Complaint That Amazon Kindle Lacked a Mains Electricity Charger Rejected

Published on: 14th Mar 2012

­A complaint that one of the Amazon Kindle devices sold in the UK is shipped without a mains electricity charger has been rejected by the Advertising Standards Authority - because it comes with a USB charger instead.

Following an advert, a complainant, who purchased a Kindle from the high street, objected that the ad was misleading because it did not state that a mains charger was not included with the product as standard.

Amazon responded saying that they believed that the majority of consumers who would buy a Wi-Fi device, such as the new Kindle, would have access to a computer and therefore would not require another mains plug.

Amazon said they offered another e-reader with different specifications, which included a physical keyboard and a mains plug and retailed for a higher price than the new Kindle device. They said that if a consumer required a mains plug, they could order it separately or opt for the other product. Furthermore, they did not believe that it was uncommon for Wi-Fi enabled devices not to include a mains plug adapter and pointed out that this was similar to other widely available electronic products that included a USB cable only.

The ASA acknowledged that there would be some consumers interested in the product who would not own or have access to a USB-enabled device. However, they considered that these consumers would be in a minority and would not represent the average consumer.

They also considered it reasonable to expect consumers who did not own or have access to a computer to check either the product information, if purchasing online, or the packaging if purchasing in-store, to ensure that the product was suitable for them before making a purchase. For these reasons they did not consider that the exclusion of a mains charger was a significant condition likely to affect the average consumer's decision to purchase -- and concluded that the ad was not misleading by omission.

 

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