It could be that you came across an ad that promises low rates but after clicking through it becomes clear the product is much more expensive than you were initially led to believe. Or you came across an ad that you found offensive or distasteful. In either case you can complain to your national self-regulatory organisation, something that is real easy to do as most will have an online complaints form. If not, you can send your complaint either by post or by fax.

 Contact details of your self-regulatory organisation

Best of all, in most countries it is free to file a complaint. In terms of time, self-regulatory organisations try to resolve complaints as quickly as possible but also have a duty to ensure that the investigations and decisions are thorough and robust. With a European procedure average of three weeks, this sure is a lot quicker than a court case.

Cross-border complaints

If the ad appeared in media originating in a country other than the one where you live, it will be treated as a cross-border complaint (CBC) and your national SRO will forward it to the SRO in the country of origin. Cross-border complaints from consumers are also handled free of charge.

 More information on cross-border complaints can be found here.

EASA Euro Ad Alerts

EASA Euro Ad Alerts are aimed at practitioners, relevant government and consumer organisations concerning cross-border advertisements demonstrating sharp and extremely misleading practices. They provide updates on companies endorsing such practices and provide advice to consumers and companies who have been misled.

 Latest Euro Ad Alerts

Sanctions

Self-regulation also provides the self-regulatory organisation with appropriate sanctions to deter advertisers to break the rules of the code.

 More information can be found here.