Ad claimed 2-minute walk to MRT, actual distance 600 meters; two companies fined NT$0.3 million in total

The Fair Trade Commission passed a resolution finding that the ad content for the "Qiqin Wenhe Yuan" development in Kaohsiung's Xinxing District was false and misleading, in violation of Article 21, Paragraph 1 of the Fair Trade Act.

The ad read: "Near Formosa Boulevard · Stroll to the MRT. Starting from your doorstep, the MRT station is about a 2-minute stroll away." The Fair Trade Commission's investigation found that the shortest distance from the development site to Formosa Boulevard Station on the MRT is 600 meters, and it concluded that an average person cannot cover this distance on foot in 2 minutes.

The Fair Trade Commission fined Kunjun NT$0.2 million and Shunxiao NT$0.1 million, so the two companies were fined NT$0.3 million in total. NOWnews reported that Kunjun Construction and Shunxiao Advertising were responsible for selling the development, and that covering 600 meters in 2 minutes works out to about 18 kilometers per hour, or 5 meters per second, close to the speed of a bicycle.

The Fair Trade Commission said that development ads are an important way for consumers to learn about a project's facilities, surroundings and features, and that transport convenience is one of the key factors consumers consider, so businesses should ensure that what their ads state matches the actual situation.

In another case, Xintianfa and Chengzhuang Advertising, while selling the pre-sale units of "Jiazhan 2" in Taoyuan, required buyers to pay a deposit first before providing the contract to take home for review. The Fair Trade Commission fined Xintianfa NT$0.2 million and Chengzhuang Advertising NT$0.1 million. This is a separate case from "Qiqin Wenhe Yuan."