An advertising watchdog has accused Eurostar of misleading potential customers over the cost of seats during its summer sale.
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said Eurostar’s adverts claimed customers could book trips to Paris, Brussels, and Lille “from just £39 each way.”
However, the ASA found that only a “very small percentage” of tickets were available at that price.
The regulatory body has cautioned the train operator against making such misleading price claims in the future.
Staff strikes and bad weather
This judgment follows a challenging festive period for Eurostar.
The period saw higher cancellations due to staff strikes and adverse weather conditions causing tunnel flooding under the Thames.
The ASA probe was prompted by a customer complaint.
It came after the customer saw a promotional email in July but could only find one ticket from London to Paris at the advertised price.
The email urged travellers to “soak up every second of summer,” prominently featuring the text “TREAT YOURSELF TO A EUROPEAN GETAWAY … FROM JUST £39 EACH WAY.”
Eurostar: 39,000 seats were made available
Eurostar said 39,000 seats were available at the advertised price when the email was sent, as indicated in the terms and conditions.
However, ASA analyzed data from Eurostar and concluded that the rail operator could not prove that a “significant proportion” of tickets between London and Paris had been available “from” £39 during the promotional period.
It found at the launch of the promotion, only 9,500 standard class seats had been available at the advertised price.
It also found similarly low percentages for routes between London and Brussels and Lille.
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The ASA concluded: “Because we considered that a significant proportion of tickets had not been available at the “from” price, we concluded that the claim ‘treat yourself to a European getaway from just £39 each way […] with a summer getaway in August or September’ was therefore misleading.”
This comes amidst ongoing challenges for Eurostar, with widespread disruptions and cancellations during pre-Christmas.
An unexpected strike by Eurotunnel workers canceled most trains on December 21.
