OFT Clears Advertising Guidelines for Bertelsmann Book Clubs

AFX reports that the UK’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said Bertelsmann-owned Book Club Associates (BCA), membership book clubs across the UK selling books online and by mail order, has given undertakings not to use misleading adverts when enticing customers to sign up for its book clubs, although it added that BCA refused to accept its previous ads had been misleading. The OFT said it considered a number of the claims made in BCA’s advertising have been misleading under advertisement regulations, and whilst BCA did not accept this, it has “agreed to work with the OFT to reach an outcome that will benefit consumers.”

The advertising must comply with the undertakings by July 24.

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