Banned, the Argos ad for ‘out of stock’ bargain TVs

ARGOS adverts for discounted TVs and watches have been banned after the items proved almost impossible to buy.

The chain had advertised a 50in Hitachi 4K Ultra HD TV for £299 last November, down from the usual price of £370.

However, a shopper found it was ‘out of stock’ and became available only when it returned to its original price.

A similar pattern was seen with a luxury Bulova Precisionist Quartz Chronograph watch, cut by £200 to £299.99.

Argos said 8,820 Hitachi TVs and 48 Bulova watches were put into stores for the Black Friday sales. It also said its adverts stated ‘while stocks last’.

However, the Advertising Standards Authority has banned any repeat of the ‘misleading’ website and TV adverts due to an ‘absence of evidence that Argos had made a reasonable estimate of demand’. Argos said: ‘We sold our stock much quicker than anticipated.’