On March 5th, 2025, the Ethics' Jury [the first
instance decision-making body of the Portuguese Advertising
Self-Regulator (ARP – Autorregulação
Publicitária)] issued a ruling against MEO, a popular
and well-known telecommunications service provider based in
Portugal, finding that MEO's advertising for their
"TV+Net+Voice" service pack, did not comply with ethical
standards and constituted a misleading commercial practice and,
therefore, could no longer be aired. Despite the disagreement
expressed by MEO, the Appeals Committee later confirmed the
decision, in a case for transparency in advertising pricing
practices.
The Facts
The case began with the submission of a consumer complaint
alleging MEO's Facebook and Instagram advertisement omitted
crucial pricing details that influenced the decision to contract
the services. Specifically, the complainant illustrated how MEO was
announcing a "TV+Net+Voice" service pack from
€29.49/ month, omitting that price (€29.49)
