ASA upholds complaints over mobile phone claims

Mobile phone company 3 has been ordered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to change a television ad for its WePay service – which “pays” customers for answering calls and receiving texts – because the regulator says it is misleading.

The ASA investigated after complaints from 3’s rival T-Mobile. It agreed that the WCRS ad did not explain that the credit came with conditions and did not make it clear that customers opting into the WePay scheme were being switched to a new tariff.

T-Mobile also successfully complained about a JWT radio ad for Vodafone’s Sharetime pricing plan, which claimed “no charge for calling your company’s mobiles or landlines”. The ASA said the calls were not free, but covered by a monthly fee. Vodafone has agreed to change the wording.

⢠The ASA rejected complaints about a Help The Aged circular promoting its “Enough is Enough” anti-abuse campaign. The leaflet used a picture of a frightened woman’s eyes and graphic descriptions of elder abuse. The ASA said that use of the image and copy was justified.