Thanks for the information.  Both links will be very useful when complaining about adverts.

Excellent, very useful info, Thanks

juby

OK, so to run alongside the Ofcom topic. What are people's views of this organsiation? I don't know too much about them, although I am about to lodge a complaint with them (as per another thread) but my question is what the general concensus is on them?

When they can take complaints (I understand from this board that they can't do internet claims?) how effective are they at making sure people comply with the NGN regs?

I know that CAP have said some bits and pieces, but do the ASA go along with it?

Are they just another bunch of pen-pushers or do they actually do anything?

I'm concerned by the notion of self-regulation tbh, I don't see how they can make people adhere to their rules without the threat of fines. Can anybody else shed any light?

What are people's views on this body in general?

derrick wrote on Apr 4^th, 2006 at 2:40pm:

Windsor Telecom are still referring to these numbers with the misleading titles, see here. Strange how the website at www.windsor-telecom.co.uk appears to be out of date, and states "Copyright © 2004 Windsor Telecom" at the bottom of the page, whereas www.0845.co.uk  says "Copyright © 2005 Windsor Telecom." Also, www.0845.co.uk doesn't have any other prefixed numbers available.

Members may find the following plain text useful to cut and past into an email etc.

Quote .........

Adjudication By:   Advertising Standards Authority

Mid City Place
71 High Holborn
London WC1V 6QT
Telephone 020 7492 2222      Textphone 020 7242 8159     Fax 020 7242 3696


Windsor Telecom plc
50 West Street
Farnham
Surrey
GU9 7DX

Date: 4th January 2006
Media: E-mail
Sector: Computers and telecommunications.
Public Complaint
From: London


Complaint:
Objection to an e-mail for telecommunications services. Text in the subject line stated "0845 local rate numbers with no call charges". Text in the e-mail stated "Get an 0845 local rate phone number from Windsor Telecom ... Your customers pay the local rate call charge from anywhere in the UK". The complainant, who believed calls to 0845 numbers were often more expensive than local rate calls, objected that the claims "0845 local rate" were misleading.
Codes Section:   3.1   7.1   (Ed 11)

Adjudication:   Complaint upheld.

Windsor Telecom said they had not intended to mislead readers; they said they had described their 0845 numbers as "local rate" in good faith and based on information received from Ofcom. They pointed out that when Ofcom had allocated their 0845 numbers, they had described them as "local rate"; they sent a link to an Ofcom document, headed "The National Telephone Numbering Plan", which described 0845 numbers as "charged ... at BT's Standard Local Call Retail Price ... ". Windsor Telecom believed the description of 0845 numbers as "local rate" was standard industry practice and were concerned that removing that description from their advertising would unfairly disadvantage them; they said they wanted to wait for the outcome of Ofcom's consultation with the industry before changing their advertising.

We noted, at the time the numbers were allocated by Ofcom, all the major telephone service providers described 0845 numbers as "local rate" in their marketing communications. We accepted that, because Windsor Telecom had continued to apply that description in good faith, they had not intended to mislead readers.

Notwithstanding that, we noted the recent migration of most BT customers still on BT's Standard tariff to the "BT Together option 1" tariff, which did not distinguish between calls made to local and national destinations. Because most UK callers now paid more for calls to 0845 numbers than for calls to geographic local destinations, we considered that the description "local rate numbers" for 0845 numbers was misleading and likely to confuse consumers. We noted Ofcom was still in a process of consultation but, because the CAP Compliance team had issued an ad alert telling marketers not to describe calls to those numbers as "local", we told Windsor Telecom to stop describing 0845 numbers as "local rate" and to include a clarifying statement about the likely cost of the call. We advised Windsor Telecom to seek help with the pricing statement from the CAP Copy Advice team.

The ad was found to be in breach of CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation) and 7.1 (Truthfulness).
Issues:  Computers and telecommunications            

...........  End quote.

Virgin Mobile still insist on calling their 0845 number local rate.

See: https://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/contactus/ContactUs?processType=processStand...

Members may find the following plain text (no. 2) useful to cut and past into an email etc.

Quote (No. 2).........

Adjudication By:   Advertising Standards Authority

Mid City Place
71 High Holborn
London WC1V 6QT
Telephone 020 7492 2222      Textphone 020 7242 8159     Fax 020 7242 3696

-----------------------------------------------------------


Non-broadcast Adjudication

Langley Miniature Models
166 Three Bridges Road
Crawley
Sussex
RH10 1LE

Date: 6th April 2005
Media: Magazine
Sector: Leisure
Public Complaint From: Kent


Complaint:

Objection to a magazine advertisement for model rail kits that stated "LANGLEY MODELS (Kits) ... Tel: (0870) 0660 416 Fax: (0870) 0660 417 National Rate Calls ...". The complainant objected that the claim "National Rate Calls" was misleading, because calls to 0870 numbers could cost significantly more than geographic national rate calls.
Codes Section: 3.1, 7.1 (Ed 11)
Adjudication:


Complaint upheld
The advertisers maintained that the description of 0870 numbers as ''national rate'' was industry practice. They pointed out that both British Telecom and their own telephone service provider, Telecom Plus, referred to 0870 numbers as ''national rate''. They believed the term ''national rate'' was useful because it distinguished 0870 numbers from premium rate numbers. They said the advertisement had not included details of call charges because those charges often varied between telephone service providers.

The publishers, EMAP, maintained that, because 0870 numbers were described as ''national rate'' on the BT website, the advertisers'' use of ''national rate'' was not misleading.

The Authority noted that, at the time the advertisement appeared and at present, all the major telephone service providers described 0870 numbers as ''national rate'' in their marketing communications. The Authority accepted that, because the advertisers had followed existing industry practice, they had not intended to mislead readers.

Notwithstanding that, the Authority noted the recent migration of most BT customers still on BT''s Standard tariff to the ''BT Together option 1'' tariff, which did not distinguish between calls made to local and national destinations. Because most UK callers now paid more for calls to non-geographic 0870 numbers than for calls to geographic national destinations, the Authority considered that the description "National Rate Calls" for an 0870 number was misleading and likely to confuse consumers. The Authority told the advertisers not to refer to 0870 numbers as ''national rate'' and to include a disclaimer that stated, for example, "BT landline calls to 0870 numbers will cost no more than 8 pence per minute; calls made from mobiles usually cost more".

Issues: Leisure.


     

...........  End quote (No. 2).