Misleading

A big part of our role is ensuring that ads don’t mislead. In fact, just over 70% of our work involves responding to and tackling concerns about misleading ads.

We should all be able to trust the ads we see and hear. And, in the majority of cases, we can. UK advertisers, by and large, stick to the rules. We only step in on occasions where an advertiser over-exaggerates, omits key information, or makes ambiguous or unclear claims in a way that’s likely to confuse or mislead us into making a purchase we wouldn’t otherwise have made.

The kind of complaints we receive about misleading ads often concern pricing and issues such as hidden costs like booking fees and credit card charges. We also receive complaints about exaggerated savings claims, significant terms and conditions not being made clear, promotions that aren’t run fairly, and health claims that discourage potentially vulnerable people from seeking professional medical advice or treatment.

+ Read more - Read less

Latest rulings

On The Beach Ltd
- Upheld
- Email
- 11 February 2026
An email for On The Beach made misleading price comparison claims and failed to make clear if people needed to act quickly to benefit from an advertised lower price. The ad also failed to make the basis of comparisons clear and didn’t provide prominent information to allow people to verify comparisons.
ZING Oral Care Ltd t/a ZING Toothpaste
- Upheld
- Social media (own site)
- 11 February 2026
Three paid-for Facebook ads for ZING Toothpaste misleadingly implied they had a five-star Trustpilot rating but didn't have the evidence to back this claim up.
Co-operative Group t/a Co-op
- Upheld in part
- Website (own site)
- 04 February 2026
A website for Co-op advertising a price-match scheme was misleading by not comparing the most appropriate products. The ad also failed to make the basis of comparisons clear and didn’t provide prominent information to allow people to verify comparisons. Two other issues were investigated but did not break the rul...
Criterion Hospitality Limited t/a Zedwell Hotels
- Not upheld
- Social media (paid ad)
- 04 February 2026
A paid-for Meta ad for Zedwell Hotels didn’t make misleading claims about the price of hotel rooms.

View all rulings

Misleading

A big part of our role is ensuring that ads don’t mislead. In fact, just over 70% of our work involves responding to and tackling concerns about misleading ads.

Latest news

Latest rulings

Help getting it right

Popular advice

Relevant codes