The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld complaints made about ‘pay monthly’ pricing on Vodafone UK’s web site.
Two complainants pointed out that the amount of inclusive minutes shown for a price plan was potentially misleading because every call used a minimum of one minute’s credit even if the call lasted for just a few seconds. This meant customers wouldn’t necessarily benefit from the full allowance of minutes that was being promoted.
Vodafone pointed out that it provided details about the ‘full minute’ charging in a pop-up box if customers clicked the ‘Plan Details’ link. However, the ASA said the information was not prominent enough and contradicted the overall impression of the tariff. It also noted that a significant percentage of calls on the Vodafone network lasted for less than one minute.
As a result, the ASA concluded the online ad breached rules 3.1 and 3.3 (Misleading advertising) and 3.9 (Qualification) of the CAP Code.
[ASA adjudication]