Buy IT Direct site gets wrist slapped for 'misleading' drone advert

Reseller's drones site found to have infringed Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) standards

Drones Direct, a part of the Buy IT Direct Group, undertook misleading advertising for one of its offers, according to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The online advert, seen on www.dronesdirect.co.uk in September 2017, was advertising a "DJI Goggles FPV Headset" and featured text that stated "Only £499.00 Save 12 per cent".

A complainant believed the price quoted was the recommended retail price and challenged whether the savings claim was misleading and could be substantiated.

The ASA's assessment stated that it was concerned by "Buy It Direct Ltd's lack of substantive response and apparent disregard for the Code", and ruled that the firm had breached the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) code.

The ASA stated: "We considered that consumers would understand the claim 'Only £499.00 Save 12 per cent' in the context of the ad to mean the higher price (i.e. the price before a 12 per cent saving was applied) was genuine and that consumers could benefit from a 12 per cent saving on that higher price.

"We did not consider the ad made clear whether the saving was against the advertiser's usual selling price or against competitors' prices.

"Because the advertiser did not provide us with any evidence to demonstrate the savings claim was based on a genuine reference price, we concluded the claim had not been substantiated and was misleading."

The ASA action stated that the advert must not appear again in its current form.

"We told Buy It Direct to ensure they only used savings claims based on genuine reference prices and to ensure they held adequate substantiation," added the ASA.

Buy IT Direct did not respond to the ASA's enquiries and so far has not replied to CRN's approach for comment.