Dealing with complaints
Anyone can complain to the ASA and we aim to deal with these concerns as quickly as possible in a fair and thorough way.
When we receive a complaint, it is assessed against the Codes.
If we think there is a problem we will decide how best to pursue it, depending on the nature of the issue. Where possible, we aim to resolve complaints through dialogue with advertisers and most problem ads are dealt with in this way.
If there is no case to answer under the Codes, we will inform the complainant and explain why further action is not needed.
If the complaint falls outside of our remit, we may be able to suggest another body that can help.
Log your complaint
It's fast, free and easy to complaint to the ASA. Go to the How to complain section to find out how you can log your complaint with us.
Complaints & investigations process
When the ASA receives a complaint, we will first establish if the complaint is within our remit. It is then assessed against the Advertising Codes. If there is no case to answer under the Codes, we will inform the complainant and explain why further action is not needed. If after assessing the complaint and the marketing communication against the Codes is is felt that further action should be taken, then depending on the nature of the objection we will decide how to best resolve the complaint. The courses of action are: no case to answer; no case to answer after a Council Discussion; informal resolution; or formal investigation. For further details, go to Complaints & investigations process page.
Relevant documents
Working together
We aim to resolve complaints and investigations as soon as possible and strive to establish a healthy working relationship right from the start. Go to Working together section for more details.