Broadband offers 'mislead consumers'

Broadband internet companies are deliberately misleading consumers, experts said today.

They say an array of packages and technical jargon mean most users do not know what they are buying. A Consumers Association study found setup costs ranged from free to £70, and dozens of different speeds were all marketed as broadband products.

"It's an absolute minefield of technical jargon," said Dylan Armhurst, editor of Computeractive magazine. Telecoms watchdog Ofcom has now launched an inquiry into the market. New government figures show 32.8 per cent of internet users have high-speed connections, more than double the figure 12 months ago. Such links have overtaken traditional dial-up connections for the first time.

However, Mr Armhurst says the sheer number of broadband products available is the main cause for concern.

"A single company can offer dozens of different packages, and there are over 100 companies offering these services, so it is no wonder people often get the wrong package," he said. "There is an awful lot of confusion and it needs to be sorted out as consumersare being misled." Broadband packages, which cost up to ?25 a month, provide permanent internet access through a normal telephone line and speeds far higher than traditional modems.

But Mr Armhurst said many firms were using technical terms to confuse customers. He urged them to use plain English to tell users what they are getting.

"There are a lot of things to consider - installation fees, speed, and the cost of a modem. Adding in a lot of technical terms is going to confuse matters even more. There needs to be action to get clear packages so that people understand what they are paying for."

The Consumers Association study of the broadband industry found many companies failed to highlight the different speeds of services.

The association found several firms cap the amount of data customers can download. Some provided modems free as part of a deal while others charged hundreds of pounds.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT