Making a complaint about an ad in new media

If you want to complain about the content of an advertisement or promotion that is covered by the CAP Code (see above), you can complete the online complaints form by clicking the link How to Complain on the Index. Before you do that, however, you should take the Consumer Guided Tour.

If the advertisement you want to complain about does not fall within our remit, you may want to contact the Trading Standards department of your local authority.  This may be the case if you want to complain about a claim a company is making about its goods or services on its own website or if you want to know more about your rights when buying goods and services online. Visit www.tradingstandards.gov.uk to find the contact details of your local Trading Standards department.

Reducing unwanted commercial e-mails (SPAM)

If you are receiving e-mail from companies based in the UK that you have had no dealings with before and you know that you have not given them permission to contact you by e-mail, you can contact the ASA about the e-mail and we will take action to stop the company e-mailing you again. Simply save the e-mail and then visit the online complaints form on our website where you can upload the e-mail as an attachment. If we can identify and track down the company behind the e-mail, we will act to stop them sending spam.

It is important that this procedure is followed. Please don't forward Spam to an ASA e-mail address unless a member of ASA staff has asked you to do so; if everyone who received the millions of pieces of Spam sent from around the world simply forwarded the e-mail to the ASA, we simply wouldn't be able to cope.

Remember, we can only help stop e-mail from companies based in the UK. Companies that you have already dealt with (those you have shopped with or you have asked for information) can still e-mail you about similar goods and services, as long as they give you the opportunity to object to receiving further e-mail.