ASA Adjudication on Dell Computer Corporation Ltd

Ad

A newspaper insert for Dell advertised various laptops, hard drive and monitor packages and other accessories, including the Dell Photo All-in-One Printer 926. Text underneath the prices listed against the laptops and hard drive and monitor packages stated “Incl. VAT & Shipping.” Copy underneath a photograph of the 926 stated “The Dell Photo All-in-One 926 is the essential home printing solution. It’s an affordable All-In-One scanner, printer and copier that will save space and unleash your productivity, with lightning fast print speeds of up to 20 pages a minute mono and 15 pages a minute colour.” The price £70 was crossed through and was replaced with “£59 Incl. VAT**” The text was linked to a footnote which stated “Delivery charges range from £3 excl. VAT (£3.53 Inc. VAT) to £13 excl. VAT (£15.28 Incl. VAT) on items purchased without a system.”

Issue

A reader challenged whether the ad should have stated that an essential cable to connect the printer with the PC was not included in the price.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

Dell said they did not supply cables as standard with printers because they believed purchasers were likely to possess one already and would not necessarily need or want a new one.  They said they did not believe the ad gave the impression that a cable was included but that, if a customer needed one, they had the opportunity to purchase one when they ordered a printer.

Assessment

Upheld

We noted that it was essential to have a cable to use the printer and that a cable was likely to cost approximately £14.  We considered this was a significant cost in relation to the price of the printer.  We considered the ad gave the impression that the printer could be used in conjunction with a computer without the purchase of any further equipment and that the natural expectation among customers was that a cable would be included in the advertised price unless the ad specifically stated that it was not.

The ad breached CAP Code clause 7.1 (Truthfulness).

Action

We told Dell to ensure their ads stated that cables were not included in the advertised prices for printers in future, if that was the case.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)