Description:
A post appearing on social media advertised a sofa bed for the promotional price of $1. The advertiser, Pacific Living Furniture, also offered free local delivery.
Complaint:
The complainant alleged the price claim was inaccurate as they found that, upon reaching out to the advertiser, the actual price of the sofa bed was over $950.
Response:
Although Ad Standards requested a response from Pacific Living Furniture, there was no response sent to Council.
Decision:
Council considered the complaint together with the advertisement.
Council understood that, although such practices may be common on social media, the intent was to attract consumers to view a product listing by displaying a more appealing price. As the price of $1 shown in the post was inaccurate, all Council members agreed that the ad contained a deceptive price claim and was therefore misleading. Council unanimously found that the ad contravened Clauses 1(a) and 3(a) of the Code.
Infraction:
Clause 1(a), Clause 3(a)
