Advertisment
The online advertisement referred to the fact that:
“THE 1 CENT SALE IS NOW ON!”
The advertisement referred to the various treatments which were on offer during the sale with the “WAS” price and the “NOW” price referenced.
One offer referred to the following:
“Full Leg & Any Bikini + Underarm for 1 cent WAS €170 NOW €145”
The non-sale pricing list on the website offered the price for the same treatments as follows:
“Full Leg, Any Bikini & Underarm (Course of 6) €144”
Complaint
The complainant raised two issues in relation to the advertisements.
Issue 1
The complainant considered the 1 cent sale offer to be misleading. She queried how she could be making a saving on the full leg and any bikini + underarm for 1 cent at €145 if the normal cost of this treatment was €144.
Issue 2
The complainant said that while the full price cost for a full leg, any bikini & underarm (course of 6) was indicated as being €144 (course of 6) the actual cost of the treatment was €144 X6.
Response
The advertisers failed to provide a response to the complaints.
Conclusion
Complaint Upheld.
The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaint and expressed concern at the advertisers’ failure to respond to the complaint. They reminded them that there is an onus on advertisers to ensure that their advertising is in conformity with the Code.
In the absence of a response from the advertisers, the Committee concluded that the advertisement was in breach of Code sections 3.10, 4.1, 4.4, 4.9, 4.10 and 4.22 of the Code.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The advertising should not run again in its current format.
