Orange latest to hit trouble with ASA over broadband ads

BT complaint upheld over comparison campaign

16 July 2008 11:22 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Orange is the latest company to be reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority over claims made in its adverts for its Home Max broadband service, resulting in the telecoms company being forced to amend the ads.

The watchdog ruled that Orange made unfair comparisons to BT’s broadband service and follows similar complaints upheld recently by the ASA against Virgin and Vodafone (for mobile broadband).

The Orange as stated that BT customers could save £190 by switching to its Home Max service, a claim that was misleading because it did not take into account extra features included in the BT package that were not available to Orange customers.

The ASA said that BT’s bundled handset, its "more advanced" Norton anti-virus software and unlimited inclusive Wi-Fi minutes in BT Fon hotspots meant that the Orange package "did not offer a comparable service".