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Slap on the wrist for Meteor after Three complains over 'more than you can eat data' ad

Three had claimed that it had the superior data offer, and that Meteor’s advert was misleading.

Meteor / YouTube

THE ADVERTISING STANDARDS Authority for Ireland has upheld a complaint made by mobile operator Three against Meteor for its “more than you can eat data” promotion.

The query related to a television advertisement that directed people to the Meteor website, where customers could read about the “more than you can eat data offer”.

Three argued that this offer was not only similar to its “all you can eat data” offer, but that the Meteor ad was misleading as it was Three who offered the most data.

The ASAI concurred with Three, and ordered Meteor not to use the advert in the same form again.

The advert

The video, a version of which appears above, opens with an image of a clifftop building, called “Meteor HQ”.

A male voiceover said: “Well we’re not just giving you all you can eat data, we’re giving you more than you can eat data with unlimited access to your favourite social networks plus 15gbs of 4G data and unlimited calls for just €20 top up. Meteor we get it”.

On its website, it said that its deal offered “more than you can eat Youtube” . In the terms and conditions, however, it is pointed out that “you will have unlimited access to YouTube until 28 February 2017″.

The complaint

Three said the variety of deals on offer from Meteor capped data at allowances of 10gb, 15gb and 30gb, while its own “all you can eat” offer did not have any data cap.

It argued that Meteor provided free data to specific sites, such as Facebook and Whatsapp, while Three’s offer was not restricted to just those sites.

It said that the Meteor’s advertising was misleading because Three was the operator which offered “more”.

Meteor’s offer was misleading, Three said, for offering their product as superior.

Rebuttal

Meteor, however, contended that their advert did not make any reference to Three or that company’s product offerings.

The “more than you can eat data” slogan was used to highlight their campaign aimed at a particular segment of customers who wanted “more for free”, Meteor argued.

The operator said that it had clearly differentiated between what was unlimited (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc.) and what was limited, by emphasising that it all came with 15gb of data.

It also said it never claimed either implicitly or explicitly that its product was superior to Three’s.

“Breach of code”

In its judgement, the ASAI determined that there was a “clear indication” that Meteor was “claiming to offer more than their competitors and that consumers would see this claim as such”.

The ASAI said that claims of a product being superior requires substantiation.

The agency also noted that the unlimited access to YouTube was actually only over a limited period of time, and customers would likely use their 15gb allowance quickly if they believed that Youtube data was unlimited.

The committee concluded that the advertising had not been clear in content and was likely to mislead consumers and to be in breach of Section 3.2, 4.1, 4.32 and 4.33 of the Code.

“The advertising should not be used in the same format again,” the ASAI concluded.

Read: ‘En March! Vive La France’ – Barack Obama releases campaign video for Emmanuel Macron

Read: TDs have voted to make it compulsory to stand during the Dáil prayer

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35 Comments
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    Mute Ryan Comiskey
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    May 4th 2017, 2:49 PM

    They’re all liars.

    Meteor’s “all you can eat” is capped at 10gb, 15gb and 30gb. I can eat more than that.
    Three’s “unlimited” data has a “fair usage policy”.

    194
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    Mute Alan Scott
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    May 4th 2017, 2:58 PM

    @Ryan Comiskey: was a customer a long time ago they were never any use then because of calls dropping all of the time and they are no use now I don’t know how they are still in buisness

    37
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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    May 4th 2017, 3:32 PM

    @Ryan Comiskey:
    As a matter of interest how much data would you need to be using before you hit the fair usage limit?

    Before I git in wired broadband I used 3.ie 4G broadband using my phone as a hotspot for the family, a couple of tablets and a Xbox
    Regularly hit 130 GB per month.

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    Mute Rob Cahill
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    May 4th 2017, 3:38 PM

    @Ryan Comiskey: yeah I’ve used my phone for tethering on 4g when I moved house and there was no limit or warning of hitting any ceiling.

    15
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    Mute Type17
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    May 4th 2017, 3:48 PM

    @Rob Cahill: When I check my Three monthly data allowance online, it shows my usage as xxxGb out of 2096GB (more than two Terabytes) – not sure if that is the limit for their fair usage policy, but it’s unlikely that you would be able to reach it within a month.

    16
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    Mute Ryan Comiskey
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    May 4th 2017, 4:15 PM

    @Type17: 2TB is not unlimited.

    14
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    Mute Munsterman
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    May 4th 2017, 4:29 PM

    @Ryan Comiskey: 2tb is basically unlimited. I don’t think it’s even possible to use that much? They’re pretty much the only network to offer unlimited data without “fair usage” nonsense.

    23
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    Mute Ryan Comiskey
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    May 4th 2017, 4:52 PM

    “2tb is basically unlimited.”
    You need to get yourself a dictionary, pal.

    “I don’t think it’s even possible to use that much?”
    I backed up 3TB offsite using Crashplan in March alone. That was upload usage only.

    7
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    Mute Link
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    May 4th 2017, 5:05 PM

    @Ryan Comiskey:
    1. Nobody cares
    2. Nobody freaking cares
    3. In relation to mobile data, 2tb is more than reasonable for a “fair usage” policy.
    4. Seriously, you don’t sound important, nobody cares
    5. It’s actually in the terms and conditions that your mobile data should not be used in in lieu of a domestic service.
    6. All operators have a fair usage policy.
    7. See points 1, 2 & 4 for any reply you wish to make in rebuttal.

    50
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    Mute Ryan Comiskey
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    May 4th 2017, 5:10 PM

    @Link: you clearly care.

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    Mute Maria Hickey-Fagan
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    May 4th 2017, 5:25 PM
    15
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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    May 4th 2017, 7:27 PM

    @Maria Hickey-Fagan:
    Cheers
    At least you tried to answer the question without going off on one.
    They must not be too strict on it, I have been with them a long time.

    5
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    Mute Brendan McGill
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    May 4th 2017, 9:15 PM

    @Maria Hickey-Fagan: I regularly do over 100Gb a month and I’ve never been charged extra or cut off on 3

    5
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    Mute John Cassin
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    May 4th 2017, 2:55 PM

    3 are the worst provider ever. They sent a debt collector to my door twice for €19. which I didn’t owe. I only got rid of them when I reported them to Com-reg three times.

    117
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    Mute Rob Mills
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    May 4th 2017, 2:58 PM

    Where’s the competition. They are all as dodgy as the other.

    75
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    Mute Nick Allen
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    May 4th 2017, 3:21 PM

    @Rob Mills:

    Vodafone, Virgin Media & Tesco to name a few.

    18
    P1
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    Mute P1
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    May 4th 2017, 3:34 PM

    @Nick Allen: iD mobile have great sim only plans and they are increasing allowance from June but not the price so for 500mins,250texts and 30GB data it’ll be €20 per month and 4G as well….not bad and before you ask I have no connections with them.

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    Mute Type17
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    May 4th 2017, 3:55 PM

    @P1: Tried them for a while and, while the prices are good, and the coverage is (as good as the Three network), their roaming (high charges, but also actual technical availability) leaves a lot to be desired – I was unable to sign on to any Belgian networks, despite being assured that they had roaming agreements with most of them – no voice or data totally messed up my trip, until I drove over the border into France and everything worked fine (totally disproving iD’s assertion that my phone was to blame).

    7
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    Mute Matty kinevan
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    May 4th 2017, 2:51 PM

    Data obesity is a serious problem

    68
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    Mute Alan Scott
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    May 4th 2017, 3:02 PM

    @Matty kinevan:
    The four comments above sums up Meteor . I just don’t know how anyone has any time for Meteor.

    22
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    Mute Honeybadger197
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    May 4th 2017, 3:11 PM

    @Alan Scott: Ive been with meteor for about 6 years. Can only recall 2 outages and never had a customer service issue which wasnt resolved quickly. Credit where its due.

    42
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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    May 4th 2017, 3:34 PM

    @Honeybadger197: same, I’ve been with them longer and have never an issue.

    14
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    Mute Alan Scott
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    May 4th 2017, 4:07 PM

    @Honeybadger197: maybe so. Was a customer of Meteor before the time you stated always dropping calls in the early days they used to put a fiver into your account if a few calls dropped. Changed to my present network and never have any problems.

    5
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    Mute tottkingham
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    May 4th 2017, 8:51 PM

    @Alan Scott: I was with Three for a few years and i have to admit their plans & coverage were grand BUT their customer care was shocking. I left and joined Meteor with no problems and great customer service. My contract is up next month & going PAYG. Oh the choice i have!

    3
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    Mute Mark Gerard Lochlain
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    May 4th 2017, 5:02 PM

    I was happy with 3 but I have an issue with the addition €5 per months because data roaming charges are gone! That was sneaky 3 changing people’s contracts like that.

    23
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    Mute Link
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    May 4th 2017, 5:09 PM

    @Mark Gerard Lochlain: They gave every customer an opportunity to cancel their contracts. Hell, I know a few people who cancelled, got to keep their high end phone and just re-signed a 30 day rolling contract. They moved the goalposts, yeah, but they played fair at the same time.

    24
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    Mute heavyhits
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    May 4th 2017, 3:19 PM

    Vodafone seems not cheaper but they offer simple rules, best network and service performance.
    Sim only plans are brilliant: 4G, unlimited calls/texts, up to 10GB data, free roaming in EU. That is it.

    15
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    Mute tomeenoldstock
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    May 4th 2017, 3:36 PM

    @heavyhits: im on vodafone SIM only and find it great. I get 16GB of data every month, all calls and texts included for €25/ month, €35 after 6 months. I dont pay by direct debit but use the app to monitor usage and pay bill.

    2
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    Mute Alan Scott
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    May 4th 2017, 4:13 PM

    @heavyhits:
    Certainly the most reliabile 087

    3
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    Mute Stephen Cole
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    May 4th 2017, 5:30 PM

    Think Three should concentrate on their network coverage instead of what other providers are offering.

    15
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    Mute Government Sachs
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    May 4th 2017, 4:01 PM

    I got a text from meteor just last week stating that they will introduce a connection fee of 6c on top of already expensive calls to 1890 and other such numbers. Use this service to avoid these costs that all operators charge you http://www.saynoto1890.com/

    10
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    Mute heavyhits
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    May 4th 2017, 3:29 PM

    Vodafone is not the cheaper one but actually offer simply rules, the best service and network performance. Sim only plans are brilliant. Unlimited calls/texts, 4G, up to 10Gb of data, 100m international and free EU roaming,that’s all what I need. EOT

    5
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    Mute Liam Kielthy
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    May 5th 2017, 11:06 AM

    I, last June, cancelled my Meteor account, and went to 3. Reason I am writing this is,,, I get a monthly statement from Meteor, yesterday I received the 11th one,,,stating a minus amount, €3-87 to be exact. It also states that the amount can be paid through direct debit, and non payment will result in my account being *cut-off*. Bin receives both the envelope and bill, less my name etc,,,,,,,Great company. NOT.

    1
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    Mute Enrico Corigliano
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    May 14th 2017, 7:51 PM

    Anyone rlse have a problem with companies saying there internet is unlimited but there is a limit on it why are they allowed to advertise it as unlimited when it quite clearly is not every one of them do it

    1
    Caro
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    Mute Caro
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    May 5th 2017, 6:50 AM

    They throttle over 60GB so suddenly you’re not getting 4g+ speeds.

    1
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