Businesses ads – in any medium – are governed by consumer protection law. This means your ads cannot have false, misleading or deceptive information about your goods or services. This includes:
- Pricing: By law, you must display tax-inclusive prices of goods and services to consumers. That means that the prices in ads aimed at consumers must be complete. They must include all taxes including VAT and not have any extra “hidden” charges. If you give a wrong price, you must point this out to the customer before the transaction takes place.
Read more about your legal obligations on pricing, including sales pricing, on our product pricing page.
- Reviews: By law, you cannot promote reviews about your business from consumers without taking reasonable steps to ensure they come from genuine consumers. You also cannot promote reviews from consumers which seem independent if you have paid for them.
- Consumer rights: By law, you cannot include content in any of your ads that indicates you will restrict or prevent a consumer from using their consumer rights.
The CCPC is responsible for enforcing these legal requirements. There are a number of actions we can take to ensure businesses comply including:
- Prosecution
- Prohibition orders
- Compliance notices
- Undertakings
- Fixed payment notices
Radio or television
Radio and television commercials are subject to extra regulations and standards. They are wide-ranging, and cover issues such as:
- ads that are false, misleading or “prejudice the interest of consumers”
- commercials during children’s programmes
- not using news presenters or expressions such as “Newsflash” in a commercial
There are also many codes specific to particular products or services. For example, cigarettes and tobacco, slimming products and products that make environmental claims.
Making a complaint
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland is an independent statutory body that handles complaints about the content of broadcasts by television and radio stations channels based in Ireland. Complaints are dealt with under headings such as “taste and decency” and codes of practice in advertising.
The BAI’s decisions are available to the public, but complaints are made against the broadcaster rather than against the advertiser per se. The BAI does not have any power to award costs or expenses to any party.
Concert or theatre tickets
The Consumer Information (Advertisements for Concert or Theatre Performances) Order 1997 regulates ads for concerts or theatre performances. They must show the admission price and any additional costs that apply, for example, booking fees, credit card charges, agents’ fees. This information has to be displayed differently depending where the ad is shown:
- for “written” ads (for example, in newspapers, on posters or on the web) the information must be shown as the monetary or percentage amount
- for other ads (for example, on radio or TV) that an additional charge may be payable should be stated
