A travel company breached advertising rules when it told a customer he had won a prize but had to pay to claim it.

The ‘winner’ complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) when he entered a competition for a seven-night holiday and was told he’d won a runner-up prize, which incurred a fee.

The promotion, seen on the Skybreaks.co.uk website on 8 August 2022, stated: “Enter to WIN! 7 nights free holiday accommodation”, encouraging members of the public to: “Fill in your details below.”

Easy Consulting SL, which trades as Skybreaks.co.uk, told the ASA that the draw, which took place ‘every week or two’, resulted in a prize winner, who did not have to pay anything towards their prize, as well as multiple runners-up, who were offered an option of taking a week of accommodation, with an administration fee of £59, on a non-obligatory purchase basis.

The complainant, who was told over the phone he had won a runners-up prize but that he must pay a fee to claim it, challenged whether the promotion breached the ASA’s Code of Conduct.

The ASA agreed the company breached its Code on several points, including the fact that there was a cost involved in claiming the prize.

Easy Consulting SL was told it must ensure future promotions included all significant conditions, including information about the number and nature of prizes.

The ASA also said the promotion could not falsely claim that consumers had won a prize if they were required to incur a cost to claim the prize.