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Virgin Media broadband advert complaint dismissed

Posted 9th July 2009 at 2:17pm by Kimberley Howson

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The Virgin Media campaign starred actor Samuel L Jackson

A complaint against Virgin Media's 2008 broadband advertising campaign has been dismissed by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

Spanning TV, press and poster ads, the marketing drive for the internet service provider's (ISP) 50Mb fibre-optic broadband package bears the claim that it is the "fastest broadband in the land".

According to the ASA, this prompted rival ISP BT to log a complaint, on the grounds that they had customers in Kent which had been provided with 100Mb connections as part of their next-generation broadband trials.

However, the regulator argued that Virgin's 50Mb broadband service was available to more than five million homes last year, a number due to grow significantly over the summer.

By contrast, BT's fibre-optic offering was only on offer to a limited number of consumers involved in the trial.

The ASA concluded that Virgin Media's claim was "unlikely to mislead consumers" because it was the fastest widely-available broadband connection in the UK at the time the adverts were shown.

Meanwhile, the body has upheld a complaint against an advert for DirectSave Telecom claiming to offer "unlimited broadband and free calls with no contract" on the grounds that it did not clearly outline the disconnection fees included.

To sign up for the 50Mb service, visit Top 10 Broadband's Virgin Media page.

More news on: Virgin Media, Customer service and satisfaction, Advertising & brands

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