The ASA’s Advertising Standards Authority and CAP Code rules require that a reference price used in a “was/now” claim, such as a conservatory advertised as reduced from a higher price, represents a genuine, established usual selling price, generally supported by at least three months of pricing history and evidence that a meaningful number of sales were actually made at that higher price.

What a “was/now” claim actually promises

A “was £X, now £Y” claim, a strikethrough price, a stated percentage discount, or a reference to a recommended retail or “usual” price, all fall within what the ASA treats as reference pricing: a claim that compares a current price to another price to suggest a saving. The rule behind all of these formats is the same: the higher, “was” figure has to represent a genuine price the product was actually being sold at, not a number chosen purely to make the current price look like a bigger reduction than it really is.

The duration test

A central test the ASA applies is duration: generally, the higher reference price should have been charged for a longer period than the promotional price that follows it. Where a product has spent more time on sale at the lower, “now” price than it ever spent at the higher, “was” price, the ASA has found in specific rulings that the lower price had effectively become the real usual selling price, making the “was” figure misleading as a comparison. Alternating a product between a higher and lower price for roughly equal periods has similarly been found not to support a genuine “was/now” claim.

The evidence the ASA expects

To substantiate a savings claim, the ASA generally expects a trader to hold at least three months of pricing history, showing how long the product was sold at any prices in between the “was” and “now” figures, along with evidence that a genuine, meaningful number of sales were actually made at the higher reference price rather than it being a price that was technically listed but rarely, if ever, actually paid. The reference price also needs to reflect the price for the same sales channel; a claim on a website cannot legitimately be based on a higher price that only ever applied in a showroom, for example, and the reference price used should generally be the most recent price available before the promotion began.

Why this matters specifically for conservatories

Large home improvement purchases like conservatories are frequently marketed around a discount from a stated “list price,” which can make the size of the apparent saving a significant factor in a buying decision. Because installations are typically bespoke and infrequently sold at a genuinely fixed, advertised “was” price the way a mass-market retail product might be, this sector has drawn specific ASA and CTSI attention over whether a quoted “was” price for a conservatory or similar home improvement product reflects a real, previously-charged price at all.

What happens when a claim doesn’t hold up

Where the ASA investigates a savings claim and finds the reference price was not genuinely the usual selling price, for example because it was only briefly applied before the discount began, or because significant sales at that higher price cannot be shown, it treats the claim as misleading and in breach of the CAP Code’s rules on misleading advertising, substantiation and pricing. An upheld ruling typically requires the advertisement to be withdrawn or amended, and repeated or serious non-compliance can lead to further sanctions against the advertiser.

Questions worth asking before you sign

Faced with a conservatory quote presented as a discount from a much higher “list price,” asking directly how long that higher price was actually charged, and to how many customers, is a reasonable question given what the ASA itself expects a trader to be able to show; a company confident in a genuine reference price should be able to answer it without difficulty.

FAQs

Does a “was £15,000, now £9,000” conservatory advert have to reflect a real price?

Yes. The ASA requires the higher figure to represent a genuine, established usual selling price, not a number chosen purely to inflate the apparent discount.

How long does a “was” price generally need to have applied?

Generally longer than the promotional “now” price that follows it, with the ASA typically expecting at least three months of pricing history as evidence.

Does the “was” price need to reflect actual sales, or just be listed?

The ASA expects evidence that a genuine, meaningful number of sales were actually made at the higher reference price.

What happens if the ASA finds a savings claim misleading?

The advertisement typically has to be withdrawn or amended, and repeated non-compliance can lead to further sanctions.

Bottom line

A conservatory advertised with a “was/now” saving has to be backed by a genuine, recently-charged usual selling price under the ASA’s CAP Code, generally supported by at least three months of pricing history and real sales at the higher figure, not simply a number picked to make the discount look larger. This is general information, not legal advice on a specific advert; a savings claim that looks too large to be genuine is worth questioning directly with the seller.

Sources

This guide draws on the following primary sources, current as of 22 September 2026:

• ASA / CAP, “Promotional savings claims”

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Compare Conservatories is an independent guide. We may earn a fee from some links; this never affects what we write. This article is general information, not legal or planning advice on any specific property — always confirm requirements directly with your local planning authority.