Math wasn't mathing: T-Mobile found to be misleading customers [UPDATED]

T-Mobile has objected to the preliminary ruling, claiming the challenged ads correctly showed the savings. Additionally, the company noted that data from market research firm HarrisX corroborates its messaging.

T-Mobile and Verizon have been locked in a bitter dispute over misleading ads. It all started when Verizon sued T-Mobile for its Better Value campaign, sparking a countersuit by T-Mobile against Verizon's Better Deal promotion. For now, the court has handed the advantage to Verizon. 

Court grants preliminary injunction

Verizon accused T-Mobile of exaggerating the savings available to customers switching carriers. T-Mobile stood its ground, claiming Verizon's attempts to block its ads proved the effectiveness of its competitive pricing.

The US District Court for the Southern District of New York has sided with Verizon, granting a preliminary injunction against T-Mobile. T-Mobile has been ordered to withdraw ads touting $1,000 savings tied to its Better Value plan. T-Mobile has also been instructed to take down the savings calculator on its website, which the court found unfairly compares its rates to Verizon's plans.

Verizon defends its subscriber base

In October, shortly after taking over as CEO, Dan Schulman said that Verizon would no longer be the hunting ground for rivals looking to expand market share. 

After three disappointing quarters, Verizon is back on track. In addition to launching offers to attract customers, the company has also been vigorously defending its subscriber base, signalling a shift from passive competition.

The carrier first brought its grievances to the BBB National Programs' National Advertising Review Board (NARB). When T-Mobile refused to follow the self-regulatory body's recommendations, Verizon escalated the matter to court.

Verizon claimed that T-Mobile overstated the value of its own superfluous benefits and charged phantom fees for perks that Verizon provided. Additionally, Verizon said that its standard pricing was compared to T-Mobile's promotional rates. At the same time, there was no mention of Verizon's discounted offers.

Other holes were also found in T-Mobile's promises, such as not specifying that streaming benefits were optional or mentioning that the advertised savings were only available to customers adding three lines.

Most importantly, even using T-Mobile's own calculator, the savings totaled $660 per year, well below the advertised $1,000 per year.

Lastly, Verizon accused T-Mobile of implying that it was the only one to offer satellite connectivity.

Two wrongs don't make a right

The Court has clarified that it's not suggesting that Verizon did not engage in similarly deceptive behaviour. However, Verizon did take down its calculator before initiating the legal campaign, suggesting some remorse. That's in sharp contrast to T-Mobile's act of doubling down on its messaging despite regulatory warnings.

It's important to note that only a preliminary injunction has been granted, and the final decision is pending.

Thus, while T-Mobile and Verizon may both be engaging in manipulative behaviour, for now, it's T-Mobile that has been asked to back away.

It's important to note that T-Mobile didn't ask for a preliminary injunction against Verizon, so Verizon's campaign can continue. This signals a weakness in T-Mobile's assumptions, suggesting that its case against Verizon might not be strong enough.

The battle of claims

For customers, deceptive messaging could come as a shock if they decide to switch to T-Mobile, considering that the court has found that it doesn't offer a comparison grounded in reality.

While the campaign will be pulled in this instance, this is a reminder for customers not to be swayed by advertisements and to always inspect the fine print before switching to a new provider.

The early ruling is a blow to T-Mobile's image, capturing the carrier's shift from offering more value to relying on flashy marketing campaigns to attract customers.