O2 slapped on the wrist for misleading advert

MOBILE OPERATOR O2 has been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for an email it sent to customers with a misleading holiday discount voucher.

The email read, "Thanks for playing O2 Top-Up Surprises. And for picking our Concierge Travel saver offer. To get going with a £150 per person discount, just visit yourtimeaway.co.uk and choose your holiday from the range on offer."

Despite the seemingly generous offer, it was discovered by one customer that the maximum discount available was £80 and many of the discounts were available to anyone, not just customers of O2, as was suggested by O2's email advert.

O2 claimed that some of its customers were offered the £150 discount and said that the £80 offer experienced by one individual must have been a mistake. It also said that it could not be held responsible for a third party making offers available to the wider public.

The ASA investigated the situation and discovered that none of the relevant holidays were available with a £150 discount, nor was there any evidence that the smaller discounts that were available were unique to O2 customers.

It therefore decided that the email was misleading, breaching clauses 3.1, 7.1 and 27.4 of the Committee of Advertising Practice Code. It ordered that the email not be sent again in its current form. No doubt O2 said 'ouch' and rubbed its wrist. µ