Talktalk rapped for misleading ads

Two Talktalk emails promoting a broadband upgrade to customers have been banned after the firm misleadingly claimed users were approaching their data capacity.

The emails, in February and March, had the recipient’s name in the subject line followed by text stating: “Your usage is affecting your broadband service. Let’s fix it.” The second email also included a warning that the recipient had “hit your limit 3 times in 30 days”.

Two people, who understood their broadband usage had not been at capacity, complained that the claims were misleading.

Talktalk said that “capacity” referred to the maximum amount of data the line could provide, and they believed it would be interpreted in that way by consumers.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said: “We had not seen evidence that the complainants had reached their data capacity, therefore because the claims had not been substantiated, we concluded the ads were misleading.”

It ruled that the ads must not appear again in their current form.