'Wallet doctor' gets a health warning from ad watchdog

30 November 2016 - 10:59 By Dave Chambers

An insurance company’s “wallet doctor” has been struck off by the advertising watchdog.Clientèle has been told to scrap its television advertisement featuring a hospital patient being handed wads of cash and declaring his “body still needs time to recover but his wallet feels great”.Ivan Perry complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)‚ saying the ad gave the impression money was paid while the policyholder was in hospital‚ when in fact it was handed over after discharge.The authority agreed that the ad gave a misleading impression‚ even though Clientèle protested that no reasonable viewer would believe the “wallet doctor” was a real person or expect cash to be delivered to a hospital bed.It confirmed to the ASA that clients were paid only after being discharged because the number of days spent in hospital determined the amount that was owed.Said the ASA directorate: “This is in direct contrast to the commercial communication‚ and therefore means the commercial creates a misleading impression‚ which‚ at best‚ is only corrected after a potential customer starts interacting with sales agents and is provided the correct information.” – TMG Digital/The Times..

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