Dixons failed to have its complaint over Argos ads in the national press upheld by the ASA. The electricals leader said the ads were misleading about the availability of three models of digital camera. Dixons' researchers found two of the products advertised were unavailable in four Argos stores. However, the ASA refused to uphold Dixons' complaint, noting that Argos had reasonably tried to fulfil demand for the cameras and that it had stated there was limited availability of the products in its advert.
At the same time, Lidl was censured by the ASA following a complaint by B&Q. The value food and non-food retailer compared the price of a power drill it was selling against one stocked by B&Q last September. However, the DIY leader argued that Lidl had made a misleading comparison by featuring a non-branded product on its shelves and a branded product stocked by B&Q.
Lidl argued that the two products met the same needs and intended purpose and that the prices were a material, relevant and representative feature of both of them.
However, the ASA was unconvinced by Lidl's argument. It said: 'The Authority considered that because the advertisers had chosen not to compare products of the same or similar quality, the comparison was misleading.'
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