Gatwick Express told to stop 30 mins ad - unless it can actually do it - MSE News

418 Posts

Gatwick Express has been told to stop claiming its trains get to Victoria "in just 30 minutes" in adverts - unless it can actually achieve that journey time in most cases...
Read the full story:
'Gatwick Express told to stop 30 mins ad - unless it can actually do it'

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven't already, join the forum to reply.
'Gatwick Express told to stop 30 mins ad - unless it can actually do it'

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven't already, join the forum to reply.
Read the latest MSE News
Flag up a news story: [email protected]
Get the Free Martin's Money Tips E-mail
Flag up a news story: [email protected]
Get the Free Martin's Money Tips E-mail
0
This discussion has been closed.
Latest MSE News and Guides
Childcare budget boost
More support for children from nine months and those on Universal Credit
MSE News
Replies
Some advertisers, apparently including MSE itself in its home energy supply comparisons (despite MSE's "cheaper than the cheapest" never having happened in my supply area) seem to be allowed to make a claim if true only just more than half the time.
For me, if the timetable says it takes 30 minutes, and 80% of the time this is achieved, they're not being deliberately misleading in saying it takes 30 minutes.
The timetable I just looked at had 29 or 27 or 26 minutes.
The article doesn't elaborate on what claims or considerations are being made about trains which are slightly late but arrive in 30 minutes or less.
This muddle has carried through to the media which should have sought clarification IMHO.
It always used to be the case that the railways considered a train "on time" if it arrived within 5mins of its scheduled time. This might be fine in the railway bubble, but not in real life IMHO.
I would feel it wrong if, say, everyday the train took 32mins, was scheduled to take 30mins, and the claim was the journey took "just 30mins".