A Middlesbrough company which advertised ‘Antique French’ furniture which was neither antique, nor made in France has been banned from making the claims.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received a complaint about the website for a number of products including La Rochelle Antique French Beds sold by Homes Direct 365 Ltd.
The ASA noted Home Direct’s assertion that information on the products being neither antique nor manufactured in France appeared in the site’s terms and conditions, but went on to say:
“We considered, however, that that was material information that could influence a consumer’s decision as to whether or not to purchase the items, and so should have appeared in a more prominent position.”
Homes Direct 365 Ltd said their terms and conditions stated that the items were antique reproductions and copied from French antique designs and claimed a number of other companies used similar phrasing when describing their products.
The ASA ruled that ads must not appear again. Read the judgement in full here.
