Misleading Advertising

[MarlowDonkey]

A recent email from redspottedhanky claims that

Trainline claim its customers can save an average of 43% when booking in advance**

Our customers save on average 50%* when booking in advance vs buying on the day

It rather fails to point out that booking in advance saves nothing (unless there are website discounts) , the saving only comes with booking an Advance ticket with restrictive conditions.

Advertising Standards Agency perhaps?

redspottedhanky are regarded as the "good" guys by comparison with Trainline.

 

[Clip]

A recent email from redspottedhanky claims that

Trainline claim its customers can save an average of 43% when booking in advance**

Our customers save on average 50%* when booking in advance vs buying on the day

It rather fails to point out that booking in advance saves nothing (unless there are website discounts) , the saving only comes with booking an Advance ticket with restrictive conditions.

Advertising Standards Agency perhaps?

redspottedhanky are regarded as the "good" guys by comparison with Trainline.

The advert is perfectly fine as it states the comparison is against buying on the day so I fail to see the problem nor where it is missleading.

 

[Rover]

The two statements are slightly different:
Trainline bases the discount on "when booking in advance", whereas RSH bases their claim on "vs buying on the day", the former, as you say, is incorrect, the latter being factually correct.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

The advert is perfectly fine as it states the comparison is against buying on the day so I fail to see the problem nor where it is missleading.

I agree. Even the Trainline claim of a saving "when booking in advance" is qualified by "can".

These statements are not misleading, not any more than a raft of other carefully crafted 'claims' by the advertising industry and which I would expect most people recognise for what it is : self-promoting 'fluff'.

 

[tony_mac]

The ASA has, on a number of occasions, found that the Thetrainline ads were not compliant with the code of practice.
Terms like 'when booking in advance' have only been added because the ads were found to be misleading without them.

 

[Llanigraham]

A recent email from redspottedhanky claims that

Trainline claim its customers can save an average of 43% when booking in advance**

Our customers save on average 50%* when booking in advance vs buying on the day

It rather fails to point out that booking in advance saves nothing (unless there are website discounts) , the saving only comes with booking an Advance ticket with restrictive conditions.

Advertising Standards Agency perhaps?

redspottedhanky are regarded as the "good" guys by comparison with Trainline.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with the RSH advert. It is accurate in what it says.

 

[Paul Kelly]

The two statements are slightly different:
Trainline bases the discount on "when booking in advance", whereas RSH bases their claim on "vs buying on the day", the former, as you say, is incorrect, the latter being factually correct.

Don't they mean the same thing though, even if they express it differently? Perhaps the Trainline hasn't updated its calculations recently - I seem to remember they've been saying 43% for years and with the ever more draconian restrictions that are being put on Off-Peak walkup tickets, perhaps the average saving with buying advances really is higher now. Or it could be that RSH's customers tend to book further in advance than TTL's customers and so buy cheaper advances on average?

 

[najaB]

Don't they mean the same thing though, even if they express it differently?

Well, if customers save 50% on average, then it's not incorrect to say they can save 43%.

 

[Fiyero]

I travel by train at least once a week on average. The only time I would usually save by booking in advance is when SWT do their special offer fares. I never have advance fares available for my regular short journies or semi-regular trips to London.
I find it hard to see how people save an average of 50% when a saving is impossible for travellers like me

 

[causton]

I find it hard to see how people save an average of 50% when a saving is impossible for travellers like me

As a random example, I picked the middle of July for a peak time train from Euston to Manchester, and back the same day.

The price was £72 (£36 each way).

The full price is £260 more, at £332.

Therefore I have "saved" £260 even though there is no way I would ever pay that full amount!

Stuff like this will skew the figures.

 

[Paul Kelly]

I travel by train at least once a week on average. The only time I would usually save by booking in advance is when SWT do their special offer fares. I never have advance fares available for my regular short journies or semi-regular trips to London.
I find it hard to see how people save an average of 50% when a saving is impossible for travellers like me

People in your position are probably less likely to book online in advance as they already know there is no saving to be had, which probably distorts the figures further!

 

[AndrewE]

Misleading advertising?
How about the name Transpennine Express? First bit, OK... Second bit definitely not!
A

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

The current Littlewoods advert falsely claim their PS4 sale is a bargain when it's a rip-off.
Evans Halshaw's advert claims they bring the car closer to you, but they didn't for my sister so that's an utter lie.
All Alcohol/Gambling/E-Cig/Car adverts make themselves look cool and fun when it's never like the success they claim you'll get.
Morrisons are now claiming to make various things like 'family' which is a lie.
The latest Mya adverts claim "we can't show you on TV", that's not true.
The Tesco advert idiot guy says "no" when asked if he did a fistpump which is a lie.