I think my point about legality is still being misunderstood.
Retail outlets sometimes get in trouble for fiddling their 'sales' to make it look like the product usually costs more, when in reality it never cost what they claim it did. That gives people the impression the product is worth more and that they're getting a better deal.
I wouldn't credit the Allams with such wit, but it's surely the same thing. Promoting a product based on a price lower than the 'standard' or after sale price, when the product is never actually sold for that price. And you surely can't legally argue that you just swapped it for a different benefit because regardless, people bought under the impression they were getting a discount, and they weren't.