Make a complaint

We cover:

• Claims made on a company’s website or app
• Ads in paid-for space, such as banner or pop-up ads
• Paid-for search listings
• Advertorial features
• In-game advertising
• Commercial classified advertising

We do not cover:

• Websites that fall under another country’s jurisdiction – we may refer your complaint to the relevant authority through our cross-border complaints system
• Non-paid-for advertising for causes or ideas (for example, charities or campaign groups), unless it directly asks for donations
• Natural search listings on search engines or price comparison sites
• Editorial content and corporate reports
• Press releases, unless they are directly targeted at consumers

Some online ads are personalised based on your browsing activity. This is known as Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA).

Third parties, such as ad networks, collect information about the pages you visit, the ads you click and the searches you make. They do this using cookies placed in your browser. The aim is to show you ads that are more relevant to you.

This type of advertising does not use information that directly identifies you as an individual.

Businesses must make it clear when they are using OBA and must provide a way for you to opt out.

If you want to complain about OBA – for example, if an opt-out hasn’t worked – please provide:

• the address of the website you were visiting
• if known, the name of the ad network delivering the ad
• a screenshot of the ad or the URL of the webpage (you can upload this as an attachment)
• if the ad included a notice about OBA, a screenshot of the page the notice linked to
• the name of the browser you were using
• confirmation of whether you have tried to opt out

You can find more information about OBA and opt-out mechanisms on Your Online Choices. You can also visit aboutcookies.org to learn more about how cookies work and how to change your browser settings. 

Concerns about the use of cookies more generally should be raised with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

We cover:    

• Paid-for advertising on video-sharing websites (for example, YouTube) that appears before or during a video
• Paid-for “promoted” or “sponsored” posts or stories    
• A company’s own social media content, where it is directly connected to its products or services
• Influencer content promoting a product or service, where the influencer has been paid (or received another incentive) and the brand has editorial control over the content

We do not cover:

• Social media content that falls under another country’s jurisdiction
• Influencer content referring to a third-party product where there has been no payment or incentive, or where the brand has no editorial control

We cover:

• The content and scheduling of TV and radio ads, including teleshopping presentations
• Ads on catch-up and on-demand services (for example, ITVX or Netflix) and ads in podcasts, streamed through your TV, computer or another device

We do not cover:

• Programme sponsorship credits (where the sponsor is named at the beginning or end of a programme, or before and after ad breaks)
• The amount of advertising shown
• Political bias in TV or radio advertising
• Editorial content of TV and radio programmes, including trailers for a channel’s own programming

Complaints about these issues should be made to Ofcom.

Complaints about the editorial content of BBC programmes or trailers should be made to the BBC in the first instance.

We cover:

• Posters, billboards and digital screens in paid-for space
• Posters that contain a promotion

We do not cover:

• Fly-posting, which is usually illegal. You should raise concerns with your local council
• Shop window displays or in-store displays, unless they contain a promotion
• Misleading claims on shelves or at till points. These should be reported to your local trading standards department
• Statutory, public, police or other official notices

If you find a shop window display offensive, you may wish to raise it with the shop directly. You can also contact your local councillor or MP.

We cover:

• Paid-for ads in newspapers and magazines
• Advertorials
• Promotions and competitions
• Business classified ads

We do not cover:

• Editorial content in newspapers and magazines. You should contact the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)
• Private classified ads

We cover:

• Paid-for ads shown before film trailers

We do not cover:

• Film trailers. Please contact the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) instead

We cover:

• Commercial emails from companies registered in the UK
• The use of personal data for marketing by email. Data protection legislation is enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

We do not cover:

• Personal correspondence about an existing account or previous purchase, unless the email promotes a different product or contains a promotion
• Emails from non-UK-registered companies. If the email falls under another country’s jurisdiction, we may refer your complaint through our cross-border complaints system
• Scam emails. Suspicious emails should be forwarded to [email protected] for the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to investigate

We cover:

• Commercial messages sent via SMS, MMS or messaging apps
• The use of personal data for marketing by messaging. Data protection legislation is enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office

We do not cover:

• Messages about an existing account or previous purchase, unless they promote a different product or contain a promotion
• Messages relating to causes or ideas, unless they directly ask for donations
• Scam messages. If you receive a suspicious text message, do not respond or click on any links. You can forward it to the free service 7726, which reports the message to your mobile provider
• Premium-rate services. Ofcom regulates premium-rate phone services in the UK. We can consider complaints about the content of ads for these services, but not the services themselves

We cover:

• Leaflets, brochures, catalogues or directories received by post, handed out in the street, available in a shop or inserted in a newspaper or magazine

We do not cover:

• Leaflets inside product packaging, unless they promote a different product or contain a sales promotion
• Non-paid-for leaflets for causes or ideas, unless they directly ask for donations
• Directory listings that show only a trader’s name and contact details

We cover:

• Commercial mailings from UK-registered companies, whether addressed to you personally or delivered unaddressed
• The use of personal data for direct mail. Data protection legislation is enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office

If you want to reduce the amount of direct mail you receive, contact the Mailing Preference Service (MPS).

We do not cover:

• Mailings from non-UK-registered companies. If the mailing falls under another country’s jurisdiction, we may refer your complaint through our cross-border complaints system
• Personal correspondence about an existing account or previous purchase, unless it promotes a different product or contains a promotion
• Non-paid-for mailings for causes or ideas, unless they directly ask for donations

We cover:

• Competitions or promotions on packaging

We do not cover:

• Claims or images on products or packaging

Some claims on packaging are covered by specific legislation. If you have concerns, contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service.

Discrimination

For advice on discrimination in ads and equality law, contact the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Financial products and services

We investigate financial advertising on TV and radio. Complaints about product-related claims in non-broadcast ads for mortgages, insurance, investments, pensions, credit, savings and bank accounts are dealt with by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Fundraising

We regulate ads that refer to fundraising. Complaints about fundraising activity more generally – for example, street collections – should be made to the Fundraising Regulator.

Political advertising

Complaints about political bias in TV or radio advertising should be made to Ofcom.

We do not regulate non-broadcast ads whose purpose is to persuade voters in local, national or international elections or referendums. Complaints about these ads should be made directly to the party responsible.

Products, services and contractual disputes

Trading practices, contractual disputes, product quality, claims on packaging and trade names are dealt with by Trading Standards.