DEAR ABBY: Last month, your column carried a letter about people receiving advertisements for weight-loss products with supposedly "personal" Post-It notes attached, advising the recipient to "Try it, it works!" The notes are never signed with more than an initial. I immediately wrote to thank you for running that letter because I received one of those ads two years ago, and it was hurtful.
Would you believe yet another one of those ads arrived in the mail yesterday? This time it is for a product that will purportedly ignite a man's sexual performance, but the Post-It was omitted. Written in ballpoint pen in the margin was the same little message, signed with the initial "R." Am I supposed to know who "R" is?
What makes this latest mailing laughable is that I am an 86-year-old single woman who has been without a mate for almost 12 years. What do I need this for?
The advertisement featured a picture of a man who is supposed to be a doctor, and a California postmark -- but, of course, no return address. So much for this "amazing formula ... a magical combination of the world's most potent and scientifically documented male sexual restorers."
Dare I hope that you can give this topic more publicity so these ridiculous ads will stop? -- CONCERNED IN MASSACHUSETTS
DEAR CONCERNED: Thank you for sending me the ad. The text reminded me of a bodice-ripper novel. What a hoot!
Things that seem too good to be true often are too good to be true. Therefore, I don't recommend "miracle" products. I don't know whether this one will work or not; however, the one thing that product is sure to "inflate" is the manufacturer's bank balance.