During the Summer of 2023, Pretty Little Thing sent a marketing email to customers with a discount code. Text in the email stated: “JUST FOR YOU DOLL EXTRA 25% OFF SALE & ROYALTY FOR £3.99”, and “Re-join royalty now for £3.99 using your exclusive offer & get an extra 25% off sale too”. The promotion was intended to operate in order to encourage customers to re-join the brand’s delivery service at a lower price than usual, following which customers would also be able to apply the discount code to enjoy 25% off sale items (with certain exclusions).
Due to an “IT error”, a complainant was unable to redeem the code and take advantage of the discount. They contacted Pretty Little Thing’s customer service team, who failed to resolve the issue and incorrectly informed the customer that the discount was not eligible for use when purchasing sale items.
The ASA accepted Pretty Little Thing’s explanation that the issue had been caused by an IT problem but concluded that the promotion had nevertheless not been administered fairly because the consumer was unable to redeem the discount, despite fulfilling the criteria set out in the advertisement.
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