Background
Summary of Council decision:
Two issues were investigated, both of which were Not upheld.
Ad description
A website, www.energyperformancecertificates.co.uk, for a company acting as an agent for the completion of energy performance certificates and other products, stated "Get a quote for an Energy Performance Certificate From ONLY £34.00 for properties up to 4 bedrooms in selected areas".
On the "Green Deal" page was further text, that stated "Green Deal Advice Report (GDAR) Get a quote for a Green Deal Assessment From ONLY £99.00 for properties up to four bedrooms and selected areas".
Issue
The complainant challenged whether the following price claims were misleading and could be substantiated:
1. "From ONLY £34.00"; and
2. "From ONLY £99.00".
Response
1. & 2.
Eco Approach Ltd stated that the "From" prices were achievable in certain locations, including a number of postcodes in south-east London boroughs. They provided receipts showing that they had sold Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) at £34.00 in four of these postcodes. They said that they had yet to receive orders for any Green Deal Advice Reports (GDAR) for properties that fell within the selected areas where the "From" price of £99.00 would be charged.
Assessment
1. & 2. Not upheld
We noted that Eco Approach's website stated that the "From" prices for an EPC and GDAR applied to properties located "in selected areas". We also noted that they provided a list of postcodes that defined these areas and evidence that they had sold EPCs at £34.00. We checked the postcodes provided on the advertiser's website and were quoted the stated prices for EPCs and GDARs.
Although the advertiser had yet to provide a GDAR at the "from" price in the "selected areas", because we had seen sufficient evidence to show that the "From" prices were available in these areas and, in the case of the EPCs in some of the relevant postcodes, had been charged, we concluded that the ad was not misleading.
We investigated the ad under CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 3.1 Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. (Misleading Advertising), 3.7 3.7 Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove claims that consumers are likely to regard as objective and that are capable of objective substantiation. The ASA may regard claims as misleading in the absence of adequate substantiation. (Substantiation) and 3.17 3.17 Price statements must not mislead by omission, undue emphasis or distortion. They must relate to the product featured in the marketing communication. (Prices), but did not find it in breach.
Action
No further action necessary.
