Broadband supplier TalkTalk has been forced to withdraw a television advert after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled it was misleading.

The ad featured an offer which entitled customers who signed up for TalkTalk's landline service to free broadband.

However, the free broadband package was not available everywhere in the UK because of technical restrictions.

This was made clear in accompanying display adverts in newspapers, but not in the television campaign itself. The omission prompted ten people to complain to the ASA.

TalkTalk explained that 80 per cent of UK households were in a position to take advantage of the offer because they lived in areas which benefited from local loop unbundling (LLU).

Residents in the remainder of the country could obtain broadband from TalkTalk via a resold BT service, but had to pay extra for it.

ASA officials accepted TalkTalk's explanation, but were unhappy that the situation was not made clear to prospective customers.

In announcing the ruling that the ad should no longer be broadcast, the ASA explained: "We acknowledged that TalkTalk did not have control of LLU but nevertheless considered that the ad did not make sufficiently clear that the free broadband service was not available to all TalkTalk customers.

"We concluded that the ad was likely to mislead."

TalkTalk is not the first broadband provider to fall foul of advertising regulations this year, as Virgin Media, Be, Redten and Orange have also had ASA rulings go against them.

Monday, 29th September 2008

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