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.

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Latest rulings

AGN Events t/a Rock N Roll Circus
- Upheld
- Social media (own site)
- 26 November 2025
An Instagram post by Rock N Roll Circus failed to include all the significant conditions of a promotion.
Domestika Inc
- Upheld
- Social media (paid ad)
- 26 November 2025
A paid-for Facebook post for an online course provider misleadingly gave the impression that an offer was a one-off purchase when it was only available when signing up to a free trial of a subscription.
Ecom7 Ltd t/a BrizaAC
- Upheld
- Website (paid ad)
- 26 November 2025
A paid-for online display ad for a mini-cooler misleadingly exaggerated the effectiveness of a product.
FlixBus UK Ltd
- Upheld
- Social media (own site)
- 26 November 2025
A website for FlixBus UK made misleading claims about the price of coach tickets.

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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.

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