'Mobile phones for cash' advert banned
TV advert claiming to 'exchange any mobile phone for cash' banned by advertising watchdog
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Wednesday, 18, Nov 2009 12:04
A television advert has been banned for being misleading after it claimed to "exchange any mobile phone for cash".
A viewer who had seen the advert complained after they tried to exchange their old phone and was told the company would not take it.
The advert from Mobile Phone Xchange Ltd stated, "Did you know that you can exchange any unwanted mobile phones for cash at mobilephoneexchange.co.uk? If you have recently upgraded or are about to change your phone, then visit our website to get an instant valuation for your old mobile.
"It's really easy. Just send your phone and we'll pay you up to two hundred pounds directly into your bank account. The newer the phone the more cash you get. Visit mobilephoneexchange.co.uk now, because there's money in your mobile."
However, the advertising watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has now ruled the ad must not appear again in its current format because it is 'likely to mislead'.
In their defence the Mobile Phone Xchange said it was "true that they did not buy absolutely every model of phone", but they said their exclusion policy was based on value and that at present they would purchase over 900 types of phones.
They added that "they did not believe they were misleading consumers in any significant way".