NTL ticked off for misleading ads

Naughty naughty, very naughty...

NTL has received a rap over the knuckles for misleading advertising, bringing the cable giant's total of successful complaints to nine for the year. The complaints announced this week concern direct mailshots and ads in the regional press. The company has been criticised for sneaking details like "Our service is currently not available in certain areas" onto the back of glossy flyers. More seriously, though, the company has been criticised for telling people they will be able to access the web through their televisions. It read: "NTL is the only digital TV service that gives you access to some of the world's best internet sites, for free." NTL claimed that because it referred to "internet sites" rather than the World Wide Web by name, its advertising wasn't misleading. The Advertising Standards Authority, unsurprisingly, decided otherwise.