Freeserve has been ordered to drop its advertising claim that
its dial-up internet users can go onto the internet for “as long as
you like” because, as rival BT Openworld pointed out, users can be
disconnected after 10 minutes of inactivity or after two hours'
continuous use.
The UK’s largest ISP was reported to the Advertising Standards
Authority by one of its main rivals, BT Openworld, which objected
to a leaflet for the ISP that claimed "... With Freeserve AnyTime,
you'll have the freedom to go onto the internet any time of day and
night for as long as you like ...".
BT Openworld challenged the claim because Freeserve's terms and
conditions stated "... We reserve the right to disconnect you after
two hours continuous use and/or after 10 minutes of inactivity
during connection".
The Authority considered that the claim "... for as long as you
like..." implied customers could access the service for as long as
they wanted in any one on-line session. The Authority was concerned
that that implication was contradicted by the claim in the terms
and conditions and by the existence of network management
controls.
Because of that contradiction, the Authority concluded the
advertisement was misleading and told the advertisers to remove the
words "... for as long as you like."
