Vodafone’s summer advertising campaign that described roaming charges as having been ‘abolished’ has been criticised by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority. Customers choosing the Vodafone Passport option paid their standard UK tariff rate for making calls in a number of European countries throughout a three-month promotional period.
The ASA received 21 complaints about the ads, with most complaining that the word ‘abolish’ misleadingly implied the roaming charges had been removed permanently. Vodafone said this was a summer-specific offer with terms and conditions that made this clear; however the ASA upheld the complaints because it felt ‘abolished’ gave the impression of a permanent change. [ASA adjudication]