Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR In response to complaints from AT&T, the National Advertising Division has now reviewed the situation and has come to its own conclusion.
The NAD found some T-Mobile claims about competitor price hikes and satellite coverage to be exaggerated or unsubstantiated, while others were reasonable and supported.
Unsurprisingly, T-Mobile has clarified plans to appeal the decisions it disagrees with.
It’s no secret that AT&T and T-Mobile’s rivalry has intensified significantly over the last half year or so. AT&T not only unveiled an ad campaign around T-Mobile’s so-called Un-Truths late last year, but it also sued its rival over T-Mobile’s new Switching tool, and it even brought complaints of false advertising to the National Advertising Division (NAD). The NAD has now officially responded to the complaints, agreeing that T-Mobile might have gone a bit too far with some of its recent claims.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more.
to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below.
During the announcement of its new plans last year, T-Mobile claimed that AT&T and Verizon combined had raised prices ten times over the previous two years. The Un-Carrier also made several additional claims during this launch window regarding its rivals’ pricing behavior, its own satellite connectivity, and its track record on price increases.
Starting with the claim that AT&T and Verizon raised prices a dozen times, the watchdog determined that the assertion was exaggerated and could not be directly substantiated.
Some of the cited increases may have been fee hikes rather than base price changes, but that argument only holds if T-Mobile applies the same standard to itself. While T-Mobile stated that it raised plan pricing only once during the same period, a claim the NAD said was technically substantiated, that conclusion excludes the many fee increases T-Mobile has introduced, including one as recently as yesterday.
... continue reading