Complaint on Misleading Advertisement

Dear Customer Service @ Robinsons,

I am writing to complain on the misleading advertisement promotion for the Beauty Hall Specials that I received via a newsletter as a Robinssons member.After receiving the said newsletter with an attractive promotion, I have purposely set my way to Robinsons Gardens yesterday 17/1/10 in view to shop there and be entitle to the lucky dip. Your Robinson's newsletter states:

Be entitled for a lucky dip with a min. spend of RM228 in a single receipt at Beautyhall, from 8 to 24th Januar, 2010.Prizes include Beauty Hall Vouchers, full size items, Beauty treatments voucher from Lancome, Laura Mercier, Dior, Benefit, Givenchy, Versace, Ferrari and many more.

NOTE the highlighted sentence concerned which affected in my decision making to go to Robinsons Garden when I could have gone to other shopping malls with offering other attractive promotions. Imagine my horror when my lucky dip yesterday was a:

SAMPLE ITEM from Dior (2ml) which I could have gotten for FREE AS A SAMPLE without needing to spend RM228 in Robinsons Garden.

I understand from reading the promotion it says PRIZES INCLUDE Beauty Hall Vouchers, Full Size Items, beauty Treatments voucher from the brand concerns. It did not say samples were also included or were a part of the lucky dip. There was no clauses written to warn customers that lucky dip may be anything from samples or worthless items only that promotion valid while stocks last and check in store for details which I have check with Robinsons Customer Service whether there was still stocks and if they were really giving away Vouchers, Full Size Item and Beauty Treatments as the lucky dip which the customer service staff confirm the newsletter is right and still in stock.

I have been advised to make a complaint to the management to seek an explanation over this misleading advertisement which clearly breach Consumer Act Malaysia under section 14.1 and 14.3 as below:

Section 14 : Gifts, Prizes, Free Offers, Etc.

1. No person shall offer any gift, prize or other free item -

a. with the intention of not providing it; or

b. with the intention of not providing it as offered.

3. A person who offers a gift, prize or other free item may impose any reasonable

condition on the offer.

4. Where a person imposes a condition on the offer, he shall -

a. describe the condition clearly;

b. ensure that the description of the condition is conspicuously placed near the expression "free" or "free offer", as the case may be; and

c. ensure that the print of the description of the condition is at least half as large as

the print used for the expression "free" or "free offer".

I seek an explanation to my inquiries and a refund in RM230 for the purchases I made to qualify for the "Lucky Dip" in which I would not have purchase if I knew I would be getting a "sample" from the Robinson's BeautyHall Specials promotion.

Regards,

Ms. Lim

[handphone no.]