Boots taken to task by ASA

The Advertising Standards Agency upheld a complaint against a Boots Opticians' free eye exam leaflet, finding the wording was likely to mislead customers, whose liabilities for cost were not made clear.

The leaflet stated: 'free eye examination or we'll refund the cost of your examination by another optician if you buy a complete pair of glasses or contact lenses...' The complainant thought it was misleading as it was not clear that, although the money would subsequently be refunded, the Boots eye exam had to be paid for up front.

Boots said it was a voucher, not a leaflet, that had existed for several years and was handed out in stores this was the first complaint it had received. The company nevertheless submitted an amended voucher with new wording: 'free eye test if you buy a complete pair of glasses or contact lenses. We'll even refund the cost of your eye test by another optician'. It added in the terms and conditions that the cost of the eye test would be refunded at the point where glasses or CLs were purchased.