The Offer Service Ltd 214 Latitude 130 Clapham Common South Side London SW4 9DX News International Ltd 1 Virginia Street London E98 1XY Number of complaints: 1

Date: 1 October 2008 Media: National press Sector: Publishing

Ad
A reader offer in The Times was headlined "Cut ironing time in half with this cordless steam iron only £19.99 ... ".  Further text stated "Save £50 on the very latest lightweight, cordless iron and make ironing quick and easy".  An image of the iron was below and a caption stated "Save £50 on the RRP".

Issue
The complainant challenged whether the RRP of £69.99 and the advertised saving of £50 were genuine.

The CAP Code:

7.1;15.5

Response
The Offer Service Ltd (The Offer Service) said their supplier had stated that the iron was a unique product and they were the only importer of that particular iron, which was not yet generally available on the high street.  In agreement with the manufacturer the supplier suggested this made £69.99 a viable selling price for an iron with a lightweight cordless design, which made it significantly different from standard corded irons.

Assessment
Upheld
The ASA noted The Offer Service's supplier said they were the sole importer of the product and suggested £69.99 to be a viable selling price.

Because The Offer Service did not send evidence to show the iron had been generally sold at the advertised RRP of £69.99 before the ad appeared, we concluded the RRP was not genuine and the ad was misleading.

The ad breached CAP Code clauses 7.1 (Truthfulness) and 15.5 (Prices).

Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form.  We told The Offer Service and News International Ltd not to refer to RRPs unless they could show the product was generally sold at that price.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)