Rip-off Britain: Do YOU know how much you're REALLY paying for broadband?

FOUR out of FIVE Britons don't know how much they pay for home broadband, new research has discovered.

FOUR out of five Britons don't know how much they pay for home broadband

 

UK ISPs, Internet Service Providers, must feature clearer pricing on their advertisements, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has warned.

The advertising watchdog has issued a series of new guidelines that it hopes will stop UK ISPs from burying their services costs within the marketing material.

The new guidelines have been introduced after research discovered that a staggering 81 per cent of Britons were unable to calculate the total cost of their broadband contract.

And 64 per cent of those people – despite a second review – believed the headline price for a broadband package was the total cost per month and that line rental did not apply.

 

ASA, who conducted the research with communications watchdog Ofcom, found that two thirds of Britons were confused by one-off and on-going costs in their contract.

In all, some 4.3 million households in Britain are thought to be in the dark over the cost of their internet packages.

From May 30th, the Advertising Standards Authority will ask UK ISPs – including Virgin Media, Sky, BT and TalkTalk – to include the total cost of the package.

ISPs will also be encouraged to clearly advertise when a discounted period or introductory offer will expire, as well as the total length of the contract.

 

UK providers will not be forced to comply with ASA's suggestions, but ignoring them could result in the ISPs breaking the UK advertising code.

ASA Chief Executive Guy Parker said: "It’s essential we make sure people aren’t misled by pricing claims in broadband ads.

"That obviously wouldn’t be good for them, but nor would it benefit broadband providers, because advertising works better when it’s trusted.

"We’ll now be moving quickly, working alongside broadband providers, to clarify the presentation of price information."

 

In all, some 4.3 million households in Britain are thought to be in the dark over broadband costs

Sharon White, Ofcom Chief Executive, said: "Ofcom wants to see clear and accurate broadband prices for consumers.

"Our research with the ASA shows many people are confused by complicated adverts and offers, so we welcome the ASA’s plans to simplify broadband advertising.

"Ofcom has already introduced measures to ensure customers receive accurate information on broadband speeds when they take out a contract. 

"We’ll continue to work with industry and other regulators to ensure that broadband customers are treated fairly and have the best possible information to make the right choices."