Who: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and MyFlowers Ltd
Where: United Kingdom
When: 09 July 2025
Law stated as at: 08 August 2025
What happened:
A paid-for online ad for a flower delivery service, MyFlowers Ltd, stated “Flowers Harrogate – Flowers in 3 Hours – myflowers.co.uk” and “Same-day & Free Next-day Flower Delivery”. The website homepage for MyFlowers also claimed “Free UK delivery from 3 hours” and “Delivery in 3 hours from the moment you order”. However, further down the page, below a list of “Recently Viewed” items and product reviews, under the heading “Details”, text stated, “Please note, the selected arrangement is available for Same-Day delivery only within London.”
The complainant argued that these ads were misleading as they implied that same-day delivery was available across the UK, which was not the case.
MyFlowers stated it would amend its ads to clarify that delivery within three hours was only possible in selected locations. The company also stated that it planned to ensure that significant limitations were clearly communicated.
The ASA upheld the complaint, finding that consumers would understand from the claim “flowers in 3 hours” that flowers could be delivered within three hours in Harrogate from the moment a consumer made a purchase. The ASA also considered that the claim “Same-day & Free Next-day Flower Delivery” would be understood by consumers to mean that such delivery was also available in Harrogate (which was not the case because same-day delivery was only available in London).
The ASA also considered that consumers would consider the claims “Free UK delivery from 3 hours” and “Delivery in 3 hours from the moment you order” on MyFlowers’ website to mean that delivery was available within three hours to any UK address. The text further down the website which stated “the selected arrangement is available for Same-Day delivery only within London” was only viewable by scrolling down and it was possible for a consumer to proceed to purchase without seeing this text. The ASA did not consider that this text was sufficiently prominent and contradicted the claim in the ad.
The ASA acknowledged that MyFlowers had agreed to make changes to its ads (such as by replacing “same-day delivery” in regional ads with “fast delivery” and adding clarification that delivery from three hours was only possible in selected areas). However, since these amendments were not in the ads as they appeared at the time, the ASA concluded that the ads were misleading.
Why this matters:
This ruling highlights the importance of ensuring that adverts are accurate and transparent, and that all significant information (such as the qualification at the bottom of MyFlowers’ website that same-day delivery was only available in London) is prominent such that a consumer does not have to search for it. The ruling is also a reminder that inaccurate and misleading advertising can lead to customer dissatisfaction and reputational damage.
