House builder rapped for misleading advert

The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the image of a bathroom did not match the headline price as it included a number of bespoke upgrades which ASA said customers would assume to be included.

It has been taken down and has been banned in its current form.

The complainant challenged whether the image was misleading because she understood that Taylor Wimpey did not finish homes to that standard, even when an upgrade was available, according to the adjudication.

The ASA said: ‘Taylor Wimpey should have instead used a picture that was representative of the room that was included in the headline price (for example, a digitally altered picture of the showroom or a mock-up picture) or made clear what the cost would be to achieve the bathroom depicted by either adjusting the headline price to include the cost or stating alongside the headline “from”.’

A spokesperson from Taylor Wimpey said the company aimed to ensure their advertising was clear and truthful. ‘We will [from now on] be leading the industry by including additional information in our advertising to provide further clarity for our customers and potential customers,’ she said.