All Articles in Consumer protection
ASA upholds BT complaint over Talk Talk campaign
A press ad for Talk Talk’s “Simply Broadband” package made a “half price” offer of £1.75 a month. BT complained that the reduction was not genuine as £3.50 had not been charged for long enough. Fiona Schneider reports.
Amazon Prime free trial offer probed by ASA
A mailing to Amazon account holders offered a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL of its Prime service. Small text in a covering letter said “Paid subscription starts automatically after free trial unless cancelled”. Was this clear enough? George Garrard reports.
FTC takes action against incentivised reviews
Georgia based automobile shipment broker Amerifreight offered customers a $50 discount if they reviewed the service online and increased the charge by $50 if they refused. Tom Sharpe reports on the ensuing enforcement action.
Should social gaming be governed by gambling laws?
The Gambling Commission has investigated social gaming to determine whether it should be regarded as commercial gambling and regulated under the Gambling Act 2005. Are existing consumer protection laws and regulations not enough? Thomas Spanyol reports.
Internet Advertising Bureau produces native ad disclosure guidance
Transparency is often a concern in so-called “native advertising” where editorial content includes advertising messages.. To help, the IAB has published “Content and Native Disclosure Guidance” to help marketers comply with consumer laws and the CAP Code. George Garrard reports.
Easter to see scrapping of “substantial damage” threshold
From 6 April 2015, the ICO can fine nuisance marketers up to £500,000 without establishing likely substantial damage or substantial distress, but what types of marketing will this extend to and what must ICO still establish? Stephen Groom reports.
Appeal by PLT Anti-Marketing provides guidance on CPRs
PLT charged a monthly fee for a service including registration with the UK “do not call” list, but failed to tell customers that this was otherwise available free of charge. Was this an illegal “misleading omission”? Barney Sich reports.
Now the sky’s the limit for magistrates’ fines for ad, sales and data law breaches
On 12 March 2015, the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Commencement No.11) Order 2015 became law and quietly revolutionised Magistrates’ powers to impose fines for breaches of advertising, trading and data laws. Stephen Groom reports.
Easyjet complains to ASA about unconnected Easyjet “helplines”
In sponsored search results, CTN Solutions and uk-phone.com both promoted their “Easyjet Customer Services” helplines but had no connection with the airline. Both included disclaimers. Did they work? Ben Dunham reports on the ASA’s decision.
ASA decides if Hexpress Healthcare’s use of green tick and “PharmCheck/Know your pharmacy” was misleading
The euroclinix healthcare website featured a logo with a green tick and “PharmaCheck Know your pharmacy” linked to information about the General Pharmaceutical Council and euroclinix’s owner Hexpress. Misleading? Fiona Schneider reports.
French consumer body lambasts social media small print
An opinion from the French “Abusive Clauses Commission” has complained of 46 provisions in social media site terms of use and privacy policies that in its view are unfair. Georgina Graham and Gregoire Dumas report.
