Truphone, which offers an international mobile phone service with its Tru SIM as well as a mobile VoIP application, has had a complaint against it upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority.
Its online claim describing the Tru SIM as saving money “wherever you are in the world” and describing the product as “the truly global SIM” was challenged by a complainant who said the service wasn’t available in some parts of the world.
The Tru SIM works in 223 countries, with 19 locations (including Somalia, North Korea, Burma and Eritrea) only served by a call-back process. Truphone said the average mobile phone consumer would consider these 223 countries - equivalent to 98.76% of the global population - to cover the phrase ‘wherever you are in the world’.
However, the ASA considered that the claims about the Tru SIM would be understood by consumers to mean there were no limitations in terms of location. As a result, it said the claims were misleading and upheld the complaint.
[ASA adjudication; Tru blog]