Thomson criticised by ASA over price discrepancy
Watchdog upholds complaint because discount holiday was more expensive
Thomson Holidays has been criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after one of its discounted holidays turned out to be more expensive than the standard one advertised in its brochure.
According to reports in the Daily Mail and Daily Express, ASA upheld a complaint from a customer who tried to book a seven-night trip to Limassol, Cyprus, from Thomson’s “discount” brochure – only to find that the holiday was £87 more expensive than in the company’s standard “winter sun” catalogue.
Even though the company allowed the customer to book at the lower price, a move that was welcomed by the ASA, it criticised Thomson for calling the brochure “Price Breakers”, adding that such a term gave a misleading impression to potential customers.
Thomson argued that the small print stated that the discounted prices were available only for two months after the brochure’s launch, but the ASA stated that because the brochure covered a six-month period, customers could reasonably expect the prices to be cheaper than in the regular brochure during the entire booking period.
A spokesman for Thomson confirmed the judgement but declined to comment further this morning.
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