Bad way to sell telescopes

This past weekend on the HSN/America's Store shopping network a Meade representative, Tom Pigott, was hawking a 4.5 inch Meade telescope. During his pitch he showed a picture of the "face on Mars" taken by the Mars orbiter. He made the claim that the Meade telescope being sold would be able to see it just like in the photo. He also displayed planetary photographs that could have been taken with the Hubble, indicating that planets would appear just as the photographs showed. What can be done to put the truth back in the advertisement of telescopes? The whole hobby suffers from this kind of false representation. Doesn't HSN or Meade care what is said to sell telescopes? I guess with this type of presentating, they don't! We need to let those companies that resort to these deceptive practice's and falsehoods know that that this can not be condoned and especially since it was done on national television. No wonder this hobby is graying.

Not only on TV, but also look around Walmart and all those department stores. (not only Meade does this though...)

I love my Meade Scope, don't get me wrong, but I surely hate misleading advertisement...

I wish there was something that could be done, but not sure what, considering they've been able to do this for all this time... and got away with it.


It is the sad side of our hobby...

Jeff,

I bought my Meade AT-90 refractor through HSN last year. I really love my telescope, read some of my posts in other sections. HSN was fine, but the Meade Customer Service was not helpful at all with and electronic problem I was having.

Anyway, I agree with you about the on-screen advertizing being misleading. This goes back to the old maxim, "Let the Buyer Beware."

I had the experience and knowledge about telescopes to make a good choice, but I know most people watching HSN don't have a clue.

The result is, HSN and Meade make a lot of sales, and many of the scopes end up unused in the closet or attic. Check out your local garage sales. The shame is, that there is interest in astronomical observing, but this budding interest is abused for profit, and snuffed out.

Rick W