other items. the page views and clicks earn those other website money, but have nothing to do with what you thought you were clicking on.
A big tell in the falsity of the discounts is that the scammers put the rand’s ‘R’ behind the price, instead of in front of it.
The actual price of the Smeg kettle on Takealot is R3000 – ‘R’ in front of the digits.
And, for those who live in Cape Town, try get your Smeg fix at the Smeg store that opened in Constantia which boasts a wide range of the legitimate and gorgeous products.
Also read:
New Smeg store opens in Constantia, appliances in a league of its own!
Picture: Pexels