Do all adverts for credit need to show the APR?

RainyDay

Registered User
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4,505
I've just spotted a web advert for BOI car loans as follows;

Get 1% APR
off NOW

which seems a bit misleading to me. I thought they had to quote the actual APR itself. Or does the usual 'Terms & Conditions apply' cover them?
 
On the website, there is an asterix after the word "off".

The asterix is "explained" as "Click here for terms and conditions".

When you "click here", you are led to the [broken link removed]

Still no mention of "typical APR".

You have to actually calculate the repayments before you see any mention of the APR.

So is any of the "click here" etc. buttons an advertisement for credit in it's own right, or is the final calculation of repayments the 'tailored advertisement'?
 
Try reporting this to IFSRA just in case it's dodgy. If it's not then no harm done. But be prepared for a rigmarole of obfuscation from them (e.g. they'll probably quote you sections of the Consumer Credit Act and Section 33AK of the Central Bank Act telling you what they're not allowed to tell you once you have made a complaint) based on my previous experience. :rolleyes: See here for example which reflects experiences of mine in making a complaint to IFSRA about misleading advertising by several financial institutions:
Technical deficiencies in existing legislation

...

However, the one technical issue which needs to be reviewed is the application of Section 33AK of the Central Bank Act. IFSRA interprets this very strictly. For example, it believes that it is prevented from responding to a complainant when a breach of the code is alleged. So a complainant about an ad, for example, will never know if their complaint has been upheld or has been rejected by IFSRA. They will not know what defence if any was offered by the advertiser. IFSRA will not discuss their opinions on any advertisements with the Consumer Panel because Section 33AK prevents them from doing so. This does make it difficult for us to make suggestions to IFSRA and to review IFSRA’s performance and decision making. We don’t believe that the intention of the legislation was to provide such a veil of secrecy over everything IFSRA does.
 
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