Advertisment
A one-day sale event on the advertiser’s website included an offer on a sofa and footstool.
“Axel chaise sofa plus large footstool bespoke options.
€650.00
Save €2,350”
The advertisement was amended after two days to state:
“Axel chaise sofa plus large footstool bespoke options
VARIENTS (sic)
€650.00
Save €2,350”
Complaint
The complainant considered that the advertising was misleading as after enquiry, they were informed that the sofa was €2,395 and the footstool was €650. The advertisement was subsequently amended to include the word “Varients” (sic), however the saving claim of €2,350 and a price claim of €650 were still being made. The complainant considered that the description in the advertisement, the advertised price and saving were misleading as there was no reference to the fact that the price was a ‘from’ price and no indication of where the saving of €2,350 was from.
Response
The advertisers said that the issue the complainant has raised was due to a product link becoming corrupted which mixed up the various variants. They said that as it was a website purchase, the bespoke item was freely available to order or purchase at the price advertised during the online 24-hour sale, therefore, it was not misleading. They said that when the matter was pointed out to them, they had the listing corrected by their technical team immediately. They apologised for the technical hitch and that they would never wish to mislead and that they would strive to ensure that the error would not reoccur and that the item was no longer on their website.
They said that due to personnel changes they did not have information available to them, such as product details on sale at the advertised price of €650 or substantiation for the savings claim of €2,350.
Conclusion
Complaint Upheld
The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaint and the advertisers’ response. The Committee noted the information provided in relation to a technical hitch, and that the advertisement had been amended. However, notwithstanding the inclusion of the word ‘varients’ (sic), the advertisement continued to present the price as €650 with a saving of €2,350.
The Committee noted that the headline of the advertisement had featured and stated “Axel chaise sofa plus large footstool”, with an accompanying price, and that the Code required that stated prices should relate to the product depicted or specified in the marketing communication. The Committee also noted that substantiation had not been provided in relation to the saving claim of 2,350.
In the circumstances, and in the absence of any substantiation for the savings claim, the Committee considered that the advertising was in breach of Sections, 4.1, 4.4, 4.9, 4.10, 4.22 and 4.26 of the Code.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Committee reminded the advertisers to ensure that any future similar offers could be substantiated and that prices and illustrated products matched.
