Furniture Retailer in Hot Water for Misleading Advertising
- Harvey’s reprimanded by Advertising Standards Authority over ‘guaranteed Christmas delivery’ claims
- ASA found claims misleading and unsubstantiated
- Retailer defended its practices, citing general terms and conditions
- No evidence provided for exceptions to guarantee
- ASA orders ad to be withdrawn
Furniture retailer Harvey’s has been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over claims of ‘guaranteed Christmas delivery’. A complainant questioned whether the claims, which were followed by the words ‘selected items only’ in smaller text, were misleading and could be substantiated. In response to the claims, Harvey’s said it tried to manage consumers’ expectations at the ordering process with ‘a clause in the general terms and conditions.’ The furniture retailer said that in the case of bespoke deliveries, it was ‘not able to give a precise date for home delivery’. Harvey’s acknowledged that by ‘Christmas delivery,’ its intention would be to deliver up to and including 24 December. The retailer referred to the text in the ad which it said ‘made clear’ that the delivery guarantee applied to ‘carefully selected lines only.’ The regulator said it considered that by ‘guaranteed Christmas delivery’, certain items from the Harveys range would be delivered to consumers’ homes by 24 December in time for Christmas Day, barring exceptional or unforeseen circumstances. The ASA said it requested evidence from Harveys of the number of occasions and the reasons which it considered were ‘beyond their control’ for when products were not delivered in time for Christmas in line with the guarantee, the ASA said Harveys did not supply that information. According to the ASA, there was ‘no information included in the ad which referred to any limitations to the guarantee,’ and therefore the regulator found the claims ‘had not been substantiated’ and were ‘likely to mislead.’ The ASA told Harvey’s: ‘The ad must not appear again in the form complained of. We told Steinhoff UK Retail Ltd t/a Harveys not to make claims of guaranteed Christmas delivery if that was not the case.’
Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate and objective information about the ASA’s reprimand of Harvey’s for misleading advertising claims, includes quotes from both parties involved, and presents a clear explanation of the issue at hand.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about a company being reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority for misleading advertising claims, but it could have included more details on the specific products and instances where the guarantee was not met. It also lacks analysis or exploration of broader implications.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Harvey’s (furniture retailer)
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses a financial matter involving a furniture retailer and its advertising practices, which could potentially impact the company’s reputation and sales.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: Other
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: Minor
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event mentioned in the text.
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