Ad description
A sponsored search ad for Luton 247 Airport Parking stated "£40 for 7 days ... No hidden charges".
Issue
The complainant challenged whether the claim "£40 for 7 days" was misleading and could be substantiated.
Response
Luton 247 Airport Parking Ltd stated that the service was available for the price stipulated on the ad, and provided anonymised records of recent transactions that showed purchases of seven-day parking for £40 and eight-day parking for £43. They stated that prices might rise during holiday seasons as demand for the service increased, but that they would provide the service at the price advertised. They also provided a log of the changes made to the ad, showing the period for which the price was advertised.
Assessment
Not upheld
The ASA understood that the complainant had received an online quote for parking from 7 June to 14 June for £43, and that they considered this was contrary to the implication of the ad because they felt it constituted seven days and should therefore have cost £40. However, we noted that these dates reflected eight continuous and inclusive calendar days, rather than seven, and that by itself this did not negate the claim in the ad. We noted that the data provided by the advertiser demonstrated during the time the ad was live, according to the change log, all customers booking parking covering all or part of seven consecutive days had been charged £40 and that those booking parking covering all or part of eight consecutive days had been charged £43. In light of this, we concluded that the ad was not misleading.
We investigated the ad under CAP Code rules (Edition 12) Code rules 3.1 3.1 Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. (Misleading Advertising), 3.7 3.7 Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove claims that consumers are likely to regard as objective and that are capable of objective substantiation. The ASA may regard claims as misleading in the absence of adequate substantiation. (Substantiation) and 3.17 3.17 Price statements must not mislead by omission, undue emphasis or distortion. They must relate to the product featured in the marketing communication. (Prices), but did not find it in breach.
Action
No further action required.
