Which? feature published [5 March 1998]
An excellent short feature about Cable and Wireless Watch has been published in Which? Here's the text:
Cable company Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) has backtracked over threats to a 'free' call policy after customers began their own campaign.
The trouble began last year when CWC took over another cable company, Videotron, and took on 100,000 Videotron residential customers.
An original attraction of Videotron's service had unlimited 'free' off-peak local calls to other Videotron numbers, which was specifically marketed as a way to connect to the Internet in the evening and the weekends. But it became clear that the free-calls benefit was likely to be axed by CWC and replaced by a scheme with only a set amount of free local time each month.
A group of ex-Videotron customers set up their own web site [URL omitted] to gather support to save the
benefit. Since telling customers about the likely end to the free calls provision, CWC has told us that it now had no plans to do away with the benefit.
CWC believes that the terms of the Videotron contract allow it to change charges and schemes, if it tells people in advance. However, the Office of Fair Trading is unhappy about the terms of this contract.
Meanwhile, CWC also tried to lure ex-Videotron customers into switching to a tariff on which they'd lose the benefit. A leaflet advertising the new tariff didn't make this clear. The Advertising Standards Authority is investigating this mailing.
Postscript (14 March): Cable and Wireless Watch has had its first financial contribution - a £15 book token from the CA as thanks for my help!
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