Orange advert rapped by ASA

An advert for Orange's Home Max broadband service has been criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The advert compared the Orange service to BT’s broadband packages. It claimed people could "save over £190" by switching from BT.

It added: "With Home Max you get line rental included in the price so there's no need to pay BT – worth over £10 a month wireless broadband with speeds of up to 8Mbits/sec a home phone package with inclusive calls to UK landlines at evenings and weekends..."

However, the ASA said this was misleading. It said Orange's calculation failed to consider a number of additional features included in the BT service, such as free Wifi minutes, Norton Antivirus software and a free cordless phone. These were either not available or available at an extra charge to Orange customers.

It said there were "significant differences between the services" that were "likely to influence consumers' evaluation of the comparison" if included in the advert. It has ordered Orange to amend the advert to highlight these differences.

When contacted by Computeractive, a representative for Orange said: “Whilst we are disappointed with the ASA’s ruling to uphold BT's complaint, we have confirmed that we will not be using the advertisement again."

See also:

Ad watchdog raps easyJet over carbon claims

Absence of "per passenger" reference in adverts comparing airline's emissions with those of rivals prompts ruling  02 Jul 2008

ASA critical of Dell advert

Delivery charge added significantly to price of laptop  02 Jun 2008

Ofcom panel wants broadband code of practice

Computeractive's Crystal Clear Broadband campaign hits home  19 Dec 2007

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