Sprint has been heavily promoting its Cut Your Bill In Half deal ever since it launched last November, but now it looks like the carrier will be doing a bit less promotion.
The National Advertising Division (NAD) has recommended to Sprint that it end its TV advertising for the Half Off Your Bill promo as well as modify its internet and in-store ads following a challenge from T-Mobile. Specifically, the NAD told Sprint that it should clearly state that its Cut Your Bill In Half offer only applied to T-Mobile’s 2GB, 6GB, and 10GB rate plans. The NAD also recommended that Sprint disclose both the material differences between its plans and T-Mobile’s and the fact that consumers are charged an activation fee of $36 per line when they switch to Sprint.
While the NAD was reviewing Sprint’s advertising, Sprint told the group that it had permanently ended its Cut Your Bill In Half claims. Sprint has issued a statement saying that it “agrees to comply with NAD’s recommendations.”
Unsurprisingly, T-Mobile is pretty happy with the NAD’s decision. In a statement to CNET, T-Mo had this to say about the recommendations:
“We called Sprint out on their total BS promises of savings that consumers simply wouldn’t get. We’re very pleased with the NAD’s ruling.”
Sprint did make note of the issues that T-Mobile had with the Cut Your Bill In Half promo when it originally announced the deal, but some of it was buried in the fine print. The NAD pointed out a similar issue with Sprint’s advertising, saying that the limitations of the deal were “blurred by the fast-moving audio and visual elements of the commercials which also make the supers, which refer to rate plans as well as limitations and restrictions, difficult to read, notice and understand.” So while Sprint did get several months of advertising for its Cut Your Bill In Half promo, it’s now permanently put an end to its advertising for that deal.
Via: CNET
Source: NAD