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‘Win a £700k house’ competition slammed over misleading prize by ASA

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  • 25/04/2018
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‘Win a £700k house’ competition slammed over misleading prize by ASA
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against a property lottery website, after the winning entrant was given a cash prize rather than the advertised house.

Win Abode promised entrants the chance to win a £700,000 house in London, with entry tickets sold for £2.

However, a note on the webpage added: “Please note that because we are unlikely to reach the necessary target of £700,000, we will most likely offer a cash alternative as per our Ts and Cs”

The complainant argued that the likely cash value of the prize would be disproportionate to the value of the property; Win Abode raised £120,000 in ticket sales in the run up to the draw, with the winner eventually getting £100,000.

Despite Win Abode’s contention that it had been clear that the draw would likely be for a cash prize rather than a property, the complaint was upheld.

The ASA said that the “prominence and detail” given to the grand prize was likely to leave entrants under the impression the winner would receive the property, no matter how many tickets were sold.

It said that the eventual £100,000 cash prize was not a “reasonable equivalent” to the prize of a £700,000 property, and so the promotion was likely to have “caused unnecessary disappointment”.

Win Abode has been instructed to ensure future promotions do not fall foul of this same mistake.

The ASA also informally resolved a complaint against estate agent Portico Property, after a complaint was made over its listing of a rental property on Rightmove. The property was listed as being “available now” but was already being let out.

The firm agreed to remove the listing following a prompt from the ASA.

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