Media Release

19 December 2016

Advertising Standards Authority challenged over ruling

The country’s biggest importer and retailer of second hand cars is questioning both the process and outcome of an Advertising Standards Authority ruling over a 2 Cheap Cars TV ad.

News media reports today (NZ Herald 19 December) said that 2 Cheap Cars had been found guilty of misleading advertising.

2 Cheap Cars chief executive Eugene Williams says the news report is baffling, and assuming it’s true, he says he has serious questions over how the Complaints Board went about their ruling.

“At no stage have we had any contact with the Advertising Standards Authority on this matter. I am sure if they had talked to us they would have come up with a different ruling. It is pretty disappointing”, says Mr Williams.

In addition, 2 Cheap Cars says it had no feedback or contact from the person who laid the complaint with the Authority.

“We absolutely refute the suggestion that we deliberately set about to mislead customers. The ad talked about offering Mazda Axela cars from $5989 plus ORC. When the potential customer couldn’t find a 2009 model for that price he laid complaint. At no stage did we specifically advertise 2009 Axela’s at that price,” he says.

Mr Williams says for the Complaints Board to say they made many attempts to contact 2 Cheap Cars during their investigation is bizarre.

“We get dozens of emails and written correspondence at our head office every day. We have no record of any contact from the Advertising Standards Authority or their Complaints Board,” says Mr Williams.

Mr Williams says it is important to 2 Cheap Cars that customers get the very best deal possible. “Our advertising is sometimes edgy, but we have no interest in making offers we can’t follow through on,” he says.

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