ASA Adjudication on Peoples Liverpool Ltd

Ad

A press ad for Peoples Ford was headed “200 REASONS TO BE HAPPY!” Body copy stated “200 high quality, low mileage used cars with fantastic savings and great benefits including: access to specialist Ford sales staff and Ford technicians; comprehensive pre-sale checks; independent RAC checks and much more. Come in this weekend - you’ll be smiles better off!” The ad showed several different Ford models and listed their features, sale prices and the branch locations Bridge Road, Prescot, Orrell Lane, Bootle and Speke Hall Road, Speke. One of the models was a 2006 Ford Focus LX, 5-door priced at £7,695.

Issue

A reader challenged the availability of the Ford Focus model.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

Peoples Ford provided stock records and copies of invoices which they believed showed they had Ford Focus models of the same specification as the one seen by the reader in stock when the ad was published, and that they had continued to purchase, hold in stock and sell further models of the same specification after that. They said they could not explain why the customer was told no model was available, but believed it may have been the case that a trainee salesperson had failed to follow their company procedures on this occasion.

Assessment

Not upheld

The ASA noted that the stock records and invoices Peoples Ford provided showed that Ford Focus models of the specification advertised had been sold to customers at the price stated. Because the ad had run once a week for a month, some of those transactions had taken place before the ad the complainant had seen and responded to was published. Nevertheless, the records showed that when the ad the complainant saw appeared, there was a Ford Focus model of the specification and price advertised available for sale. We considered Peoples Ford had provided sufficient evidence to support the claim.

We investigated the ad under CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation), 7.1 (Truthfulness) and 16.1 (Availability) but did not find it in breach.

Action

No action necessary.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)