The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint about a website that did not make it clear that it levied payment card surcharges. When customers selected a payment method, the website added a £1 or £2 charge to the purchase price, depending on the type of card used.
The complainant argued that the website was misleading because the initial price claims did not mention the non-optional card fee. Further, the website quoted VAT-exclusive prices, albeit in the format: "Prices from £10.00 excluding VAT plus VAT £2.00, total £12.00". The ASA upheld both complaints, because the website did not mention the non-optional card fee that all buyers would have to pay, the initial price claims were misleading.
Although the website quoted VAT-inclusive prices as well as VAT-exclusive prices, all or most of the website's customers paid VAT for the tickets. Therefore, the advertisement breached the misleading advertising and prices rules of the CAP Code.
Website operators must ensure that any extra charges are made clear to a customer at an early stage.