By Stephanie Baxter
An estate agent in Essex has been banned from using a prize promotions advert, after the Advertising Standards Agency ruled that it breached the Code.
However, the ASA has been unable to get in contact with Churchills Estate Agents Ltd, who did not respond to their enquiries.
The case against Churchills Estate Agents was decided last week by the advertising watchdog, which upheld the complaint made by a member of public.
The disgruntled viewer challenged whether the ad was in breach of the Code of Practice because it failed to give the terms and conditions of the prize promotion.
Churchills’ press ad stated: “by appointing Churchills as your trusted Estate Agent in the sale of your property you will also give yourself an excellent opportunity of winning a beautiful car worth £7,000 plus! … for further details about how simple it is to win a car, please contact your local branch as below.”
ASA judged that the ad breached the clauses 34.1 and 35.9 of the Code by not stating the closing date, how customers could take part in the promotion and how to determine if they were eligible.
Churchills Estate Agents Ltd also breached clause 2.6 of the Code that required them to respond promptly to ASA’s enquiry. ASA said it was “concerned” by the estate agents’ lack of response and apparent disregard for the Code and reminded them of their responsibility to respond swiftly to enquiries.
An ASA representative said: “Most businesses do respond to our enquiries and take it seriously, so it is concerning that Churchills didn’t respond.”
“We’ve notified both parties of the decision and we hope that Churchills will ensure their future promotions stick to the T’s and C’s of the Code.”
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