Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland releases latest Complaints Bulletin

The complainant considered the advertisement for car hire sent to them via email as misleading. The complainant stated that the prices shown in the email advertisement were significantly less than the prices listed on the actual website.

The complainant considered the advertisement offensive and degrading to women.

The complainant stated the website promoted parcel delivery between Ireland and the U.K.  The complainant considered the advertisement misleading after they enquired about the service and were told it was no longer available.

Teach Scoile: The Happy Tummy Co.

Internet (Advertisers’ Website)

Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages

The complainant stated that various claims listed multiple times throughout the website regarding the 2 Day-Soaked Wholegrain Chia Teff Bread Loaf were misleading as they believed the claims were unsubstantiated and not scientifically proven. They also believed the claims were misleading as the ‘medicinal’ effects of the bread have not been proven in clinical trials.

The complainant considered the advertisement misleading as he said that he could

not find any substantiation behind the claim ‘Dublin’s Best New York Style Pizza’.

Irish Wax Seals

Online (Company Own Website)

Misleading

The complainant purchased a custom-made wax seal from the advertisers as they

believed they were an Irish company. The cost of the item was

stated in euro, the company URL and email contact were also presented as if they belonged to an Irish company. The complainant stated that the website did not inform customers

that the business was in the UK and that items were shipped from there until after their confirmation of purchase.

Upheld

4.1 and 4.4

Issue 1:

The complainant objected to the advertisement on the basis that the claim “Connecting

every rural home” was inaccurate and misleading as the advertisers only operate in

Kerry and Cork.

Issue 2:

The complainant stated that the claim offering “wireless fibre speed broadband” was

misleading. They said that fibre broadband is delivered via cable while the broadband

offered by the advertisers was a wireless internet service. They also said that fibre

broadband delivered speeds up to 1,000Mbps whereas the wireless broadband offered

delivered speeds of maximum 50Mbps.

Issue 1: Upheld

Issue 2: Upheld

Howden Tools and Garage Equipment Ltd

The complainant considered that the advertisement depicted images of female models in

extremely sexualised positions and that this sexualisation of women was derogatory and

socially irresponsible. They felt that it promoted harmful gender stereotypes and portrayed

women as sexual objects.

PhoneWatch

Online (Social media)

Scope and Application / General

The complainant considered the advertisement to be offensive on the grounds that only one gender was being recruited for the role specified through the use of the world “Salesman” on the post.

Randox Laboratories Limited

Online (Advertisers Own Website)

There were four complaints received regarding two advertisements.

Ad 1: Complaint 1

The complainant had a PCR test on a Friday evening at 7pm and based on the advertising, considered that they should have received their results by 11pm on Saturday night. The complainant did not receive their results until 4.29am on the Sunday morning and because of the delay in receiving their results, had to arrange a second test with another company at an extra cost.

Ad 1: Complaint 2

The complainant considered the advertisement on the website which stated “results would be received by 11.59pm the next day” as misleading, as their test results were not received by 11.59pm the next day which resulted in them missing their flight.

Ad 2: Complaint 1 & 2

Two complainants considered that the name of the test “Next Day PCR Test” and the advertising claim of results being delivered by 11.59pm the next day were misleading, as they were contradicted by the terms and conditions which stated that results would be notified within 48 hours of receipt at laboratory.

Upheld

Advert 2: complaints 1&2

Upheld

Misleading

The complainant considered the advertisement misleading as it stated broadband speeds of up to 150Mb.They found after signing up their broadband speed was extremely slow.

Bulmers

Television

Scope and Application / Alcoholic Drinks

Issue 1:

The complainant considered that the advertisement had featured an activity that was childlike and attractive to children as their eleven-year-old child said they would like to try catching apples. The complainant also considered that the man at in the advertisement looked like a child from the behind.

Issue 2:

The complainant considered that the reference to the calorie content of the product implied that it is healthy despite being an alcoholic beverage.

National Lottery

Radio / Television / Company Own Website

Scope and Application / Misleading

13 complaints were received in relation to three advertisements in the campaign.

Issue 1:

The complainants considered there was a lack of substantiation and transparency around the claim “90% of money spent on the national lottery goes back into the community.”

Issue 2:

The complainants considered that retailers did not constitute the community, especially larger organisations which are funded by shareholders.

Issue 3:

Two complainants contended that the money does not go back into the community but to the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Fund.

Issue 1:

Not Upheld

Issue 2:

Not Upheld

Issue 3:

Not Upheld

PhoneWatch

Online (Third Party Media)

Principles / Misleading

The complainant considered the advertisement misleading to consumers as they did not believe the claim “PhoneWatch customers are 4 times safer than any other home security provider according to statistics from the CSO burglary report and PhoneWatch ARC data” could be substantiated. The complainant stated the advertisers own alarm receiving data could not prove their service was safer than others. They also requested evidence from the CSO burglary report.