ASA Adjudication on Attitude Holidays
Attitude Holidays
112a Forest Hill Road
East Dulwich
London
SE22 0RS
Date:
31 August 2011
Media:
Internet (on own site)
Sector:
Holidays and travel
Number of complaints:
1
Complaint Ref:
A11-157377
Ad
Claims on a website, for a travel agent, in April 2011, stated "Attitude Holidays Ltd has been an IGLTA member since 2009 and prides itself on offering value for money services at the high-end of the gay travel market".
Issue
Mantrav International Group challenged whether the claim "Attitude Holidays Ltd has been an IGLTA member since 2009" was misleading and could be substantiated.
CAP Code (Edition 12)
Response
Attitude Holidays Ltd submitted documentation that they said demonstrated that they had been a member of the IGLTA since 2009.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA noted the documentation provided by Attitude Holidays. However, we understood from the IGLTA that Attitude Holidays had not been a member since October 2010. We therefore considered that the claim "Attitude Holidays Ltd has been an IGLTA member since 2009" had not been substantiated, and concluded that it was misleading.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising), 3.7 (Substantiation) and 3.50 (Endorsements and testimonials).
Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Attitude Holidays not to state that they were an IGLTA member, until such time as they were a member and held documentary evidence of their current membership.
