Asda returns advertisement banned for making out consumer right is a bonus for shoppers

The retailer introduced the policy across its clothing range in March, claiming it wanted to halt the increase of "throwaway" fashion on the high street.

The move came months after rival Marks & Spencer cut its 90-day returns deadline to 35 days, to the anger of customers.

A television advertisement for the clothing label George at Asda said: "At George, we know what makes a difference; the quality and feel of the fabric, the stylish cut, the stitching, colours that stay colourful, extensive testing and the finer details... and that's why, at George, we now offer a 100-day quality guarantee on all our clothes, so you can enjoy quality that lasts. Yes, that's George, exclusively at Asda."

On-screen text said the offer excluded footwear, jewellery and accessories not made from cloth.

A viewer objected that the 100-day guarantee was misleading because consumers had more time to return items that were not of an acceptable quality under the Sale of Goods Act.

Now the Advertising Standards Authority has upheld the complaint, pointing out that legislation allows consumers up to six years to bring an action for breach of contract.

Defending the advertisement, Asda said employees were briefed on the difference between a "faulty" list, which detailed defects covered by the Sale of Goods Act, and a "quality" list covered by the 100-day guarantee including fabric bobbling, pulled threads, shrinking, stretching and colour fading.

n Ryanair has once again been reprimanded for misleading customers with low fare offers

Two advertisements for the budget airline offered 10 one-way fares to Gothenburg and Dusseldorf, with small print explaining that the offer was subject to availability and excluded optional fees and charges. Rival EasyJet challenged the availability of the fares.