BROADBAND PROVIDERS SAID TO HAVE TO HAVE ‘MISLED’ CUSTOMERS – BT, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk, O2 & Virgin Media Broadband accused of misleading ads

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said BT, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk, O2 and Virgin Media Broadband misled consumers by placing important information about price rises separately to headline prices and in areas of less prominence on their websites.

The ASA ruled the ads must not appear again and told all six providers to ensure they make sufficiently clear that their broadband contracts would be subject to mid-contract price increases, and that information about the nature of such rises is presented prominently.

The rulings are part of wider work by the regulator on mid-contract price rises and follows guidance for firms that sets stricter standards on the prominence advertisers must give to important information about future increases.

The new advertising guidance, which came into force in December after a six-month grace period, advises that information about any price increase should be “up front and prominent”, and that the full future price the consumer will pay should be included in pounds and pence.

Many of the biggest broadband firms raise monthly bills every April during the term of contracts in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus an additional set amount of around 3 per cent to combat rising business costs.