A Facebook advert for Debenhams has been banned for making misleading price claims.
The ad, which appeared on March 9, 2024, promoted discounts of up to 60 percent on fashion, home, and beauty items at Debenhams.
It was accompanied by a carousel of product images and a “shop now” link.
A complainant raised the issue, questioning whether the “up to 60% off” claim accurately represented the discounts available on all items shown.
They argued that not all featured products were sold at the advertised discounted price.
Debenhams responded by explaining that third-party suppliers determined whether to participate in promotions.
As a result, the retailer claimed it had limited control over which items were included in the sale.
They also mentioned that, due to legal reasons, they could not obtain or provide sales data from these third-party suppliers.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) reviewed the complaint and found that the ad likely led consumers to believe all featured items were included in the discount.
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The ASA noted that Debenhams did not supply the necessary pricing history for the products and that only one of the three products shown appeared to have a promotional price.
The ASA said due to the lack of substantiation and incomplete pricing information, the ad was misleading.
Consequently, the advert was deemed to breach advertising standards and has been banned from running in its current form.
