Halwynd
Member
A number of websites, including Trainline and, I believe, National Express, are joined up with a third party cashback outfit called 'Complete Savings'.
They operate with an advert box which is displayed once the checkout process is complete, informing customers that they can receive £x cashback, credited to their payment card when they make their next purchase with the retailer.
Many people have been misled into thinking it's that simple, but what happens is that the customer enters a contract with 'Complete Savings', often without realising it, which then charges their payment card with £15-18 per month - in return for which they receive ongoing discounts with certain retailers signed up with 'Complete Savings'.
Whilst 'buyer beware' is appropriate here - some of us realise you don't get owt for nowt - the Advertising Standards Authority have ruled that the 'Complete Savings' adverts on these retailers websites are misleading. Myself, I would say they are a borderline scam, and scoundrels such as Trainline should be ashamed they are taking part in this.
www.moneysavingexpert.com
Misleading "click to claim" cashback adverts that sign you up for a costly monthly subscription to a service called 'Complete Savings', have been banned following a complaint by MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE). MSE founder Martin Lewis has urged shoppers to check their statements NOW to make sure they're not unknowingly shelling out each month.
MSE's complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) covers ads spotted after making payments on Argos, Papa Johns and Trainline, though the ASA's ruling covers all adverts of this nature. The regulator has stated that such ads must make it clear that you need to sign up to a paid-for subscription and detail the steps to get any cashback, which can include making additional purchases.
The decision follows a similar warning issued by MSE in 2012 and comes amid a wider investigation by the ASA into online choice and whether consumers are being misled. As part of this probe, similar adverts for Complete Savings (which is owned by a company called Webloyalty International Limited) appearing on sites including Dominos and Moonpig were also banned for being misleading – something MSE had raised to the ASA too.
They operate with an advert box which is displayed once the checkout process is complete, informing customers that they can receive £x cashback, credited to their payment card when they make their next purchase with the retailer.
Many people have been misled into thinking it's that simple, but what happens is that the customer enters a contract with 'Complete Savings', often without realising it, which then charges their payment card with £15-18 per month - in return for which they receive ongoing discounts with certain retailers signed up with 'Complete Savings'.
Whilst 'buyer beware' is appropriate here - some of us realise you don't get owt for nowt - the Advertising Standards Authority have ruled that the 'Complete Savings' adverts on these retailers websites are misleading. Myself, I would say they are a borderline scam, and scoundrels such as Trainline should be ashamed they are taking part in this.
Misleading 'click to claim' cashback ads BANNED after MSE complaint – Martin Lewis urges you to check you're not paying for these subscriptions
Adverts for Complete Savings, a cashback site partnered with retailers such as Argos, Papa Johns and Trainline, have been banned by the regulator after intervention from MoneySavingExpert.com.
www.moneysavingexpert.com
Misleading "click to claim" cashback adverts that sign you up for a costly monthly subscription to a service called 'Complete Savings', have been banned following a complaint by MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE). MSE founder Martin Lewis has urged shoppers to check their statements NOW to make sure they're not unknowingly shelling out each month.
MSE's complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) covers ads spotted after making payments on Argos, Papa Johns and Trainline, though the ASA's ruling covers all adverts of this nature. The regulator has stated that such ads must make it clear that you need to sign up to a paid-for subscription and detail the steps to get any cashback, which can include making additional purchases.
The decision follows a similar warning issued by MSE in 2012 and comes amid a wider investigation by the ASA into online choice and whether consumers are being misled. As part of this probe, similar adverts for Complete Savings (which is owned by a company called Webloyalty International Limited) appearing on sites including Dominos and Moonpig were also banned for being misleading – something MSE had raised to the ASA too.
