Eurostar Faces Criticism for Misleading Travelers with £39 Ticket Claim, States Watchdog
Eurostar, the popular train service, has once again come under scrutiny from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for misrepresenting the availability of tickets at a sale price of £39. Advertisements on Instagram and Facebook in June promoted fares from London to Amsterdam and London to Brussels starting at £39 each way, with a disclaimer stating “T&Cs apply.” A reader filed a complaint after finding only a limited number of tickets available at the advertised price, arguing that the ads were deceptive in overstating the availability of the discounted tickets and failing to disclose information about the promotion dates.
Eurostar defended its position by explaining to the ASA that providing the percentage of cheap tickets available out of the total would not accurately reflect availability due to sales to businesses. However, the ASA found that as of July 21, only 11.6% of tickets priced at £39 had been sold for travel on the specified routes between certain dates, excluding blackout periods. Despite Eurostar’s assertion that the travel dates were clearly outlined in the terms and conditions, the ASA concluded that consumers would reasonably expect a significant number of tickets to be available at the advertised price during the promotion period, which was not the case.
The ASA determined that Eurostar failed to provide evidence demonstrating that a substantial portion of tickets could be purchased at the £39 price as advertised. The data provided by Eurostar indicated that only 4.2% of total tickets for London to Brussels and 1.6% for London to Amsterdam were actually priced at £39. Consequently, the ASA ruled that Eurostar’s ads were misleading as they exaggerated the availability of tickets at the discounted price.
Furthermore, the watchdog also found fault with the advertisements for not including information regarding the offer dates. This is not the first time Eurostar has faced criticism from the ASA for misleading promotions. A previous ruling in January revealed that the promotion offering more £39 fares applied to only a small percentage of available seats for travel between London and Paris.
In response to the ASA’s findings, a spokesperson for Eurostar expressed their commitment to adhering to advertising standards and avoiding similar situations in the future. They assured cooperation with the ASA to address concerns and improve advertising practices moving forward.
The latest ruling serves as a reminder to companies to ensure transparency and accuracy in their advertising to provide consumers with truthful information about promotions and pricing. The ASA’s decision underscores the importance of clear and honest communication to avoid misleading potential customers and maintain trust in advertising practices.