Good one Fred. I've noticed a lot of tv advertising lately where the statement being used to try to trick you into thinking you're buying a Canadian product is "shipped from Canada". To me, all that means is that an American company opened a warehouse in Niagara Falls, ON and think they can fool us wily Canucks. No way man.
If I can find a company name on an advertisement, I now routinely Google search the company to try to find out where they're from. (ok, now I just admitted that I use Google, an American search engine, but as far as I know we don't have a Canadian alternative)
Thanks Fred! What I sometimes notice is a "Maple Leaf" that is shaped like a weed plant, &, since I don't want to wear something that advertises weed, I walk away! It's like manufacturers think we won't notice the difference? We didn't just fall off a turnip truck, we KNOW what a beautiful Maple Leaf looks like!!! haha
Fred, I ordered a couple of sachets from SpZeria ( biotech) £30 paid with Apple Pay. That was on 3rd May . Looked at my bank account 3rd June, they had taken £40 out. Talked to my bank they ‘cancelled a subscription’ !? So I tried to find that company. Sent them an e mail asking what was it for? Ignored. Then I got an E mail saying they had cancelled the subscription I had not made. Slightly pissed off I sent back that I wanted my money back! Ignored again. Two days ago another e mail saying my order was on its way! Notified my bank, told them everything, sent copied of the e mail and asked them to raise a claim. Yesterday I received an e mail saying my order was on its way and if I returned it they would pay! The company is registered in Utah the United States, so the grift is all through the US , not just the top!
Thank you Fred, I bank with Starling, I found all the mainstream banks. Santander and HSBC. Very unhelpful when I got scammed last year. But that £40 was put back in My bank this morning.
Another terrific and very timely article, Fred. We try to buy Canadian as much as possible. My wife has celiac disease, and unfortunately we have to buy some Made in USA products. For a celiac, “food is medicine”. But thankfully, at least 80% of the gluten-free items she eats are made here in Canada.
On another issue, there was a piece on CBC radio recently warning soccer fans to be on the lookout for all sorts of fake FIFA merchandise. The commentator warned people that these fake items could contain cancer-causing materials, and it's hard to tell the genuine from the fake, because of false labelling. It's sort of like the spam texts and emails that all of us receive from time to time. We've noticed that the scammers are getting more sophisticated since it's often hard to tell if it's genuine or not. A senior in our condo recently fell victim to a scammer, and her identity was compromised. Perhaps a topic for one of your informative articles?
Thanks Jerry... and that’s a perfect example of where real life overrides ideology.
When food becomes medicine, you buy what keeps someone healthy. Full stop. No guilt attached to that.
It’s encouraging that so much of what your wife can eat is still made here in Canada. 🍁
And your FIFA point is a really good one.
Between fake merchandise, false labels, phishing texts, spoofed emails, and increasingly polished scams, the old rule of “if it looks suspicious” doesn’t work as well anymore...
because a lot of the scams don’t look suspicious anymore.
I’m sorry to hear about the senior in your condo.
That stuff makes my blood boil.
You may have just handed me a future article idea...
“The Scam Economy: Why Getting Fooled Is Becoming Easier... Even for Smart People.”
Because this isn’t about intelligence anymore.
The scammers are getting better at looking legitimate.
Excellent and timely article, Fred. I ordered a product online from a Canadian company but the product when it arrived was marked “Made in USA”. When I queried it, customer service told me that Canadian products on their website had maple leaf symbols. I felt cheated. No one these days marks Madd in USA anymore. And the fine print is getting smaller and smaller!
Exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about, Joanna. 🍁
Nothing wrong with selling products made elsewhere... just be upfront about it.
If Canadians are intentionally trying to support Canadian businesses, the burden shouldn’t be on customers to decode tiny fine print or hidden symbols after the fact.
That “surprise, it’s made somewhere else” feeling leaves a bad taste. Transparency matters.
Good one Fred. I've noticed a lot of tv advertising lately where the statement being used to try to trick you into thinking you're buying a Canadian product is "shipped from Canada". To me, all that means is that an American company opened a warehouse in Niagara Falls, ON and think they can fool us wily Canucks. No way man.
If I can find a company name on an advertisement, I now routinely Google search the company to try to find out where they're from. (ok, now I just admitted that I use Google, an American search engine, but as far as I know we don't have a Canadian alternative)
😂 Fair point, Frank.
“Shipped from Canada” is one of those phrases that sounds Canadian…
right up until you realize it may only mean the box crossed the border from a warehouse in Mississauga five minutes before landing on your porch.
That’s exactly why more of us are becoming accidental detectives.
Nothing wrong with importing products...
just don’t wrap it in maple-flavoured wording and hope nobody notices.
And hey… until Canada invents a search engine called MapleSearch, I think we’ll forgive the Google confession 😄🍁
Thanks Fred! What I sometimes notice is a "Maple Leaf" that is shaped like a weed plant, &, since I don't want to wear something that advertises weed, I walk away! It's like manufacturers think we won't notice the difference? We didn't just fall off a turnip truck, we KNOW what a beautiful Maple Leaf looks like!!! haha
😂 Fair point, Patsy.
Some of those “creative” maple leaf designs definitely make you do a double take.
And you’re right... Canadians know what our flag looks like.
We’ve seen enough real maple leaves over the years to spot an imposter from across the parking lot.
Maybe the new shopping rule is...
If the maple leaf looks suspicious… so might the marketing. 🍁😄
You are absolutely right Fred!!!
Some of us have seen a lot of pot leaves as well as maple leaves and can tell the difference😎
Absolutely Alexis! :)
"If I have to spend twenty minutes trying to figure out whether a company is actually Canadian…".
If I takeaway a main rule from your stack, it's this. Genuine Canadian companies can easily display credentials.
Good reminder Fred, especially when deliberate representation skirts misrepresentation.
Exactly, Pete.
That was really the whole point of the article.
Legitimate Canadian companies usually don’t make you play detective.
They’re proud to tell you who they are, where they’re based, and what’s actually Canadian about what they sell.
If customers have to go hunting through fine print just to figure out who’s behind the curtain… that’s a fair reason to pause. 🍁
Fred, I ordered a couple of sachets from SpZeria ( biotech) £30 paid with Apple Pay. That was on 3rd May . Looked at my bank account 3rd June, they had taken £40 out. Talked to my bank they ‘cancelled a subscription’ !? So I tried to find that company. Sent them an e mail asking what was it for? Ignored. Then I got an E mail saying they had cancelled the subscription I had not made. Slightly pissed off I sent back that I wanted my money back! Ignored again. Two days ago another e mail saying my order was on its way! Notified my bank, told them everything, sent copied of the e mail and asked them to raise a claim. Yesterday I received an e mail saying my order was on its way and if I returned it they would pay! The company is registered in Utah the United States, so the grift is all through the US , not just the top!
Oh Penny… that’s brutal. And sadly, it sounds very familiar these days.
The subscription trap is becoming a real problem...
tiny print, auto-renewals people never knowingly agreed to, ignored emails, and suddenly money starts quietly disappearing.
Good on you for catching it and getting the bank involved quickly.
The part that really bothers me is this...
You thought you were making a simple purchase.
Instead, you got pulled into a maze of ignored messages, mystery charges, and “Oops, your order is on the way” after you complained.
That’s exactly the kind of thing that makes ordinary people lose trust in online shopping.
And honestly? Stories like yours are why I wrote this piece.
More and more, we’re having to slow down and ask...
“Who exactly am I buying from here?”
I hope your bank claws every penny back for you. 🍁
Thank you Fred, I bank with Starling, I found all the mainstream banks. Santander and HSBC. Very unhelpful when I got scammed last year. But that £40 was put back in My bank this morning.
Another terrific and very timely article, Fred. We try to buy Canadian as much as possible. My wife has celiac disease, and unfortunately we have to buy some Made in USA products. For a celiac, “food is medicine”. But thankfully, at least 80% of the gluten-free items she eats are made here in Canada.
On another issue, there was a piece on CBC radio recently warning soccer fans to be on the lookout for all sorts of fake FIFA merchandise. The commentator warned people that these fake items could contain cancer-causing materials, and it's hard to tell the genuine from the fake, because of false labelling. It's sort of like the spam texts and emails that all of us receive from time to time. We've noticed that the scammers are getting more sophisticated since it's often hard to tell if it's genuine or not. A senior in our condo recently fell victim to a scammer, and her identity was compromised. Perhaps a topic for one of your informative articles?
Thanks Jerry... and that’s a perfect example of where real life overrides ideology.
When food becomes medicine, you buy what keeps someone healthy. Full stop. No guilt attached to that.
It’s encouraging that so much of what your wife can eat is still made here in Canada. 🍁
And your FIFA point is a really good one.
Between fake merchandise, false labels, phishing texts, spoofed emails, and increasingly polished scams, the old rule of “if it looks suspicious” doesn’t work as well anymore...
because a lot of the scams don’t look suspicious anymore.
I’m sorry to hear about the senior in your condo.
That stuff makes my blood boil.
You may have just handed me a future article idea...
“The Scam Economy: Why Getting Fooled Is Becoming Easier... Even for Smart People.”
Because this isn’t about intelligence anymore.
The scammers are getting better at looking legitimate.
Excellent and timely article, Fred. I ordered a product online from a Canadian company but the product when it arrived was marked “Made in USA”. When I queried it, customer service told me that Canadian products on their website had maple leaf symbols. I felt cheated. No one these days marks Madd in USA anymore. And the fine print is getting smaller and smaller!
Exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about, Joanna. 🍁
Nothing wrong with selling products made elsewhere... just be upfront about it.
If Canadians are intentionally trying to support Canadian businesses, the burden shouldn’t be on customers to decode tiny fine print or hidden symbols after the fact.
That “surprise, it’s made somewhere else” feeling leaves a bad taste. Transparency matters.
Very timely and a very good reminder to pay attention