Agent’s use of phone number where it had no office leads to complaint

An agent advertising a job vacancy on its website used a contact telephone number in a town where it has no office.

It led to a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority from a complainant which challenged whether the advert was misleading.

Lovell Estate Agency, in Lincolnshire, advertised for a “Newark Personal Agent”, giving a Newark number.

The complaint challenged whether this made it look as though the agents actually had a physical branch in Newark.

The ASA approached Lovell, which amended its advert and the case was closed with no further action.

Two other agents were also reported to the ASA, with both complaints being resolved informally.

Borow Properties Estate Agent, in Middlesbrough, described a property as a new home with double glazing.

After the complaint, it admitted to the ASA that the information was inaccurate and amended the listing.

The David Martin Group in Essex sent out marketing communications in a plain envelope by post.

A complainant objected to receiving unsolicited mail, especially as this was not clearly marked as a marketing communication.

After the ASA approached the agent with its concerns, it said it had removed the complainant’s details from its system and that all mailings would be clearly identified as marketing communications in future.

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