TalkTalk TV ad exaggerated reliability claims
TalkTalk has come under fire from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for a TV advert it ran for its broadband business.
The advert, which offered free unlimited broadband, described the packages available and also claimed that its network connection was "99.9 per cent reliable".
Three viewers questioned whether the connection claim was misleading and could be substantiated, while another felt the advert misleadingly omitted the fact that the offer was only available to new customers.
On the first point TalkTalk said the network connection claim was based on an industry-standard measure of overall uptime of its network, and provided Clearcast with a detailed summary of how the figure was reached. The company added that other factors beyond its control might affect availability.
TalkTalk added that it did not consider the fact the offer was only available to new customers to be material information and, therefore, it was not included in the ad. However, it was included in the promotion's terms and conditions.
Despite this the ASA upheld both points and said because the evidence did not substantiate the likely interpretation of the network reliability claim, nor did not the advert make it clear that the package was only available to new customers it concluded the ad was misleading.