The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

[Theodoric]

Attached is a full-page advert that appears in today's Guardian. Now, as far as I can tell, all the statements are true. However, would you rate it as completely truthful, economical with the truth or stretching the concept of truth to near breaking point?

[TheNorm]

I would have thought all those statements would hold up in court.

No mention of providing a mobile phone service?

[Theodoric]

Originally Posted by TheNorm

I would have thought all those statements would hold up in court.

No mention of providing a mobile phone service?

Yes, they have to be truthful otherwise they'd have the ASA on their backs. But how much cherry picking of the ntl strengths and careful omission of the opposition's is there? You mention mobile phones. What else is missing?

[Jules]

Looks ok to me

[Chris W]

only one that is wrong:

"Cable gives you just one company to deal with for all three products"
"nobody else does"

erm... actually homechoice does

[freeair]

One item has me puzzled.

The basic cable phone package includes unlimited weekend calls up to an hour to any UK landline*

Since when did telcos limit any kind of phone call?

There is no mention there of free weekend calls so one must assume that NTL will cut off any paid weekend call once 60 minutes has elapsed

Also I can find no footnote relating to the asterix, what 'get outs' does that relate to?

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by Chris W

only one that is wrong:

"Cable gives you just one company to deal with for all three products"
"nobody else does"

erm... actually homechoice does

Maybe because they offer the bb and phone line by piggy backing off other networks (ie BT), ntl can justify that statement - they are the only company to own the whole shabbang.

BUt seriously, why are you guys picking apart an advert? Are you actually looking for ways to complain about ntl?

[Stuart C]

Originally Posted by orangebird

Maybe because they offer the bb and phone line by piggy backing off other networks (ie BT), ntl can justify that statement - they are the only company to own the whole shabbang.

I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure that when you have Homechoice, you only deal with them (they deal with BT as and when needed). If that's the case, Chris is right.

BUt seriously, why are you guys picking apart an advert? Are you actually looking for ways to complain about ntl?

I dunno.. The advert seems fine to me.

[Paul]

Yep, Homechoice users have to contact the provider and they then contact BT for any issues.

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by Stuart C

I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure that when you have Homechoice, you only deal with them (they deal with BT as and when needed). If that's the case, Chris is right.

Yes, I know that. I was trying to point out that ntl own the bones of the services they offer, whereas Homechoice for example doesn't. They use BTs network, and just offer the service.

[James Henry]

As we're doing a critique it's very selective

1 - Dubious. Comparing cable to individual retail broaband providers is like saying more people use electricity than use gas from British Gas. True but a crappy comparison. Comparing cable to DSL would give a very different story.

2 - Ditto. Comparing a technology to individual retail providers.

3 - True!

4 - Not entirely accurate but pretty much fine.

5 + 6 - Not available in all areas.

7 - Very selective only comparing to BT.

8 - Correct, though if there's a pre-existing phoneline Homechoice can deliver you all 3 at once.

9 - Homechoice again.

10 - Homechoice offer all that for the same price.

Usual BS advertising really, best way to get information on products is always to use forums like these and speak to the customers, after all the advertising is done by people who are paid to portray products in as positive a light as possible.

Oh and these adverts are from the same company that advertised its' (capped at that time) broadband service on the merits that you could download movies before their theatre release on it, so I don't take them too seriously

[Stuart C]

Originally Posted by orangebird

Yes, I know that. I was trying to point out that ntl own the bones of the services they offer, whereas Homechoice for example doesn't. They use BTs network, and just offer the service.

Yeah, but while that can theoretically introduce a problem where something goes wrong, and BT and Homechoice just blame each other rather than fixing it, Chris's point still stands. Regardless of who owns the network used to provide the service, generally, customers will only need to deal with Homechoice, so NTL aren't the only company that offer that facility.

[James Henry]

Originally Posted by orangebird

Yes, I know that. I was trying to point out that ntl own the bones of the services they offer, whereas Homechoice for example doesn't. They use BTs network, and just offer the service.

Homechoice own everything bar the last mile of copper, it's not accurate to say that they use BT's network and just pump the service down it.

---------- Post added at 10:56 ---------- Previous post was at 10:51 ----------

Originally Posted by freeair

One item has me puzzled.



Since when did telcos limit any kind of phone call?

There is no mention there of free weekend calls so one must assume that NTL will cut off any paid weekend call once 60 minutes has elapsed

Also I can find no footnote relating to the asterix, what 'get outs' does that relate to?

Nah they just start charging you for it after 60 mins.

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by James Henry

Homechoice own everything bar the last mile of copper, it's not accurate to say that they use BT's network and just pump the service down it.

But without BT they wouldn't be able to.

Originally Posted by orangebird

BUt seriously, why are you guys picking apart an advert? Are you actually looking for ways to complain about ntl?

Because some here think they have to find fault so they can then report NTL to the ASA, Just look to the past and see it's happened before here