Online Retailer

ieDepot provided the following offer on their website:

“10% + 5% OFF = 15% off EVERYTHING*

All prices are marked down 10% & receive a further 5% voucher off the value of your purchase when you leave a 5 star product review at ieDepot by Jan 30th

*Excludes Gas”

The complainant considered that in offering consumers 5% back on purchases if they provided a 5 star review on products to be essentially paying for good reviews. He considered that even if customers wanted to write a bad review, they would not do so as they would forfeit the 5% discount. He considered, therefore, that the reviews had the potential to mislead.

The Executive also raised their concerns with the advertisers in relation to the use of the word “Everything” in an offer where an exclusion applied.

The advertisers failed to provide a response to the complaint.

Complaint Upheld.

The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaint. The Complaints Committee expressed concern at the advertisers’ failure to respond to the complaint. They reminded them that there is an onus on advertisers to ensure that their advertising is in conformity with the Code. The Committee noted that the advertisers had not offered clarity in relation to the reviews provided by their customers nor had they offered any comment on the fact that they had referred to ‘everything’ being discounted in the main heading of their offer when an exclusion applied. The Committee concluded that in the absence of a response from the advertisers that the advertising was in breach of Sections 3.10, 4.1, 4.4 and 4.6 of the Code.

ACTION REQUIRED:
The Complaints Committee advised the advertisers that the offer should not run in the same format again.