KEY POINTS:
The Advertising Standards Complaints Authority has upheld a complaint against a "Buddycard" that proved to be anything but.
The complainant, J Osbourne, paid for $50 for the "Buddycard" promising free labour from Auckland company Johns & Gee Automotive.
He bought the card as a present for his mother, believing it meant she would only pay for parts, Mr Osbourne said.
But when Mr Osbourne's mother presented the card after getting a lube job on her car, she was billed $120, $72 of which was for labour.
The company explained the card only gave free labour to the value of $25, and its mechanics had taken more than an hour on the job.
However, the authority said the wording on the card, which said "FREE labour on LUBE" indicated she should have paid nothing.
Following rule two of the Advertising Code of Ethics, relating to truthful presentation, the authority ruled the offer was ambiguous and the consumer had been misled.
- NZPA
