Verizon wins ad battle: T-Mobile asked to take down deceptive ‘Switch and Save’ ads

An advertising watchdog has asked T-Mobile to take down its “Switch and Save” ads, ruling that the price comparisons with AT&T and Verizon could mislead consumers into believing they are actually saving money by choosing T-Mobile over its competitors.

The National Advertising Review Board (NARB), an appellate body of BBB National Programs’ advertising self-regulatory system, upheld an earlier decision from the National Advertising Division (NAD), which was summoned by a complaint from Verizon.

The T-Mobile ads in question claimed that “families can switch and save 20% vs. the other big guys’ plans plus streaming services” and “Switch and save versus AT&T and Verizon’s comparable plans plus streaming.”

NARB found that the “plus streaming” phrase was too vague and that T-Mobile’s price comparisons involved adding the cost of the optional streaming services to its competitors’ plans in order to match the streaming services offered for free by T-Mobile with its own bundles.

The board said this wording was likely to lead many consumers to believe that subscribing to T-Mobile’s plans would actually save them on plan costs without adjustments for added perks.

The panel also recommended that T-Mobile avoid implying that all its plans are cheaper than what its rivals offer, or that all customers will end up saving 20%.

While T-Mobile did not agree with the ruling, the un-carrier said it will comply with the NARB’s recommendations and remove the questionable ads.

Verizon’s hit on T-Mobile comes after the latter previously approached the NAD, challenging the Big Red’s claim of being “America’s largest network.”