TalkTalk drops price of 'free' broadbandTalkTalk has dropped the price of its 'free' broadband and phone package by a pound just a day after it was told it couldn't use 'free' in its advertisements.
The combined phone and up to 8Mbps broadband now costs £19.99 a month: £8.99 for the call package which now excludes unlimited international calls and £11 for the line rental. People wanting the international calls package will need to pay £1 more a month.
TalkTalk has also waived the £29.99 start-up fee for the service, launched in April and already boasting more than 340,000 sign-ups. Instead it now says a £29.99 modem is optional, but recommended "due to compatibility with our service".
Yesterday, the Advertising Standards Authority rapped the company over the use of 'free' in its ads because it felt the 'free' element was actually an essential part of the broadband and phone package.
The ASA ruled the TalkTalk ads misleading. It told the company the claim must be removed and to seek Committee of Advertising Practice Copy Advice before using 'free' in future advertising.
In a statement TalkTalk said: "We thank the ASA for its thorough investigation and its ruling that TalkTalk can continue to invite customers to sign up for free broadband."
"We will now be offering customers free broadband with our existing Talk 3 package for its existing monthly charge of £8.99. This does not include unlimited international calls to 28 countries but it does include unlimited calls to UK landlines. As this is an existing tariff, broadband will be referred to as free."
The move comes just two days after Sky launched its free broadband offer.
http://www.talktalk.co.uk