ASA Adjudication on Staples UK Retail Ltd

Ad

A brochure, for Staples office supplies, included an ad for the HP Photosmart 2575 printer. It stated "... Built-in ethernet for easy network connectivity ... Was £129.99 HALF PRICE £64.99 ".

Issue

A customer believed the ad was misleading because:

1. it did not state that a further purchase was required and he needed to buy a USB cable to connect the printer to his computer, at an additional cost of £44 and

2. he said he was told by the store that the cable was previously included with the printer when it had been sold at full price. He believed that, because the cable was no longer included with the printer, the additional USB cable cost increased the sale price to more than half of the original price.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

1. Staples said connecting a printer to a computer generally required a USB cable. They said a customer could use a USB cable they already owned or buy a new one. Staples said the cheapest cable they sold was priced at £11.99. They said they did not sell a cable for £44 and were unsure what the customer could have been offered for that price but they did not believe it was a USB cable, which they sold for significantly less than £44. They said they were concerned that the customer had been misinformed.

2. Staples said the HP Photosmart 2575 All-in-One printer had not previously been sold with a USB cable included. They said the printer advertised at £64.99 was identical to the product sold in the past for the full price of £129.99. They pointed out that it was clear from the specifications, which came with the printer, that the cable was not an included component but an optional item, which could be purchased separately.

Assessment

1. Upheld

The ASA noted that it was not possible to use the printer without a cable to connect it to a computer. We considered that the ad gave the impression that the printer was ready to use without the purchase of any further equipment. We considered that customers were likely to expect a cable would be included in the advertised price unless the ad specifically stated otherwise. We told Staples to make clear in the ad that a USB cable was required.

On this point, the ad breached CAP Code clauses 7.1 (Truthfulness), 15.3 (Prices) and 27.4 (Promotions).

2. Not upheld

We noted the manufacturer's technical specifications stated that the cable was not included as part of the printer package but had to be bought separately. Because the printer had not previously been sold with a USB cable, we considered the product previously sold was the same as the one advertised and the sale price did not mislead.

On this point, we investigated the ad under CAP Code clauses 7.1 (Truthfulness), 15.3 (Prices) and 27.4 (Promotions).

Action

We told Staples to ensure their future ads stated whether or not cables were included in the advertised price for printers.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)