ASA Non-broadcast Adjudication: First Alternative Insurance Services Ltd

Complaint

Objection to a magazine advertisement, for car insurance, headlined "First Alternative, the marque of cheaper car insurance". Text underneath stated "Paying over £400 for your car insurance? Then you should call First Alternative now ...". The complainant, who was quoted a price of £681.64 by the advertisers, objected that the advertisement misleadingly implied car insurance cover would cost less than £400.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Adjudication

Complaint not upheld

The advertisers believed the advertisement did not imply they offered premiums of less than £400 for all readers; they said they wanted to convey the message that they could provide cheaper car insurance to customers who had expensive car insurance. They believed that, because they had phrased "Paying over £400 for your car insurance?" as a question, they had made clear to consumers that they were not making a claim about the cost or cover provided by their policy. They said most consumers would understand that, because premiums depended on a combination of risks attached to a driver and their car, there was no guarantee that an insurer would be able to provide cover, and insurers could not guarantee the price of cover in advance. The advertisers sent examples of other advertisements that posed a question to encourage particular groups of readers to request quotes.

The Authority acknowledged that the advertisers wanted to encourage consumers with car insurance premiums over £400 to find out whether they could get a cheaper policy from them. It considered that the statement "Paying over £400 for your car insurance? Then you should call First Alternative now …" was likely to be seen as alerting readers to those people who might benefit from the advertisers'' service, not to imply car insurance cover from the advertisers'' company would definitely cost less than £400. The Authority concluded that the advertisement was unlikely to mislead.