Advertisment
A part of the leaflet depicted a range of laundry and cleaning products with the headline
stating:
“HALF PRICE Sale”
The footnote included that:
“Offers available in participating stores only, while stocks last.”
Complaint
The complainant considered the advertisement to be in breach of the Code as he visited
four stores looking for an item which had been advertised as part of the half-price sale,
and none of the stores visited had the item in stock.
Response
The advertisers said that according to their records the product was available on the dates
indicated in three out of four stores. They said they had no issues reported in relation to
the availability of this product, or any record of a customer looking for the product in these
stores or registering a complaint in relation to non-availability of the product. They said
it was difficult to confirm 100% that the product had been available in store at the exact
moment the customer entered the store, but they believed the product was available in
three of the four stores mentioned by the complainant.
The ASAI Executive requested the advertisers to provide the information on quantities for
the product available in the three stores which ran with the offer. No further
correspondence was received by the advertisers.
Conclusion
Complaint Upheld.
The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaint and the advertisers’
response. The Committee noted that the product was believed to have been available in
three out of four stores but that no documentary evidence had been provided to
demonstrate its availability.
The Committee concluded the advertisement was in breach of sections 4.1 and 4.10 of the
Code.
Action Required:
Advertisers should ensure that they can demonstrate that products are available as
advertised.
