The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of South Africa has ruled a Cell C data ad is misleading and has ordered it be withdrawn.
The ASA received a complaint from a consumer who purchased a ZAR89 [US$8.44] for 1.2GB deal from the mobile operator.
The consumer said he had “bought it for ZAR89 only to find out I was buying 100MB which is alienated for 12 months”.
He said he felt cheated by the large bold “1.2GB” text, which he claims aims to mislead customers.
Cell C responded by saying it is clearly indicated the data is broken up over a 12 month period, saying the advert indicated “100MB x 12”.
It also said the communication about the price and monthly breakdown are the same size and are as close to each other as can be reasonably expected.
“There is no attempt to hide or disguise the fact that the 1.2 GB is broken down into available units of 100MB a month for 12 months,” the response read.
“The consumer was not misled; he does receive 1.2 GB for ZAR89. However, as clearly indicated in the advertisement, it is at a rate of ZAR89 / 100MB for 12 months,” Cell C said.
The ASA said the advertisement is ambiguous and could lead to the public being misled. It said the fact that the fact the offer targeted prepaid customers further adds to the ambiguity.
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