Consumer disputes LinkedIn R7k job ad charge

Source: www.unsplash.com

The complaint centred on a consumer who posted a job opportunity on LinkedIn and later found a charge of R6975.95 deducted from his account, despite having accepted an offer of R8,000 in promotional credit. The consumer alleged that the deduction contradicted the claim of receiving a “free” advertising credit, and therefore constituted misleading advertising.

LinkedIn responded that once a job listing is paused — either after 21 days or once it receives 50 applicants — users can opt to “Promote” their posts. The R8,000 credit applied to this promotion phase, but users are subsequently charged if they continue to promote the job after the credit is depleted. LinkedIn maintained that this process is clearly explained during the promotion workflow.

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Although LinkedIn is not a member of the ARB and is not subject to its binding rulings, the Board considered the complaint to guide its members. Citing Clause 4.2.1 of Section II of the Code of Advertising Practice, which prohibits misleading advertising, the ARB ultimately found that the advertiser’s actions did not breach the code.

“All indications are that the Complainant was able to post his free ad, which ran until it was ‘Paused’. After this, he was able to ‘Promote’ it (initially on credit and then at a cost) in accordance with the processes outlined on the Advertiser’s website,” the Directorate stated in its ruling.

The ARB concluded that the credit offer was honoured as advertised, and that the subsequent charges were a result of continued usage beyond the credited amount. Therefore, the complaint was dismissed, with no finding of misleading conduct.