The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has criticised Eurostar over a misleading £39 fare promotion.
- Eurostar’s promotion was found lacking as a significant number of advertised seats were not available at the promotional rate.
- A consumer complaint revealed difficulty in securing a £39 fare, sparking an investigation.
- Data indicated only a small percentage of tickets were priced at the advertised rate, deemed misleading by the ASA.
- Eurostar acknowledges the feedback and commits to preventing future discrepancies.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has censured Eurostar following a consumer complaint about a misleading fare promotion. The issue arose when a consumer reported difficulty in finding seats from London to Paris at the advertised price of £39, prompting the ASA to investigate the validity of Eurostar’s claims.
Eurostar defended its promotion by stating that 39,000 seats were made available at the £39 rate across various routes, which they believed offered consumers a reasonable chance to obtain a ticket at the advertised price. However, the ASA found that these £39 tickets comprised a “very small” percentage of the overall seat availability during the promotional period.
The ASA determined that Eurostar had not sufficiently demonstrated a significant proportion of tickets available at the £39 rate between London and Paris during the promotion. Similar findings were noted for routes from London to Brussels and Lille. Eurostar’s terms and conditions had specified the number of seats available, but the ASA concluded that the advertising claim was misleading as only a minor fraction of seats were offered at the promotional price.
The ASA further assessed that consumers interpreted the promotion to mean that a considerable number of seats were available at the low fare throughout August and September 2023. This expectation was not met, as availability fell short of the anticipated levels across different dates and times within the specified period.
In response to the ruling, a Eurostar spokesperson emphasised their commitment to considering customer feedback and the ASA’s findings. “We understand and take on board the ASA’s ruling,” the spokesperson stated, highlighting the company’s dedication to ensuring transparency in future advertising campaigns.
Eurostar plans to address the ASA’s concerns to avoid future promotional misrepresentations.
