Read the following article from the Irish Times about advertisements that had to be withdrawn following consumer complaints made to the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI). Answer the accompanying questions.
FORCED TO REMOVE MISLEADING ADS By Finnian Curran
Confusion over airplane seats, misleading broadband speeds and a guarantee to lose a stone in 12 days saw Aer Lingus, Vodafone and Educogym forced to withdraw adverts by the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI).
The authority upheld 11 complaints in its latest quarterly report which found a lack of truthfulness was the largest cause of concern for consumers.
Among the adverts criticised was a promotional email by Aer Lingus which guaranteed 50% off the price of every seat on selected routes from London to Ireland from December 1st to March 25th.
The complainant said when he went to book a flight for his friend to fly home for Christmas, he found he could not receive the discount as it fell within the Christmas period which Aer Lingus said was not included in the promotion.
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A complainant is the party who makes a formal or legal complaint against another party.
AER LINGUS AND VODAFONE
He claimed only when he looked at the terms and conditions of the offer, which he considered to be in small print did he discover that the Christmas period was excluded from the offer.
The complainant stated in their view the advertisement was misleading as it had guaranteed 50% off ‘every’ seat.
Aer Lingus is yet to respond to the complaint. The ASAI forced the airline to remove the advertisement.
1. Why did the complainant find the Aer Lingus promotional email misleading?
