Results 1 to 10 of 10
  1. #1
    Alan Davies
    Guest
    I think it's safe to say that Vodafone is taking the proverbial - claims to
    "unlimited" services are limited in the small print (very small print) to an
    extent that a mockery is made of the term "unlimited".

    I just came across an add on this page (a Vodafone ad) offering a free Nokia
    N95 8Gb (black) for £15 a month with 600 minutes and unlimited texts:

    http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/207654/nokia-e71.html

    There is no obvious (or even less obvious) mention of the offer anywhere on
    the Vodafone website - even if you interpret the offer as being a £30 a
    month contract with the first 3 months at £15.

    Is it not time that the ASA took action against these tossers - we are all,
    surely, facing a hard time at present and don't need to be further shafted
    by misleading advertising?








    See More: Voda false advertising?




  2. #2
    Alan Davies
    Guest

    Re: Voda false advertising?


    "BGN" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:35:39 +0100, "Alan Davies" <[email protected]>
    > wrote:
    >
    >>Is it not time that the ASA took action against these tossers - we are
    >>all,
    >>surely, facing a hard time at present and don't need to be further shafted
    >>by misleading advertising?

    >
    > The ASA aren't going to do anything unless YOU complain to them.


    And I was just about to but - and in the words of Mr Meldrew - I don't
    believe it: the ad has just changed to show the £35 offer and not a non
    existent £15 offer!!!!






  3. #3
    Martin Jay
    Guest

    Re: Voda false advertising?

    On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:35:39 +0100, "Alan Davies" <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    >I just came across an add on this page (a Vodafone ad) offering a free Nokia
    >N95 8Gb (black) for £15 a month with 600 minutes and unlimited texts:
    >
    >http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/207654/nokia-e71.html
    >
    >There is no obvious (or even less obvious) mention of the offer anywhere on
    >the Vodafone website - even if you interpret the offer as being a £30 a
    >month contract with the first 3 months at £15.


    It's a rotating ad. I've uploaded the four parts here
    <http://www.spam-free.org.uk/vodafone_ad/>.
    --
    Martin Jay



  4. #4
    Ian
    Guest

    Re: Voda false advertising?


    "Alan Davies" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news[email protected]...
    >I think it's safe to say that Vodafone is taking the proverbial - claims to
    >"unlimited" services are limited in the small print (very small print) to
    >an extent that a mockery is made of the term "unlimited".
    >
    > I just came across an add on this page (a Vodafone ad) offering a free
    > Nokia N95 8Gb (black) for £15 a month with 600 minutes and unlimited
    > texts:
    >
    > http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/207654/nokia-e71.html
    >
    > There is no obvious (or even less obvious) mention of the offer anywhere
    > on the Vodafone website - even if you interpret the offer as being a £30 a
    > month contract with the first 3 months at £15.
    >
    > Is it not time that the ASA took action against these tossers - we are
    > all, surely, facing a hard time at present and don't need to be further
    > shafted by misleading advertising?
    >
    >

    I complained to Trading Standards. They said it is /OK/ to use the word
    unlimited
    providing it is made clear there is a limit. Obviously the person I spoke
    to
    had no understanding of English.
    Trading Standards continue to allow ISPs to put out false and
    misleading adverts which also confuse the Advertising Standards Authority.





  5. #5
    Alan Davies
    Guest

    Re: Voda false advertising?


    "Martin Jay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:35:39 +0100, "Alan Davies" <[email protected]>
    > wrote:
    >
    >>I just came across an add on this page (a Vodafone ad) offering a free
    >>Nokia
    >>N95 8Gb (black) for £15 a month with 600 minutes and unlimited texts:
    >>
    >>http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/207654/nokia-e71.html
    >>
    >>There is no obvious (or even less obvious) mention of the offer anywhere
    >>on
    >>the Vodafone website - even if you interpret the offer as being a £30 a
    >>month contract with the first 3 months at £15.

    >
    > It's a rotating ad. I've uploaded the four parts here
    > <http://www.spam-free.org.uk/vodafone_ad/>.


    Thank you - after I posted I noticed that the ad changed: gone was mention
    of the £15 a month and instead the £35 tariff was in its place! I hoped when
    I saw your post that you had managed to save the original ad but I see that
    you also have the £35 ad. I didn't save the original one.






  6. #6
    Andy Burns
    Guest

    Re: Voda false advertising?

    On 31/08/2008 11:07, Alan Davies wrote:

    > Thank you - after I posted I noticed that the ad changed: gone was mention
    > of the £15 a month and instead the £35 tariff was in its place! I hoped when
    > I saw your post that you had managed to save the original ad but I see that
    > you also have the £35 ad. I didn't save the original one.


    Turning off adblock (and looking at the adverts that Martin had
    captured) Samsung and Sony are £15 for first 3 months, Nokia is £35 per
    month. Are you sure you didn't just get confused by seeing different
    adverts as they rotated?



  7. #7
    Alan Davies
    Guest

    Re: Voda false advertising?


    "Andy Burns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    On 31/08/2008 11:07, Alan Davies wrote:

    > Thank you - after I posted I noticed that the ad changed: gone was mention
    > of the £15 a month and instead the £35 tariff was in its place! I hoped
    > when I saw your post that you had managed to save the original ad but I
    > see that you also have the £35 ad. I didn't save the original one.


    >> Turning off adblock (and looking at the adverts that Martin had captured)
    >> Samsung and Sony are £15 for first 3 months, Nokia is £35 per month. Are
    >> you sure you didn't just get confused by seeing different adverts as they
    >> rotated?


    No way although I can understand that people might think that.

    There was another ad at the bottom of the page - similar to the one that
    Martin captured but greater width and less height. It clearly stated that
    the Nokia N95 8Gb was free on a £15 a month tariff - it was a different ad
    to the one that was captured.





  8. #8
    Alan Davies
    Guest

    Re: Voda false advertising?


    "Alan Davies" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    >
    > "Andy Burns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > On 31/08/2008 11:07, Alan Davies wrote:
    >
    >> Thank you - after I posted I noticed that the ad changed: gone was
    >> mention of the £15 a month and instead the £35 tariff was in its place! I
    >> hoped when I saw your post that you had managed to save the original ad
    >> but I see that you also have the £35 ad. I didn't save the original one.

    >
    >>> Turning off adblock (and looking at the adverts that Martin had
    >>> captured) Samsung and Sony are £15 for first 3 months, Nokia is £35 per
    >>> month. Are you sure you didn't just get confused by seeing different
    >>> adverts as they rotated?

    >
    > No way although I can understand that people might think that.
    >
    > There was another ad at the bottom of the page - similar to the one that
    > Martin captured but greater width and less height. It clearly stated that
    > the Nokia N95 8Gb was free on a £15 a month tariff - it was a different ad
    > to the one that was captured.


    Ha, it's still there! If you go to the page and try a few times to refresh
    it the ad should appear (at the bottom of the page - it seems to rotate
    randomly with a PC World ad).

    I've saved it to my desktop (it's an animated gif) and it clearly says that
    the phone is available *free* for £15 a month.

    I will post the animated gif to the ASA and see what happens (I won't hold
    my breath).






  9. #9
    Andy Burns
    Guest

    Re: Voda false advertising?

    On 31/08/2008 15:20, Alan Davies wrote:

    > There was another ad at the bottom of the page - similar to the one that
    > Martin captured but greater width and less height. It clearly stated that
    > the Nokia N95 8Gb was free on a £15 a month tariff - it was a different ad
    > to the one that was captured.


    Yes I see it, but they'll have an E&OE clause somewhere on the website;
    You can't them to force them to sell at that price any more than they
    can force you to buy.



  10. #10
    Alan Davies
    Guest

    Re: Voda false advertising?


    "Andy Burns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    On 31/08/2008 15:20, Alan Davies wrote:

    > There was another ad at the bottom of the page - similar to the one that
    > Martin captured but greater width and less height. It clearly stated that
    > the Nokia N95 8Gb was free on a £15 a month tariff - it was a different ad
    > to the one that was captured.


    >> Yes I see it, but they'll have an E&OE clause somewhere on the website;
    >> You can't them to force them to sell at that price any more than they can
    >> force you to buy.


    Sure. But the point was that they are pretty carefree with their misleading
    advertising. I only visited the website because, having seen the ad, it
    seemed like an offer too good to miss :-(

    The ASA upheld a complaint against them in June for using the term
    "unlimited" in relation to mobile email and internet but thet haven't
    stopped using the terms in response - just upped the limit.





  • Similar Threads