Nowadays, many business models involve giving something away 'for free' in
order to promote the sale of some other commodity. One example of this is reflected in the following slogan: "Free laptop when you take out mobile Internet on an 18-month contract".
I recently saw the following entry in my local newspaper:
My immediate reaction was: are they giving away free phones?
My dilemma was partly resolved when I saw the '0800' number underneath the 'Free Phone ' offer. I guess what the advertiser really means is: you can make a free phone-call in order to find out more. Maybe I should ring the number and check this out - my opening line being "Are you really giving away free phones?".
