With a number of parts for the Mk7 being available from companies based in the United Kingdom, it is useful to have some familiarity with the Advertising Laws those UK-based businesses operate under.
The following are excerpts from the UK Advertising Guidelines
Marketing and Advertising: the law
Pertinent excerpts
All marketing and advertising must be:
- an accurate description of the product or service
- legal
- truthful
- honest
Describing your product
You must describe your product accurately. This means if you make a claim about your product, you must be able to prove what you say.
“Marketing communications which omit material information, making it difficult for consumers to make informed decisions about a marketer’s product or service, are likely to breach rule 3.3, which states that marketing communications must not mislead by hiding material information or presenting it in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner.“
“Marketers should ensure that they hold evidence to support all claims that are likely to be interpreted as objective (rule 3.7)“
“Marketers should take care to ensure they don’t exaggerate the capability or performance of a product, in line with rule 3.11.“
“Qualifications should be presented clearly and prominently (rule 3.10).“
Regulations that affect advertising
Advertising to consumers
The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations mean you cannot mislead or harass consumers by, for example:
- including false or deceptive messages
- leaving out important information
Penalties
If you break the regulations, you could be reported to a local Trading Standards office. You could be fined, prosecuted or imprisoned.
For a practice to be unfair under these rules, they must harm, or be likely to harm, the economic interests of the average consumer. For example, when a shopper makes a purchasing decision he or she would not have made had he or she been given accurate information or not put under unfair pressure to do so.
The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations: a basic guide for business – Pg. 7