KEY POINTS:
A leak from a complainant has revealed that the Accident Compensation Corporation is in trouble with the Advertising Standards Authority.
The authority has upheld a complaint against an ACC advertisement saying "you're covered".
It has not yet revealed its decision on the 45-second television commercial, but executive director Hilary Souter said one of the complainants appeared to have taken a letter about the decision to media.
The ACC advertisement, part of a $2.3 million campaign, told people they were covered if they had an accident.
But Peter White told TV3 he had been refused cover by ACC after a motorcycle accident, and was now on an invalid's benefit.
"ACC at first did cover my injuries and sent me letters saying I was covered but then later refused to cover my injuries and took away my compensation and wages," he said.
ACC said last night the authority had upheld a complaint about one of its ads.
Chief executive Jan White said the ad was meant only to tell people how ACC covered them.
"ACC will consider its response to the decision once it has reviewed the full judgment," she said.
The ad had finished screening.
Ms Souter said people were asked to keep the notices they were given confidential, but that had not happened and the authority would now issue its decision as quickly as it could.
It usually asked for offending advertisements to be withdrawn, but the ACC ad's run had finished.
The authority would not take any action against the complainant who had gone to the media.
Act MP Heather Roy has criticised the cost of ACC's campaign.
"ACC is a state-owned monopoly - there is no competition, no choice for the public and it uses taxpayers' money," she said.
"Instead of using that money to help injured Kiwis, it is diverting it to self-promotion."
- NZPA
