MSE slammed by Watchdog Advertising Standards Agency.

Kite2010

The ASA are rather toothless, all they can say is "don't run that advert again".

Cliecost

Kite2010 wrote: »

The ASA are rather toothless, all they can say is "don't run that advert again".

Yeah, and most of the time the ad had finished it's run. Pointless organisation.

Cliecost

Slowhand wrote: »

How much does the paper cost?

You don't have to keep buying the paper to keep the thing they said was free.

If anyone thinks that 'FREE with an additional cost' is a good deal then they don't know what a deal looks like.

Tabbit

Well it's actually more like saying 'COME TO OUR SUPERMARKET AND GET A FREE THING' *if you buy one of the things first.... then you can have the second one for free.. or *if you pay £5 to get in... If you were going to go in anyway, maybe it's still free, but if you wouldn't have, then it's not really is it?

Is it really free if it costs you money to take advantage of it? Yes and no, it's not an easy line to draw really.

If you have to pay delivery then is it still free? The item might have been free but getting the item isn't... The whole experience with that item was not free, the journey from not having it, to having it was not free.... and then do you start factoring in petrol if you need to go and collect something? Or do you draw a line in that arbitrary place and say petrol should not be factored in? Or is it not an arbitrary place at all.... I don't know!

I moved to Jersey (CI) earlier this year... We have to pay line rental TWICE says my OH, how'd you like that? Once for the phone, once for the broadband! Makes me sick... Apparently it's down to some claim that phone line is Analogue and broadband line is digital, so say some locals... Makes me laugh that they've been paying it all this time and yet there is a cumulative vague acceptance with no real knowledge why... *sigh*

Cornucopia

There is quite a complex set of rules within the ASA codes on what is "Free".

So... to an extent we consumers don't have to worry about it too much.

mysterywoman10

Cliecost wrote: »

I despise the ASA. Bunch of worthless do nothings with no clout whatsoever.

Big companies that blatantly lie like in this add are aloud to get away with it despite countless complaints about the nonsense it spouts just to get people to buy more of it's products.

Yet some businesses get boll0cked for minor problems like in this. Clearly it's not MSE's issue. MSE doesn't deliver flowers. Just because they arranged the deal doesn't mean that when the company who handle every other aspect c0ck up that it's MSE fault!

I totally agree with this comment, I have made a major complaint to ASA about nationwide misleading job adverts primarily by all COBRA companies. I was told I had to complain individually about each one! The complaint was upheld but because the company ANB promotions said they would not do it again it is only going to be on ASA's website for one day 4th December wooopee NOT!

ANB's website has been overlooked though so will be on the phone to them Monday. I wrote to my MP about it as it is mainly young people falling victim to these recruitment scams as did my son and he wasn't the slightest bit interested in doing something about it.

I also know that ANB are just getting around it by using another company name and daily misleading adverts will come flying through from all the major job sites ...99% of these are from COBRA companies.

What makes my blood boil is the ASA have really know powers at all to address this problem yet a minor thing like this with MSE is justifying their existence.

Save the tax payers some money and scrap the ASA they do nothing of any use.

earthstorm

Zedicus wrote: »

That's right. It isn't. It's half price, same as the first one. (Only a gullible fool would believe they were getting anything free in those circumstances.) I think you might be getting the hang of this at last.

The magic word in this situation is FREE. customer psychology, making the customer think they are getting something free. most retailers will do this at some point.

as a retailer i have done this with fishing nets. placed them for sale 60p, selling slow, so increased the price to £1 or Buy 1 Get 1 Free and they flew of the shelve, so i s till got 50p each for them and still made a profit, even though my profit margin was reduced.