Telkom ADSL advert on TV 512KB

[Mux]

I notice on the SS1 DSTV channel, watching Golf on 18 June 2004, that the Telkom advert for their ADSL states 512 KiloBytes.
Surely it should be 512 Kilobits? Uhm, is that just me that saw that?
[xx(]

You don't know what you don't know.
Mux

 

[TheVoice]

Didn't see it, but if that's the case, there's an oppurtunity there to get them in trouble for false advertising.

 

[alex]

lol are u guys gona sue them for puting kilbytes and not kilorbits , that will be the day , they got all the money and therefore all the lawyers.

 

[podo]

I really don't think you could make anything serious of this. There are limits to what can be considered "false advertising", at most, they could be forced to correct the error in the ad.

The mistake is probably an easy one to make. The marketing monkey that wrote the script for the ad certainly has no idea of the difference between kilobytes and kilobits, or any bytes or bits for the matter.

In all likelyhood, the script writer, copy writer, editor or even the director might have seen "kilobits" in the specifications and though it to be a spelling mistake.

Scripts for television ads are not written by computer technicians.

Willie Viljoen
Web Developer

Adaptive Web Development

 

[Mux]

KiloBits or KiloBytes who cares. I just find it funny that the adverts don't get screened properly. The advert flighted tonight (20 June) again at 21h36 and 22h35 stating 512 KiloBytes.
The advert company gets big bucks and should get it right - sure they are not techies, but it does imply they can use whatever terminology they feel like.
I can see no harm in at least mentioning the fact in this forum.

 

[onionpeel]

Who's to say that the Telkom didn't make the mistake? Normally the customer reviews and approves the contents of advertisements before going to media.

 

[podo]

Mux,

Duly noted, I was actually responding to TheVoice who wanted to take them to court for false advertising. []

onionpeel,

Very easily. I didn't say where the marketing monkey that might have made the mistake would be. It could be an idiot who works either at the ad agency or at Telkom.

Remember, the person who reviews the ad for Telkom won't be a techie either, but one of those idiots who are always trying to convince us that they offer great service at great prices... riiiiight... []

Willie Viljoen
Web Developer

Adaptive Web Development

 

[VQuest]

Just one more piece of evidence that Telkom should not be in the internet industry. If the monkeys who make the decisions at Telkom had any technical knowledge, there would never have been a 3GB cap, it would have been something more reasonable.


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United we stand!
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[podo]

VQuest,

If those monkeys had a clue, they would have upgraded their infrastructure to something reasonable and would have kept pricing at a level where it would attract users rather than scare them off.

With good infrastructure, there would be no need for the cap. With reasonable pricing, they would have enough users to pay for the better infrastructure.

Willie Viljoen
Web Developer

Adaptive Web Development

 

[dikbek]

This is not the first time and they have had a long time to fix it. See and note the date! http://www.myadsl.co.za/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2386

 

[TheVoice]

Guys, you have to remember that, regardless of whoever creates or screens the ads, Telkom, as with any and all businesses, have a responsibility to fairly and truthfully advertise their goods or services. Saying it's a 512 Kilobyte service doesn't fit into that guideline.

And no, I don't plan to take them to court, I'm merely saying that they've done something wrong and should be made to at least remedy the situation.

 

[caroper]

Thank you to all our users who pointed out our mistake of confusing Bytes for Bits.
We will immediately correct the advert to reflect a 512Kbit data rate and a 3Gbit Cap.

Telkom Advertising Department

LOL

 

[podo]

I do love the monkeys. They manage to get the throughput right, but it would appear we are now effectively limited to about 450MB per month, since it's now 3 gigabits and not 3 gigabytes... tsk tsk...

Willie Viljoen
Web Developer

Adaptive Web Development