National Association of College Stores Reaches Agreement with Bigger Words on Textbook Savings Claims

OBERLIN, Ohio, April 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of College Stores (NACS), the professional trade association representing the collegiate retailing industry, today announced that it has reached an agreement with Bigger Words, Inc. regarding textbook savings claims that appeared on the company's website, bigwords.com. On January 28, 2016, NACS filed a complaint with the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau asking Bigger Words to substantiate claims of substantially lower textbook prices and annual savings that students would realize by purchasing textbooks through bigwords.com.

NACS challenged several of Bigger Words' savings claims, including that its prices were "up to 90% cheaper than bookstores" and that consumers could save $1,000 annually. NACS believed that these claims did not accurately reflect the competitive prices available from college bookstores and other retailers.

While Bigger Words did not agree that it made any false or misleading statements, Bigger Words has agreed to remove or change the language on its website and other communications to more accurately describe the price comparisons that students and other consumers will experience.

"NACS regularly reviews claims pertaining to textbook costs and savings and has, on several occasions, successfully convinced other retailers to correct misleading ads," said Jenny Febbo, NACS spokesperson. "The agreement announced today is just one of the ways that NACS and its members help to educate students and their parents on textbook options and costs so that they can make sound and informed purchasing decisions." 

NACS supports fair competition among retailers, including online textbooks sellers, as it ultimately benefits student consumers.  Many NACS members offer online textbook purchase options and price comparison tools. NACS also publishes a set of Advertising Guidelines to help retailers make reasonable and accurate advertising claims.

About The National Association of College Stores
The National Association of College Stores (NACS) is the professional trade association representing the $10 billion collegiate retailing industry. NACS represents nearly 4,000 campus retailers and approximately 1,000 industry-related companies that supply course materials and other merchandise and services to campus stores. NACS provides education and other resources that help its member stores support student success, the campus experience, and the academic missions of higher education institutions. NACS is headquartered in Oberlin, Ohio. Additional information can be found online at www.nacs.org.

SOURCE National Association of College Stores

Related Links

http://www.nacs.org