Crown Eyeglass warned over press advertisement claims

Crown Eyeglass has been ordered by the Advertising Standards Authority not to repeat advertisements claiming ÔbestÕ or Ôunbeatable value for moneyÕ unless it can submit documentary evidence to substantiate the claims.
Complainant Specsavers Opticians objected to claims made by the Crown Eyeglass chain Direkt Optik in regional press advertisements that stated: ÔThereÕs one company you can rely on who always offer best value for money Ð Direkt Optik, ÔNo other optician offers [this] value for moneyÕ; and Ôunbeatable value for moneyÕ.
In response, Crown Eyeglass said the claim was based on the fact that its 2-for-1 offer was always available and that it applied to all frames and lenses including designer frames and high-index lenses. It pointed out that that was stated in the advertisement.
It also told the ASA that it believed no other opticians offered the same freedom of choice or value for money.
The authority felt that the claim implied that Direkt OptikÕs offer was cheaper than similar offers available from competitors and, because the advertiser did not send comparative data to prove this, it was not satisfied that the claims were justified.
Chairman Joe Lee said: ÔI have yet to find another optician with the same offer Ð with no ifs and buts in small print.Õ
A second complaint from Specsavers, which was not upheld, concerned the statement: ÔDirekt Optik are offering free eye tests for the over 60sÕ. Specsavers believed it implied the offer was unique to the advertisers, not the NHS standard. Crown Eyeglass said this information was included because many over-60s did not know that they were eligible to free eye tests. The ASA concluded that the claim was not misleading.