Comet in dock for ignoring ASA complaint

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has accused retail giant Comet of deliberately ignoring its complaints about a national press ad for SkyDigital boxes and dishes.

The authority claims Comet failed to reply to a recorded delivery letter notifying it of a complaint by rival Dixons (DSG Retail), as well as two follow-up letters.

It further claims that a letter to Comet managing director Joe Riordon two months later to notify him that the complaint had been upheld was also ignored.

ASA spokesman Chris Reed says: “Comet did not communicate with us, either by post or by telephone, while the investigation was going on, and it had ample opportunity to do so. Comet should have contacted us.”

Comet put the failure to respond down to a series of blunders rather than a deliberate policy. Advertising manager Tim Fairs claims the company’s original reply was lost in the post and subsequent letters arrived while he was on a two-week holiday. He says: “For the record, I would like to stress that Comet takes ASA complaints very seriously.”