Helpnote – Claims By Retailers

Price reductions / price savings / sale offers in retailers’ ad scripts are a legal issue and must comply with the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Pricing Practices Guide.

• If the script claims for example, “sale”, “savings”, “half price”, Radiocentre clearance will be on condition that previous higher prices have applied for at least 28 consecutive days in the last 6 months; (claims such as “for only £100” and “is just £100” do not need this qualification);
• If the script claims a specific price reduction such as “now only £200”, it needs to quote the previous higher price as well or the saving, i.e. “was £300” or “save £100”;
• If the script claims “up to £99 off” or “from £99”, Radiocentre clearance will be on condition that at least 10% of the product is available at the price quoted;
• For claims to offer the “lowest/cheapest/best prices”, Radiocentre will need to see a published Price Promise (and all conditions that apply to it) offering to beat a competitor’s price if the consumer finds the products cheaper elsewhere, and the script will need the tags “see in store/online for details” or “ask about our price promise”;
• For “unbeatable prices/you can’t buy cheaper”, Radiocentre will need to see a published Price Promise (and all conditions that apply to it) offering to match a competitor’s price if the consumer finds the products cheaper elsewhere, and the script will need the tags “see in store/online for details” or “ask about our price promise”;
• If an element of a product or service is promoted as “free”, Radiocentre will need confirmation that the total price has not been increased to cover the cost, that the item is normally available at a charge and has been for a minimum of six months, or that it is not considered normally as part of the package;
• Ads featuring prices/offers/products that are not available in all stores should be qualified by ”in selected / participating stores”;
• Offers/prices/products available online must have the same price and offer dates. If the offers/prices/products are not available online, the script must not imply that they are. Where ads promote prices, these should be available both in store and online unless specifically indicated otherwise;
• Ads should be taken off air a reasonable period before prices or products are no longer available, or the offer ends. If this cannot be guaranteed, tags such as “offer ends X” or “limited availability” are required. Advertisers should not exaggerate the extent to which an offer is limited, for example by claiming “hurry, sale ends soon” if this is not genuinely the case;
• If a minimum spend applies to the offer/prices, the script will need to qualify this with the words “minimum spend” or similar;
• Ads offering “free delivery” should be qualified if there are significant restrictions to the delivery service. For example, “free local delivery” may be required if this service is only available within a specified area. No specific qualification is needed if it is free to listeners across the TSA of the station;
• If a script promotes the energy rating or the price of particular branded energy-related product (e.g. white goods), it must include the tag “energy rating A+, G” etc;
• If products are aimed at children, they may not be promoted as “only/just £30”.