Advertising Standards Authority

Classified advertisements placed by individuals in [newspapers:newsprint] and magazines are not covered by the Advertising Standards Authority's "[code:system] of practice". If you happen to buy goods that have been wrongly described in such an advertisement, and have lost money as a result, the only thing you can do is bring a case against the person who placed the advertisement for misrepresentation or for breach of [contract:contrast] . In this case you would use the small claims procedure, which is a relatively cheap way to sue for the recovery of a debt. If you want to pursue a claim, you should take into account whether the person you are suing will be able to pay damages, should any be [awarded:granted] . Dishonest traders are [aware:wary] of this and often pose as private sellers to [exploit:expose] the legal loopholes that exist: that is, they may claim they are not in a position to pay damages.