Upheld

The ASA noted the ad stated "WE'RE FREE UNTIL 2012. Join David Lloyd Leisure today and enjoy free membership until 1st January 2012". We considered this made clear that readers would have to join a David Lloyd club in order take advantage of the offer. However, we also considered that most readers would understand the claim to mean that no charges would be applicable for them to take advantage of the offer, until 2012. We noted the small print stated "Joining fee may be payable when you join" but considered that this contradicted the claim "WE'RE FREE UNTIL 2012", rather than clarified what elements of the membership were being offered as "free". We also noted from the full terms and conditions that the offer was only available on 12-month contracts at racquets, health & fitness clubs and 3-month contracts at fitness clubs and considered that this was a significant condition that should have been made clear in the ad. While we noted the small print stated "facilities, fees, classes and membership contracts may vary by club" we considered this did not provide sufficient information to enable consumers to make an informed decision about whether to take advantage of the offer. We concluded that the ad was misleading.

The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) 3.1 and 3.3 (Misleading advertising) and 3.23 (Free).