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Kettle and slow cooker advertisements on the Shopping TV channel misled viewers over price savings and pressured them to buy, according to the Advertising Standards Authority.
The ASA found that the ads breached advertising code rules on a number of conditions. They told the channel to modify the ads and to stop creating product statements that could not be followed through.
The ads seemed to be live reverse auctions, with a start price for the product, of which a limited number was available. The price then decreased over the course of the advert. However, viewers were told that the time of buying the product was irrelevant as they would only pay the final, lowest price.
In an advert for a brushed stainless steel kettle broadcast on March 22, the price started at £40 and ended at £19.99. On-screen graphics showed that there were 16 kettles available at first, yet the presenter stated that there were only 10. Just one was left at the end of the auction.
It was noted that the ad had been repeated several times by the ASA, with the same start and end prices each time. However, the fact that it was a repeat was not obvious, and viewers could therefore be led to think that an actual reverse auction was happening live. They also commented that the conflicting information about the quantity of kettles left was confusing and easily misunderstood.
The ad for a Morphy Richards slow cooker featured a starting price of £70, with "Special price £37.99" shown on-screen to viewers. The presenter stated: "I want you to check in your local high street...check wherever you want. You will not get this for £37.99 anywhere. You will pay £70." The final price was £29.99 - yet the screen still confusingly showed it at £37.99 - and customers were told: "It will never be £29.99 again, ever again."
Despite the ad implying that the offer was a one-time chance, the ASA said that it was repeated two days later. It concluded that consumers had been unable to make an informed choice and had been subjected to undue pressure to purchase the item.
The ASA also said that the highest high street price found for the cooker was actually £40, and that it could be bought on the internet for £19.95. Similarly, they could not find the kettle being sold for Shopping TV's starting price of £40 anywhere and said it was in fact priced at between £24 and £17.38 on the internet.
Shopping TV's starting prices were therefore deemed fake and the adverts deceiving in their claims.
The ASA also noted that the postage and packing price was illegible in the on-screen graphics. |
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