Advertisment
The advertisement for cruise travel insurance on the advertiser’s website stated the following:
“Cruise Travel Insurance
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Heading on a cruise this Summer? Wherever your ship is taking you, we’ve got you covered. Includes all of our standard travel insurance benefits.”
Complaint
The complainant considered the advertisement to be misleading. He setup and paid for travel insurance, contacted the advertisers to get a confirmation cruise cover was included, paid medical excess premium, and requested confirmation of cruise cover. He was advised by the advertisers that they did not do cruise cover.
Response
The advertisers said that the website section referred to in the complaint in relation to Cruise travel cover was a valid policy cover. They said, however, that due to the pandemic it was a cover which was going to be amended from August 2021 and their website would be updated to reflect this change. They said that Cruise travel cover was made up of a standard travel insurance policy with additional extras selected where the trip was a cruise style holiday.
They said that the website content was up to date as at its current date but that due to policy changes and the commencement of sections of the Consumer Information Contracts Act 2019 in September 2021, the website would be undergoing amendments subsequently in any event, and some of the benefits of cruise cover were being removed due to the Covid 19 situation. They also said that the section in question had been removed from their website in its entirety and that the website was being re-constructed due to CICA regulations 2019 due to be implemented on 1st September 2021.
Conclusion
Complaint Upheld.
The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaint and the advertisers’ response. They noted the changes made on the advertisers’ website due to policy changes
The Committee considered that the impression created by the advertising prior to being amended was that Cruise cover was available. As this was not the situation in this case, the Committee considered that the advertisement to be in breach of Section 4.1 of the Code.
ACTION REQUIRED:
As the advertisement had been amended, there is no further action required.
