After an investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority, BT admitted that, in some exchange areas, its capacity is insufficient and customers of the Anytime package are getting an engaged signal.
Because intermittent and ongoing problems were preventing some customers from connecting to the internet, the ASA considered that BT's claim that its service is "reliable" was misleading.
Despite BT's attempt to fight back against the complaints by producing favourable reviews from customers of BTinternet Anytime, the complaints were upheld by the ASA.
A banner advertisement claiming that BTinternet Anytime offers a "fast, reliable service" has been taken down from the BT website.
A second complaint, challenging BT's assertion that the service was available "Anytime" - as implied by its name - was, however, not upheld.
BT successfully defended itself against the complaints by saying that it does not guarantee a fault-free service. The telecoms company also protested that the service is named "Anytime" because customers pay a fixed price for unmetered internet access, and not because it is available at any time.
The national press advertisement, headlined BTinternet Anytime, stated that, "For just £14.99 a month you can surf the Internet whenever you like, as often as you like. How to master the internet. 1. Turn on computer. 2. Visit
www.btinternet.com, register with BTinternet Anytime."
BT has had six complaints upheld against it in the last 12 months.
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