ASA upholds Dell complaint

The advertising standards agency has upheld a complaint against Dell after a customer said that a recent advertisement was misleading.

The complaint was in relation to Dell’s Photo All-in-One Printer 926, which the advertisement claimed was "affordable" at £59 including VAT. However, according to the ASA, the advert failed to make customers aware that they would have to buy a printer cable, costing a further £14.

During the ruling, Dell stated that it was not its policy to include printer cables in its packages. The ASA however rejected that statement saying that due to significant added cost of the cable, it violated its "truthfulness code".

"We considered the ad gave the impression that the printer could be used in conjunction with a computer without the purchase of any further equipment and that the natural expectation among customers was that a cable would be included in the advertised price unless the ad specifically stated that it was not."

It told Dell to clearly state that cables are not included with its printers in future advertisements.