Total Wireless’ Too-Good-to-Be-True Offer

It sounded like such a great deal from Total Wireless: $25 a month for cell service on four lines, taxes and fees included, and four free 5G phones.

Here’s their commercial:

Apparently, that is not the real offer. The free phones part of the offer is for more expensive plans and not the $25 a month plan. Who could tell that? And, it is not in the unreadable fine print either.

But the National Advertising Division (NAD) of Better Business Bureau Programs figured it out and ruled against Total Wireless.

NAD determined that the phrase, “and to top it all off, we’ll give you up to four free 5G phones,” implies the last part of a single offer. NAD determined that the commercial conveys the unsupported message that Total Wireless customers can get both four lines of wireless service for $25 per month and get four free 5G phones regardless of the plan they select, and recommended Total Wireless modify its advertising to avoid conveying such a message.

Total Wireless is part of Tracfone, owned by Verizon. The company said it disagreed with NAD’s decision, but would abide by it in the future.