ASA Adjudication on CC Automotive Group Ltd

Ad

A radio ad for Carcraft stated " … why not renew your car? For just £99 a month and with your existing car as deposit, why not visit Carcraft now? … hundreds of cars … from just £99 deposit and £99 per month … Typical example: cash price £4710, deposit £99, credit £4611, 60 monthly payments of £99, 10.9% APR typical”. The ad was cleared for broadcast by the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre (RACC).

Issue

The complainant believed the ad was misleading, because the terms and conditions of the finance package given at the end of the ad were too quiet and could not easily be heard.

BCAP Radio Code

Response

Carcraft did not comment on the sound levels of the ad.  They explained that the ad was intended to convey the message that consumers might want to consider buying a new car rather than renewing an existing MOT.  They said, with this in mind, it was particularly timed to be broadcast at the beginning of August and was no longer being broadcast.  They said they had no plans to broadcast it again in future.

The RACC said they would remind Carcraft to ensure that the legal implications of any financial package were clearly audible in future ads.   

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA noted there was a drop in sound levels towards the end of the ad, when the terms and conditions of the financial agreement were relayed, which made it difficult to hear what was being said.  We also noted the speed at which the announcer read the terms and conditions was fairly rapid, again making them difficult to understand.  We concluded, because they were delivered too quickly and at a much lower volume than the rest of the information in the ad, the important terms and conditions were not clearly audible and that this could mislead listeners.  

The ad breached CAP (Broadcast) Radio Advertising Standards Code section 2 rule 3 (Misleadingness) and section 3 rule 1.2 (Financial Products and Services - Misleadingness).

Action

The ad should not be broadcast again in its current form.  

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Broadcast)