'The Truth Hurts': Verizon Zings AT&T in Advertising Spat

[The Monkey]

The 3G coverage maps in Verizon's ads may or may not have been secretly meant to mislead viewers, but in any case they are technically accurate as labelled. Therefore, any confusion is the fault of the inattentive (or illiterate) viewer. AT&T may have an "emotional" complaint here, but I just don't think they really have much of a "legal" complaint. The courts can't legislate people's attentiveness! (Nor should they.)

Not exactly. An advertising claim can be literally true but still likely to mislead or confuse consumers, a doctrine recognized by the courts as "false by necessary implication." Such a claim is actionable. It is difficult to prove such claims without consumer survey data, but a court will sometimes substitute its own judgment for the consumer (although this more often happens in disputes before self-regulatory organizations such as NAD).

Also, the courts don't legislate. That's the legislature.

 

[Xibalba]

LMAO! Too funny and too true. AT&T sucks so bad. The fact that Apple fanboys are so obsessed with owning an iPhone that they will break contract with their existing carrier to sign on with the WORST carrier in the US is just really sad.

This is exactly what I did 2 years ago - break contract to obtain an iPhone and it was the best decision that I have made in quite some time. I would rather have an incredible hardware device that works the best for me even with poorer coverage than great coverage but a poor device with subpar features and functionality.

Plus, I personally have had little problems with AT&T service except where I live but Verizon and Sprint are equally poor in my neighborhood. Most of the time I am around wifi anyways - making the network a moot point.

As a physician, I depend on the iPhone to improve quality of care at point of care - including in the office and hospital bedside. No other phone hardware can compete with the functionality of the iPhone for me. I welcome the Android OS with anticipation, but am not confident any hardware will come out to rival the quality of the iPhone. Until better hardware comes out, I will continue to upgrade my iPhone yearly...

 

[twoodcc]

AT&T does need to work on it's network, but i also don't like what version is doing with the ads either

 

[dukebound85]

AT&T does need to work on it's network, but i also don't like what version is doing with the ads either

its the same nature as the obnoxious apple ads, which i hate

 

[newguineafan]

AT&T does need to work on it's network, but i also don't like what version is doing with the ads either

Damn that Version.

 

[Full of Win]

Um, "Don't like it, don't buy it" is exactly what fundamental free-market principles are all about.

Ding Ding Ding we have a winner


This is exactly what the free market is all about, a competition of ideas and skills. May the company with the best service, product or idea win. This 'nanny' stuff of going to the government for judicial relief from ads that are accurate is BUNK.

 

[Sweetbike40]

As much as i love my iPhone, it sucks as a phone/email/texts.... i've blamed it on the phone but i realized it has to do with the 3G service. Sometimes my email will lag forever to send.... i thought it was my email service settings but as soon as i kind find wi-fi, it sends instantly. Voicemail.....why do i get voicemail hours after the person leaves a message? Do they realize how bad this is?????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT&T BLOWS.

 

[MorphingDragon]

This 'nanny' stuff of going to the government for judicial relief from ads that are accurate is BUNK.

Tribunals FTW!

---

He says while sweden is busy making 1MBS Broadband a human right. Now thats the type of Government control I want.

 

[MxChino]

Where the hell are you people calling from that you have to be able to look up data while on the phone? I'm around a computer or have WIFI access almost everywhere I'm making calls from.

 

[NiteWaves77]

Woe to those poor souls...

Woe to those who switch to Verizon's superior network only to find out the company's suits require handset manufactures to shut off basic features like Bluetooth object transfer.

Would you like a bowl of barf or bag of dog crap? The choice is yours!

 

[Techhie]

Where the hell are you people calling from that you have to be able to look up data while on the phone? I'm around a computer or have WIFI access almost everywhere I'm making calls from.

There are some people that aren't next to a laptop all day

 

[MadMacxxx]

Where the hell are you people calling from that you have to be able to look up data while on the phone? I'm around a computer or have WIFI access almost everywhere I'm making calls from.

Well good for you! You don't represent everyone. So don't worry about where or how people are making their calls, the fact is that AT&T's overall network coverage is poor in comparison to the other US networks. It doesn't matter that I personally get great service in my local area, I'm just 1 tiny part of the equation.

 

[archipellago]

Ding Ding Ding we have a winner


This is exactly what the free market is all about, a competition of ideas and skills. May the company with the best service, product or idea win. This 'nanny' stuff of going to the government for judicial relief from ads that are accurate is BUNK.

Hungry?

see that loaf of bread over there at $50?

"don't like it, don't buy it.."

ding.ding, we have something...but it ain't a winner!

 

[Techhie]

Hungry?

see that loaf of bread over there at $50?

"don't like it, don't buy it.."

ding.ding, we have something...but it ain't a winner!

That's right, in these parts it's called a winrar

 

[The Monkey]

Hungry?

see that loaf of bread over there at $50?

"don't like it, don't buy it.."

ding.ding, we have something...but it ain't a winner!

Exactly. The complete and utter lack of even the most basic understanding of economics and anticompetitive behavior is very disconcerting. Of course, that's one of the reasons we find ourselves in our current predicament.

I encourage many of the people in this thread to check out the antitrust section of DOJ's website and the entire FTC website. There is a wealth of information there, much of it apolitical.

 

[rockland]

Ding Ding Ding we have a winner


This is exactly what the free market is all about, a competition of ideas and skills. May the company with the best service, product or idea win. This 'nanny' stuff of going to the government for judicial relief from ads that are accurate is BUNK.

Um, FoW, you're confusing 2 different topics from this post. Nobody is looking for judicial relief from ads!

 

[Full of Win]

Hungry?

see that loaf of bread over there at $50?

"don't like it, don't buy it.."

ding.ding, we have something...but it ain't a winner!

Welcome to the free market. If no one buys it, the cost will have to be reduced or the bread will go bad and the profit lost.

 

[The Monkey]

Welcome to the free market. If no one buys it, the cost will have to be reduced or the bread will go bad and the profit lost.

Wrong again. Your superficial analysis works sometimes, but you ignore the many dynamic factors at work here. Only in a market that is operating properly will your prediction come true. In a market with restraints on competition, the bread goes bad and you pay more for it.

 

[kdarling]

Woe to those who switch to Verizon's superior network only to find out the company's suits require handset manufactures to shut off basic features like Bluetooth object transfer.

Nope. Verizon does not shut off Bluetooth options on their smartphones.

The only major company that is missing a lot of useful Bluetooth stacks on their smartphones is Apple. There's no BT object transfer on the iPhone... or keyboard or serial or other useful protocols.

 

[czachorski]

Wrong again. Your superficial analysis works sometimes, but you ignore the many dynamic factors at work here. Only in a market that is operating properly will your prediction come true. In a market with restraints on competition, the bread goes bad and you pay more for it.

Or you buy potatoes - there are plenty of cheap ones in the cell market. But you can't expect a nice cinnamon swirl cinnabon bread for the price of plain white, and then cry market foul when you don't get it.

 

[The Monkey]

Or you buy potatoes - there are plenty of cheap ones in the cell market. But you can't expect a nice cinnamon swirl cinnabon bread for the price of plain white, and then cry market foul when you don't get it.

What?

 

[czachorski]

What?

I find it odd to be complaining about $50 bread when $5 potatoes are available on the next vendor stand, and the $50 dollar bread is selling at that price, and therefore priced that way, because people have a taste for it because it is really good bread, and then attempting to blame the $50 bread on market constraints, rather than free market dynamics.

Or I may have completely mis-understood the past dozen or so posts. That's possible - they were a little confusing.

 

[The Monkey]

I find it odd to be complaining about $50 bread when $5 potatoes are available on the next vendor stand, and the $50 dollar bread is selling at that price, and therefore priced that way, because people have a taste for it because it is really good bread, and then attempting to blame the $50 bread on market constraints, rather than free market dynamics.

Or I may have completely mis-understood the past dozen or so posts. That's possible - they were a little confusing.

I think I get your point now (the cinnabons threw me off--and made me hungry). If I follow you, you're making the argument that commodity pricing exists, but people are still shelling out $50 for the bells and whistles, which proves that the market is working as it should? I disagree. Of course, that could be the case, but it isn't in the wireless world. That $50 bread is tied unlawfully to a contract/exclusive arrangment. The $50 is artificially inflated due to this arrangement such that the consumer is paying $50 for something that should cost less with competition. In other words, just because people are buying something at a given price does not mean anticompetitive behavior is not at play. These potato/bread/contract analogies are getting confusing, but hopefully you get my point.

One may disagree that the cell carriers are running afoul of the antitrust laws, but the trite "don't like it, don't buy it" that seems to be the credo of this board is short-sighted and intellectually lazy. And that's unfortunate.

 

[pavvento]

I've been trying to figure out this chicken and egg thing for a while:

Did we need to over legislate because our citizens became stupid and lazy, or did our citizens become stupid and lazy because we over legislate?

A 100% truthful ad has a possibility of being pulled because some people might not accurately interpret the information? Come on.

The reason the 'if you don't like it don't buy it' doesn't work is because people have lost willpower over material goods. It's become 'if you don't like it, but it and then complain to your legislator or friend or website about how unfair it is, all the while giving money to the company you don't like.'

 

[mac*jedi*g]

AT&T is posturing.

They know they have yet to lockup an extension with Apple after the June/July 2010 deadline. The fear is Apple will consider a contract with Verizon opening a shift in all the progress AT&T made while holding the exclusivity contract with them. AT&T has had a tremendous increase in new customers because of it. With a new iPhone model coming out about the same time next year, AT&T stands to lose a significant amount of users based on the fact that many iPhone 3G owners did not upgrade to GS this year, and should be ready to purchase the next generation during that time. But will they stay on a suspected network that clearly shows they are indifferent in keeping up, and improving their product?

I'm sure a survey would show: NO