ASA Adjudications

Norwich Reptile Company
44b City View Road
Hellesdon
Norwich
NR6 5HA
Number of complaints: 1
Date:10 January 2007
Media:Regional press
Sector:Retail

Ad
A regional press ad, for a reptilian pet shop, stated "Norwich's Leading & Largest Stockist of Reptiles & Exotics ... "
Issue
Reptile Crazy challenged the claim "Norwich's Leading & Largest Stockist of Reptiles & Exotics ... " because they believed their business was larger.


The CAP Code: 3.1;7.1;19.1

Response
Norwich Reptile Company (NRC) explained that they began trading in 1999 and that their business was the longest established reptile retailer in the area, selling to the public, other retailers and wildlife and adventure parks.  They explained that they had a long experience of dealing with reptiles and were regarded as experts in the field.  NRC added that their sales figures had grown consistently and sent us unit sales for January to June 2006 and testimonials from satisfied customers that they believed supported their claim "Leading and Largest Stockist of Reptiles and Exotics".

Assessment
Upheld
The ASA considered the evidence submitted by NRC.  We noted they seemed to be highly regarded by their customers and appeared to have a breadth of experience in dealing with reptiles.  We nevertheless concluded that, because they had not submitted comparative evidence to show that their unit sales and turnover were higher than Reptile Crazy's, they had not justified the claim "Norwich's Leading and Largest Stockists of Reptiles & Exotics".  In the absence of relevant comparative evidence, we concluded that the claim could mislead.   

The ad breached CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation), 7.1 (Truthfulness) and 19.1 (Fair comparison).


Action
We told NRC to delete the claim and advised them to contact the CAP Copy Advice team for help with future ads.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)

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