Washington, DC – The Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) has filed a petition with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), asking the agency to take action against Element Electronics, LLC. Element deceptively misleads American consumers by falsely advertising its televisions as “Assembled in USA” when virtually all of their manufacturing was actually done in China.
If a company wants to wrap itself with the American flag in advertising, it should at least meet the bare minimum standard for manufacturing and assembling products in the USA. It’s our duty to expose this sort of ‘red, white and blue-washing’ wherever it occurs. We hope the FTC will take all the actions necessary to preserve the integrity of made or assembled in the USA. – AAM President Scott Paul
Element’s assembly process in the United States violates the FTC’s “Assembled in USA” standard. The so-called domestic assembly consists of nothing more than Element’s employees removing the televisions from their Made-in-China boxes, checking the screens for scratches, and using pneumatic screwdrivers to open the back of each television and insert a memory board. The televisions, then, have some mechanical testing performed on them and are re-packaged in their original boxes to be sold.
“Element is a poster child of Walmart’s recent Made in America push,” added Paul. “Through heavy advertising consumers are led to believe that Element’s televisions contribute to bringing jobs back to the United States. We hope through our action that this façade will be exposed and that Element will take real steps to not only meet but exceed the Assembled in USA standard.”
AAM filed this petition as an advocate for consumers who are seeking out American-made products. AAM bought two Element televisions for its office and promoted the purchases on its website. AAM prides itself on buying American-made or assembled products whenever possible, often sharing news of these products with supporters.
“We know consumers are more eager than ever to buy American-made products. We want to ensure American consumers are not being deceived,” Paul said.