The Advertising Standards Authority has referred TV shopping
channel operator Sit-Up Ltd to regulator Ofcom following repeated breaches of
the Broadcast Advertising Code. The ASA has upheld 27 complaints against the
operator since January 2012, mostly relating to inaccurate pricing claims and
misleading product descriptions. Sit-Up is the licensee for three free-to-air
teleshopping channels, two of which are being referred: Bid TV and Price Drop.
Ofcom, which has confirmed it has accepted the referral, has the power to pull
the channels off the air and to fine the company up to £250,000 or 5 percent of
revenue. In a statement, a Sit Up spokesperson expressed “surprise and
disappointment” adding, “we take our relationship with our customers extremely
seriously and we have made significant and continuous efforts to improve our
compliance performance and procedures.” The company’s board of directors
commented, “We know that our customers appreciate the excellent products we
sell. We will fully cooperate in any Ofcom process.”
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