AD FAIL
Vodafone ad featuring Martin Freeman banned for misleading customers over when they can cancel contracts
A VODAFONE advert featuring actor Martin Freeman has been banned for implying customers can leave their phone contract after the first 30 days.
The television ad, seen in July, featured Mr Freeman demanding to leave a contract, saying: "Look, I haven't got the strength to keep arguing with you, I just ... I'm leaving."
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The representative replied, "Sorry sir, you can't leave, you're still within your contract, unless you wish to pay a penalty fee?"
A voice-over then said: "Breaking up's never easy but, unlike other networks, Vodafone has a 30-day service guarantee, so if you don't love us, you can leave us."
But 11 complaints from viewers said the ad misleadingly implied that customers could leave their contract at any time - not just within the first 30 days of a contract.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) agreed, and has ruled that the "ambiguous" advert is misleading and must not be shown again.
HOW TO CUT YOUR MOBILE BILL
FIRSTLY, decide if you’re happy with your current deal and whether you want a new deal or handset - or both.
If you’re outside the minimum term of your contract then you can leave penalty free - and you might be able to find a cheaper deal elsewhere.
Pay-as-you-go deals are better for people who don’t regularly use their phone, while monthly contracts usually work out cheaper for those who do.
The best way to find a new deal is by checking comparison websites, such as MoneySupermarket and uSwitch.com, which compare tariffs and handset prices.
It’s also worth trying Billmonitor, which matches buyers to the best pay-monthly deal based on their previous bills.
It only works if you’re a customer of EE, O2, Three, Vodafone or Tesco Mobile and you’ll need to log in with your online account details.
MobilePhoneChecker has a bill monitoring feature that recommends a tariff based on your monthly usage.
If you’re happy with your provider then it's worth using your research to haggle a better deal.
It says the key problem is that no information was given on how the 30-day service guarantee worked.
Vodafone introduced the 30-day cooling off period back in June in a bid to clean up its act after featuring at the bottom of customer service polls.
But the ASA said: "While we acknowledged Vodafone's reference to the small print which referred to the terms and conditions on the website, we did not consider that this altered the impression presented by the ad.
"Therefore, because the ad implied that consumers were entitled to exercise the guarantee at any time and that was not the case, we concluded that the ad was misleading."
Ad clearance agency Clearcast said Vodafone wanted to highlight that its service guarantee was for 30 days, whereas other mobile networks only offered 15 days.
A Vodafone spokesman said: "We already make clear that the 30 days is from the start of a customer's contract in our terms and conditions, and will also make sure this is totally clear in our marketing."
More on money
The news comes after the telecoms regulator announced earlier this month that EE and Vodafone are to be investigated over false network coverage claims.
In separate news, Vodafone said just last month that it is ‘ready’ for 5G phone speeds – and proved it with HOLOGRAM phone call to England footie captain Steph Houghton.
Are you thinking of getting a new phone? Because you might actually be better off cashing in on a Sim-only deal.
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