ASA Adjudication on Computers Fixed 4U
Computers Fixed 4U
Allen House Business Centre
Sawbridgeworth
Hertfordshire
CM21 9JX
Date:
3 October 2012
Media:
Internet (on own site)
Sector:
Computers and telecommunications
Number of complaints:
1
Complaint Ref:
A12-203298
Ad
A website, www.computersfixed4u.co.uk, stated "Our promise... No FIX, No Fee !"
Issue
The complainant challenged whether the claim "No FIX, No Fee" was misleading and omitted significant information as they believed a £20 non-refundable deposit was required.
CAP Code (Edition 12)
Response
Computers Fixed 4U told us that the £20 non-refundable deposit was a cost to diagnose a problem and was unrelated to fixing a computer and therefore the claim was not misleading. They said that potential customers would be told about the fee when they contacted them and this would be charged if a diagnosis had to be made to fix their computer.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA acknowledged that a diagnostic test was different from having a problem fixed, but understood that a diagnosis was necessary to identify an issue. Because the £20 was a non-optional fee if a customer wanted their computer fixed, we concluded that the ad omitted material information a customer would need in order to make an informed decision about the service. The ad was, therefore, misleading.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12), rules 3.1, 3.3 (Misleading advertising) and 3.9 (Qualification).
Action
The ad must not appear in its current form. We told Computers Fixed 4U to make clear if a non-refundable fee applied for diagnosis.
