Ad description
a. A website for Gauge-B Ready Locks, www.gaugeb-readylocks.com, seen on 2 April 2024, featured text which stated at the top of the home page “Gauge B-Ready Locks 23a, Acrefield Chalfont St. Peter SL9 8NA”. Further text stated “[…] We’ve Served The Area For Several Years With Our Unparalleled Lock And Key Services”. Text under the heading “EMERGENCY LOCKSMITH” stated “Our local emergency Locksmiths aim to be with you within 30 minutes of your call where possible so that you can rest assured in knowing help is quickly on its way.” Further text under the heading “Locks Changed” stated “One of the most common reasons people call a local Locksmith is because their keys have been lost or stolen”. Under the heading “EMERGENCY BOARDING UP” text stated “We knows [sic] that an accident, weather damage or a burglary can be an incredibly stressful time for you and your family. Our aim is to resolve the situation as quickly as possible (30 minute fast response)”. At the bottom of the web page under the heading “Contact Us” was a contact address and phone number along with a Googlemaps image of the area with a pin indicating the business location. Small text at the end of the web page stated “2024 Gauge B-Ready Locks Created by Talha Hafeez”.
b. A website for Guardian Tech Locksmith Cranleigh, www.guardiantechlocksmithcranleigh.com, seen on 4 June 2024, featured text which stated at the top of the home page “Guardian Tech Locksmith Cranleigh 5 Ewhurst Road, Cranleigh, GU6 7AA”. Further text stated “We’ve Served The Area For Several Years With Our Unparalleled Lock And Key Services […]” Text under the heading “Emergency Locksmith” stated “Our local emergency Locksmiths aim to be with you within 30 minutes of your call where possible so that you can rest assured in knowing help is quickly on its way.” Further text under the heading “Locks Changed” stated “One of the most common reasons people call a local Locksmith is because their keys have been lost or stolen”. Under the heading “EMERGENCY BOARDING UP” text stated “We knows [sic] that an accident, weather damage or a burglary can be an incredibly stressful time for you and your family. Our aim is to resolve the situation as quickly as possible (30 minute fast response)”. Underneath text stated “Contact Us” with an image of a shopfront with the business name and phone number on the building. At the bottom of the home page was a phone number, business address and email address. Small text at the end of the web page stated “2024 GuardianTech Locksmith Cranleigh Created by Talha Hafeez”.
c. A website for ApexCraft Locksmith Frimley, www.apexcraftlocksmithfrimley.com, seen on 6 June 2024, featured text which stated “ApexCraft Locksmith Frimley 52 Frimley High Street Camberley GU16 7HL”. Further text stated “We’ve Served The Area For Several Years With Our Unparalleled Lock And Key Services […] We Hire Experienced Professional Locksmiths With The Skills To Service Anything From A Standard Door Lock To An Encrypted Automotive Lock”. Text under the heading “Emergency Locksmith” stated “Our local emergency Locksmiths aim to be with you within 30 minutes of your call where possible so that you can rest assured in knowing help is quickly on its way”. Further text under the heading “Locks Changed” stated “One of the most common reasons people call a local Locksmith is because their keys have been lost or stolen”. Under the heading “EMERGENCY BOARDING UP” text stated “We knows [sic] that an accident, weather damage or a burglary can be an incredibly stressful time for you and your family. Our aim is to resolve the situation as quickly as possible (30 minute fast response)”. At the bottom of the home page text stated “Contact Us” with the phone number and business address. Small text at the end of the web page stated “2024 ApexCraft Locksmith Frimley Created by Talha Hafeez”.
d. A website for Alex the Locksmith West Molesley, www.alexthelocksmithwestmolesey.com, seen on 6 June 2024, featured text which stated “Alex the Locksmith West Molesley Unit 112, Down Street, West Molesey, KT8 2TU”. Further text stated “We’ve Served The Area For Several Years With Our Unparalleled Lock And Key Services […] We Hire Experienced Professional Locksmiths With The Skills To Service Anything From A Standard Door Lock To An Encrypted Automotive Lock”. Text under the heading “Emergency Locksmith” stated “Our local emergency Locksmiths aim to be with you within 30 minutes of your call where possible so that you can rest assured in knowing help is quickly on its way”. Under the heading “EMERGENCY BOARDING UP” text stated “We knows [sic] that an accident, weather damage or a burglary can be an incredibly stressful time for you and your family. Our aim is to resolve the situation as quickly as possible (30 minute fast response)”. Underneath, text stated “Contact Us” with an image of the business premises with the business name and phone number on the building. At the bottom of the home page was a phone number and email address. Small text at the end of the web page stated “2024 Alex the Locksmith West Molesey Created by Talha Hafeez”.
Issue
The complainant challenged in respect of ad (a) and the ASA challenged in respect of ads (b), (c) and (d) whether the advertisers claims to be a local locksmith based at the addresses stated in the ads were misleading and could be substantiated.
Response
The advertiser did not respond to the ASA’s enquiries.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA was concerned by the advertiser’s lack of response and apparent disregard for the Code as well as their failure to provide their full name and geographical business address, which were in breach of CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 1.7 (Unreasonable delay) and 1.7.1 (Compliance). We reminded them of their responsibility to provide this information to the ASA or CAP without delay if requested.
We considered that consumers would understand from ads (a), (b), (c), and (d) that the locksmiths were local traders in Chalfont St Peter, Cranleigh, Frimley, and West Molesley, which were based at and operating from the addresses stated in the ads. The ads all featured a single address and phone number under the “Contact Us” heading. Ad (a) included a Google Maps search result image with a pin showing the location of the locksmith business. Ads (b) and (d) featured images of shop fronts with banners containing the business name and phone number, which further added to the impression that physical premises for the locksmiths existed in Cranleigh and West Molesley.
The ads all featured the claims “We’ve served the area for several years,” “Our local emergency Locksmiths aim to be with you within 30 minutes of your call where possible,” “Our aim is to resolve the situation as quickly as possible (30-minute fast response),” and “One of the most common reasons people call a local Locksmith is because their keys have been lost or stolen.” We considered those claims implied that the locksmiths were local traders, operating in the area, who would be able to attend to consumers within a short period of time. We further considered that for consumers who had lost their keys, were locked out, or were in an emergency situation, it would be very important for them to be able to contact a locally based locksmith who would be able to respond quickly.
However, we had not seen any evidence that a locksmith business operated from any of the addresses featured in the ads and we understood that the addresses were in fact for residential homes or for a different and unrelated business. Ostensibly, the websites advertised separate locksmith businesses based in different areas of England. However, we noted the websites were all similarly designed and laid out, with the same headings and text on one web page. They also stated that they had been created by the same person. The ads all featured two testimonials with the same wording, but which was attributed to different individuals, including one said to be based in San Francisco, USA. We were also aware that the same individual had created other websites for locksmiths in additional locations in England, which we were concerned were not for genuine businesses.
Because we considered that ads (a), (b), (c), and (d) gave the overall impression that they were for a local locksmith business or tradesperson based in the areas of Chalfont St Peter, Cranleigh, Frimley, and West Molesey, when that was not the case, we concluded the ads were misleading and breached the Code.
The ads breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1, 3.3 (Misleading advertising), and 3.7 (Substantiation).
Action
Ads (a), (b), (c) and (d) must not appear again in their current form. We told Person(s) unknown t/a Gauge B-Ready Locks, Guardian Tech Locksmith Cranleigh, ApexCraft Locksmith Frimley and Alex the Locksmith West Molesey to ensure their future advertising did not misleadingly state or imply they were for a local business or tradesperson and had physical premises in locations if that was not the case. We referred the matter to CAP’s Compliance team.
