Cruise line misled customers, say advertising watchdogs
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has been ticked off by advertising watchdogs for misleading customers with an early booking offer.
The Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint that Fred Olsen’s direct mailing did not make clear the significant limitations of the offer.
The direct mailing, sent to Oceans members, stated: "Book 2013 now and you’ll get the best deal – guaranteed".
The offer stated that members who booked cruises for departure after April 6 2013 by the end of September 2012 would be guaranteed a refund or benefits if the price of the cruise was later discounted.
The fact that the offer did not apply to inside cabins, which the ASA pointed out were usually the cheapest, was only included in the terms and conditions on the back of the mailing.
In its defence, Fred. Olsen said it believed that the most significant limitation was that the offer only applied to departures after April 6 and that any applicable refund could be paid in cash or benefits, both of which were mentioned in the body of the copy.
However, the ASA considered that the exclusion of inside cabins was a significant condition that was likely to affect customers’ decision to take advantage of the offer and therefore needed to be made clear in the headline claim.
It concluded that the ad was misleading and told Fred Olsen Cruise Lines to make the exclusion of inside cabins clear in any future ‘best deal guaranteed’ ads.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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