Last week was a bad week for AT&T. They had a massive data breach that affected all their ~110-million customers, exposing calling and texting records. (Here’s an FAQ about the incident.) Also last week, some of their advertising came under scrutiny by the Better Business Bureau.
The BBB case was about a commercial that began airing in April that shows Ben Stiller on the top of a mountain where his golf ball landed. He is shown making an urgent satellite call on his regular AT&T phone to a golf pro for advice.
T-Mobile filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division (NAD) complaining that the service shown in the advertisement does not actually exist now and the commercial misleads people into believing that they can make calls even in really remote places.
*MOUSE PRINT:
This is the unreadable, faint, ambiguous, half-second disclosure that AT&T made in the commercial at the 47-second mark:
NAD examined the facts of the case and decided that one message conveyed by the commercial was that this satellite service was currently available to AT&T customers when in fact it is a planned service for the future.
What was missing, NAD says, was a clear and conspicuous disclosure saying that the service was not currently available. And if AT&T didn’t want to do that, they should discontinue that claim, the BBB ruled.
Well, old Ma Bell didn’t agree, and it is appealing the decision to the National Advertising Review Board.
What do you think watching that commercial? Does it give the impression that this satellite service is available now?
For me it’s not readable enough to even rise to the level of ambiguous.
False advertising is an epidemic in America. Nothing but provable truth should be allowed in any ad.
Yes, the commercial absolutely does lead one to believe that you can get reception even in the most remote areas. Isn’t that what StarLink already does? So if StarLink does it, then the assumption is that AT&T also has it available.
Xfinity triggered an investigation of T-Mobile with its “I know a lock, it’s not a lock” commercial. And T-Mobile triggered an investigation of AT&T for its commercial cited in the above article. Who will be next in this cycle?
Deb… The major cell and cable carriers take turns filing complaints against each other. I wish the BBB’s hearing process included requirements for future advertising practices, and not just fixing the one ad brought before them.
The Better Business Bureau is still living in the last century.
Att is an insidious company and therefore the commerical is the typical lie this company puts forth. Yes, I would think this was available now.
Chris… I once worked for AT&T Wireless (due to a merger) you are very perceptive and I can’t dispute your comment.
This commercial does make it seem like the service is available. And for my phone, it is! But not because of AT&T.
To begin with I DO NOT watch commercials (that is what the mute button is for)! If I had ‘accidentally’ seen it I wouldn’t believe it, as most commercials are to some extent misleading.
Seems nowadays companies are more into selling words than products..
AT&T is really a Baby Bell. Southwestern Bell, then known as SBC, bought out Ma Bell and then took Ma Bell’s name.
This is a text-book example of misleading advertising!