The credit information groups’ ad was banned after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled it was misleading, reported the Daily Mail.
The claim on Experian’s website said: “Instant access to your personal Experian credit report, as well as your credit score and identity protection insurance – sign up for a 30 day trial”.
However, a complainant said they had to wait for five days for a PIN to be sent in the post before they could access their credit report.
Experian said it carried out various security and ID verification checks as part of the CreditExpert application process, in order to prevent fraudulent access to consumer credit reports.
It added that the claim was based on the rationale that the vast majority of customers were successful in obtaining instant access to their credit report.
However, ASA ruled that the claim “Instant access to your personal Experian credit report” was an absolute claim, which consumers would take to mean that they would get access to their credit report as soon as they had completed the online application.
ASA ruled that Experian cannot show the ad in its current form again, or claim that consumers can gain instant access to their credit reports.
