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Legal or Not ?

In u.k. is it legal to advertise an event as "Free" and then apply a caveat in order to gain admission. e.g. The disco is advertised as free but on arrival you find there is a buffet laid on and it is compulsory to pay £5 contribution towards the food or you can't get in.

12 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Illegal.

    Advertise the buffet as an optional extra and issue tickets to identify the paid eaters.

  • 1 decade ago

    No, this is against the advertising standards code. The event is not free if it is not possible to attend the event without paying, even if the payment is ostensibly for something else, such as the food. They could advertise "Buffet with free disco", but simply advertising the disco as free and then only mentioning later that purchase of the buffet is compulsory is not the right way to do things.

  • 1 decade ago

    That depends: If the event is advertised as a Buffet evening for which £5 is payable, the poster or advertising can then say that there is a 'free disco' in that no further charge is made for the disco. If however, the event is described as a Free Disco, then it would be illegal to say that there is a buffet for which £5 is payable. It basically comes down to what is being advertised as 'the main event' and what is being advertised as a 'secondary attraction' it is not permissible to adevrtise the main event as free and impose a payable condition on a secondary attraction without allowing people in to the main attraction for free.

  • 1 decade ago

    No, it is a misleading advertisement unless, after stating that it is free, there is a mention of a £5 contribution towards the buffet. Other questions might be asked. Were these people serving alcohol? Did they have a licence?

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  • Scouse
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    This is misleading, they can suggest a voluntary donation of £5 but can not refuse admission on the grounds that you have not paid. They can make a separate charge for the buffet providing it is not a condition of entry to the free event

  • 1 decade ago

    sounds legal to me as long as the 5 is for the food and not the disco

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Yep, it's legal. Not only in the U.K., but also in the USA. If you're going into law, learn to read the fine print.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    if you pay a fiver to get in then the event is not free....and is very much deceiving in it's advertisement....

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    If it is compulsary then that is illegal advertisement. If it isn't compulsary but they just try to make you think it is then it isn't illegal, but I wouldn't go to an event organised by the same people again

  • ?
    Lv 6
    1 decade ago

    If anyone was to DO that, they'd be in contravention, of the ADVERTISING laws, - AND the "TRADE DESCRIPTIONS" legislation

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