TRANSPORT: ANTITRUST AUTHORITY PUTS A STOP TO MOBY ADVERTISING ON FERRIES TO SARDINIA AND CORSICA
PRESS RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
TRANSPORT: ANTITRUST AUTHORITY PUTS A STOP TO MOBY
ADVERTISING ON FERRIES TO SARDINIA AND CORSICA
Measure taken in view of the summer season. The Authority takes aim at use of the term ‘Come Back Free’ and questions the offer's true cost-effectiveness
The Italian Competition Authority, in view of the coming summer season, decided to suspend Moby's current advertisement “Go to Sardinia or Corsica. COME BACK FREE” as being potentially misleading for consumers.
The decision to adopt this precautionary measure was taken to prevent the advertisement from inducing members of the public to make a poor choice just when they are beginning to book transport for the tourist destinations of Sardinia and Corsica.
In the view of the Antitrust Authority the advertising promotion is couched in a way that might mislead consumers since the offer, in addition to not adequately specifying the taxes, charges and supplements to be paid, is in any case subject to the application on the outward journey of a fare class (called Best Price A) which is higher than other fares offered by Moby itself. That limitation means that the overall cost of the “COME BACK FREE” offer for the outward and return journeys chosen could very often turn out to be higher than a combination of the cheapest fares offered by the same operator on the same routes.
In the Authority's view, both these factors substantially undermine the principal economic benefit touted in Moby's promotional campaign, i.e. the fact that the return journey is free. The main function of the promotion would therefore seem to be to induce consumers to look at Moby's offers, using the typical lure of a particularly attractive but unfair offer.
Rome, 30 May 2008