Background
Summary of Council decision:
Two issues were investigated, both of which were Upheld.
Ad description
The website www.book-your-driving-test-online.co.uk showed a car and a woman holding a car key and an L-Plate. Text stated "The Easiest Way to Book Your Driving Test Online" and "The Fastest Way to Book your DSA Driving Test Online".
Issue
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) challenged whether the claims:
1. "The Easiest Way to Book Your Driving Test Online"; and
2. "The Fastest Way to Book your DSA Driving Test Online" were misleading and could be substantiated.
Response
1. & 2. Book Your Practical Test Online acknowledged receipt of the complaint but supplied no substantive response to the ASA's enquiries.
Assessment
1. & 2. Upheld
Book Your Practical Test Online had not supplied evidence to substantiate the claims that their service was the easiest or the fastest way to book the DSA Driving Test online. Because of that, we concluded that they had not substantiated the claims and that they were misleading.
The claims breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 3.1 Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. (Misleading advertising), 3.7 3.7 Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove claims that consumers are likely to regard as objective and that are capable of objective substantiation. The ASA may regard claims as misleading in the absence of adequate substantiation. (Substantiation), 3.11 3.11 Marketing communications must not mislead consumers by exaggerating the capability or performance of a product. (Exaggeration), 3.33 3.33 Marketing communications that include a comparison with an identifiable competitor must not mislead, or be likely to mislead, the consumer about either the advertised product or the competing product. (Comparisons with identifiable competitors) and 3.38 3.38 Marketing communications that include a comparison with an unidentifiable competitor must not mislead, or be likely to mislead, the consumer. The elements of the comparison must not be selected to give the marketer an unrepresentative advantage. (Other comparisons).
Action
The claims must not appear again in their current form.
