British Gas adverts banned by ASA
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned British Gas TV, radio, poster and two print adverts for being misleading.
The advertisements for the same day and next day boiler repair services received 18 complaints.
British Gas replied that the adverts provided a statement of intent and not a promise to customers by saying that if HomeCare was called before 1pm British Gas was committed to be there on the same day.
The ASA concluded that although before the winter weather kicked in British Gas did provide same day service to a high number of customers, the adverts did make it look like in was a promise and not an intention. The ASA warned marketers that the word ‘committed’ would normally be taken as a promise or guarantee by customers.
A national press ad featured a man holding a boiler suspended from two parachutes on which was written "Emergency Installation" was not considered in breach of the CAP code. In this advert, the text stated "Urgently need a new boiler? We'll drop in and start work the next day. If your boiler is completely broken, we know that you don't want to be left without any heating or hot water. Call us before 1pm and our new emergency installation team is committed to start fitting a new boiler the next day". The claim was linked to small-print that stated "Limited service during weekend, public holidays and exceptional peak demand". The ASA did not find this advert in breach because in the majority of cases, installation did begin the next day.