ISPs in the UK have now shifted to a new way of displaying their broadband package prices. The change makes it easier for customers to see what they’re actually going to be spending during their time with the ISP. The rule change, by the Advertising Standards Authority, will see ISPs lump together the line rental price and broadband price into one overall cost which will be advertised to customers.
The change will eliminate ISPs’ ability to display misleading ads. Traditionally, they would display just the price of the broadband and then tell you about the line rental costs a bit more discreetly. Additionally, many ISPs upped the price of the broadband part of the package after so many months, which wasn’t always disclosed to customers in a clear manner.
The new rules will see ISPs obligated to do the following:
- Show all-inclusive, upfront, and monthly costs, with no separating out of line rental prices
- Give greater prominence to the contract length and any post-discount pricing
- Give greater prominence to upfront costs
The changes were decided upon following research conducted by ASA and the Ofcom last year. It showed that customers couldn’t correctly calculate their bills based on information given in the ads that ISPs were putting out. The changes were originally intended to come into effect in May this year but ISPs managed to get it delayed until this month.
