Ofcom Slams Carriers for Misleading "Unlimited" Plans on Text, Broadband, and Calls

Wants carriers to call plans what they really are

Mar 21 2011, 10:33am CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Ofcom Slams Carriers for Misleading "Unlimited" Plans on Text, Broadband, and Calls

I have been very surprised that for years the FCC and other state agencies have allowed the mobile wireless and broadband industry to call plans unlimited only to tell customers and shoppers in the fine print that there are actually limited plans with fair use allotments. This is sort of like going to an all you can eat buffet and finding out once you get to the line you can only have two servings.

The problem is that these mobile and home broadband plans are billed as unlimited and then you find out that after what the carrier deems "fair use" you can be charged significantly for any extra data use. One some networks even a few gigabytes of extra data can cost you hundreds of dollars in overage charges.

In the UK Ofcom and other industry associations and companies are condemning the use of the word "unlimited" on plans that are anything but unlimited. The claims of unlimited are misleading to the customer and make them think they are getting something they are not actually getting.

Broadband Geni is one of those coming together with Ofcom to condemn the so-called unlimited plans. Broadband Geni editor Chris Marling said, "There is no excuse for advertising a broadband product as 'unlimited' - suggesting you can download as much as you want - and then bury the times you are allowed to do that in the small print. The same goes for texts and minutes on mobile phones. While the recent 'up to' recommendations from Ofcom to the ASA took the headlines, this is another significant announcement that will further help consumers get some transparency in the broadband deals they are offered. Complaints about speed are born of frustration, but those about bill shock can have very real consequences."

Ofcom said, "It is clear some consumers are currently being misled by the use of the term 'unlimited' and that many consumers signing up to such packages are not made aware of the relevant fair usage policies." It concludes, "Ofcom recommends that this term only be used when a service has no usage caps implemented through a fair usage policy."

Updates

Hide Page Elements Temporarily In Google Chrome

Source: GHacks Technology News

If you print out web pages regularly you may have noticed that it may not be the most economical thing to do, at least when it comes to printing out web pages that do not have a special print button attached to them to ...
Full article at: GHacks Technology News More like this 11 hours ago, 3:29pm CDT

J.P. Morgan replaces prime brokerage chief: report

Source: Hartford Courant

CHICAGO (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase ...
Full article at: Hartford Courant More like this 13 hours ago, 1:35pm CDT

Gatherball: Trip Planning for a Group, without the Tedious Email Chains

Source: Tech Cocktail

You’d think Paul Watts could rest on his laurels by now. Along with Meevine cofounders Jonathan Nelson and Ben Demboski, Watts helped grow Wildseed, which sold to AOL in 2005. He also built OneBusAway for Android, which helps tens of thousands of ...
Full article at: Tech Cocktail More like this 17 hours ago, 9:38am CDT

where to buy

Buy from Amazon

Don't miss ...

Technology News

Solar Powered Clothing: The Future of Mobile Charging...

Shane McGlaun
Leading our review center, Shane knows technology inside out. His extensive experience in testing computer hardware and consumer electronics enable him to effectively qualify new products and trends. If you want us review your product, please contact Shane.
Shane can be contacted directly at shane@i4u.com.