Ad description
A paid-for search result on Google for National Express coach journeys from York to London, seen on 5 October 2017, stated "Journeys From 4h 35mins".
Issue
The complainant, who was unable to find any journeys from York to London under five hours, challenged whether the claim "Journeys From 4h 35mins" was misleading.
Response
National Express explained that an incorrect journey time had been quoted as a result of human error. They supplied a copy of the amended ad showing the correct journey time.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA considered consumers were likely to interpret the ad to mean that a significant proportion of coach journeys from York to London would be completed in four hours and 35 minutes as quoted. We welcomed National Express' acknowledgement of the error and the action they had taken to correct the ad. Nevertheless, because the journey time originally stated was incorrect, we concluded that the claim was misleading.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 3.1 3.1 Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. (Misleading advertising).
Action
We welcomed National Express' willingness to correct the claim. We told them to ensure journey times were quoted accurately in future.
