The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint by the SWPP against Mel Baskeyfield Photography which is based at Sindlesham, Wokingham in Berkshire.
The SWPP complained that the site displayed the SWPP logo on the front page of its website even though it was not a member.
‘We considered the inclusion of the SWPP logo implied that Mel Baskeyfield Photography was a member of the SWPP,’ said the ASA in its 22 May ruling.
‘In the absence of evidence to demonstrate that was the case, we concluded that the ad was misleading.’
The watchdog said Mel Baskeyfield Photography failed to respond to its enquiries and showed ‘an apparent disregard’ for the advertising code.
An emailed request for comment, sent by Amateur Photographer (AP) to Mel Baskeyfield Photography following the ASA decision, failed to reach its intended recipient, giving the reason ‘mailbox is full’.
A mobile telephone number displayed on the Mel Baskeyfield Photography website did not appear to be a valid number when AP tried to contact the site yesterday.
