An advertisement for bus company Aircoach, which claimed that a journey from Portlaoise to Dublin airport would take an hour and a half, was one of several censured by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) yesterday.
In its latest Complaints Bulletin, the Aircoach claim was deemed misleading after a member of the public had written to the ASAI arguing that the journey took over two hours on a Sunday afternoon without traffic congestion. The company failed to provide a response to the complaint.
Two more transport providers also had complaints against their adverts upheld. Two posters for Iarnród Éireann, which carried the slogans "Now we can take twice the number of Dubliners" and "New 8 carriage DARTs at peak times" were scrutinised after a number of objections were made.
One complainant said that while there were some eight-carriage Darts during his peak morning travel time, most are still six-carriage trains. Another said that even if the eight-carriage Darts were available, the extra capacity would be 33 per cent, not 100 per cent, as claimed by the advertiser.
Iarnród Éireann said the doubling in capacity was based on a comparison with the period 1984-2000 - when Dart trains consisted of four carriages at peak times.
The fares charged by Irish Ferries were the subject of further complaints. An advert for the company offered one-way fares to France for €99 including taxes. However, some claimed this fare was not available because when they tried to book, additional charges of €2.25 per adult for a fuel supplement and a €4 booking fee were being applied. The complaint was upheld and justified on the basis that all charges, duties and inescapable costs should normally be stated in adverts.
Meanwhile, complaints against adverts for the TG4 show Paisean Faisean and Hunky Dory crisps were upheld on grounds of "decency and propriety".
A radio advert for the fashion programme was censured because it breached the principle of equality of men and women, was based on sexual stereotyping and could be deemed demeaning of women. The ASAI said it received complaints that the advert - in which a man tells a woman to change from flat shoes and trousers to stilettos and a mini-skirt - objectified women and "endorsed psychological and emotional abuse of women by their male partners".
A poster campaign for Hunky Dory crisps which features three women reclining on a bed with a packet of crisps, alongside the text "Which one would you throw out of bed for eating a Hunky Dorys?" was the subject of several complaints, alleging that it was offensive, exploitative and degrading to women. The ASAI upheld the complaints.