Basic Talk Home Telephone Service: The Judge
In this commercial we are told that Basic Talk is the best low-cost phone service and to prove it a no-nonsense judge is shown in the courtroom telling us more about the Basic Talk service. The name of the actress that plays the judge is Vernee Watson-Johnson.
Transcript:
(Basic Talk guy:) Want a low cost home phone service? Get Basic Talk. You could save up to 70 dollars up front versus the other guy plus it’s free to keep your number. But, if you don’t believe me listen to this no-nonsense judge and her trusty gavel.(Judge): Sustained! With BasicTalk you could save up to seventy dollars in up front costs, plus it’s free to keep your number. Why would you pay to keep your number? You are out of order! Wastin my time.
(Announcer): Basic Talk. Call, click, or go to Walmart today.
(Judge): You aint foolin me Jack.
Fine Print:
- High speed internet required
- Comparison to leading low-cost digital phone service that charges $70 up front for 6 months of service and to keep your number. Details at BasicTalk.com. Where available.
- Unlimited calling and other residential plan services are based on normal residential, personal, non-commercial use. See our Reasonable Usage Policy and Terms of Service at basictalk.com for details. Alarms, TTY and other systems may not be compatible. BasicTalk 911 service operates differently than traditional 911. See basictalk.com/911 for details
Claims that might be confusing and what they really mean:
- What the ad said: You could save up to 70 dollars up front versus the other guy plus it’s free to keep your number.
- What some people might think that means: I will save $70 by using Basic Talk instead of Magic Jack or Vonage plus, I can save more by not having to pay more to keep my number.
- What it really means: The savings claim of $70 is compared to “a leading low-cost digital phone service” but we are not told which service that is. It is possible that there are other services that cost less than Basic Talk. The $70 savings amount includes the amount you might have to pay to keep your number with another service. This means that the maximum amount you could save is $70 and not $70 “plus” more by not having to pay to keep your number.
Summary:
This television commercial makes us of some fine print and a small amount of wording that some people might find slightly deceptive.
Is that Will Smith’s mom?
Yes
Is she Dr. Huxtable’s wife from Bill Cosby show?
No, it’s Fresh Prince’s mother!
No Bill Cosby wife name was Phylicia Rashad
i think she was on the kid’s TV show The Electric Company in the 1970’s
That’s where I remember her from. 🙂
I LOVED her on the Love Boat and Welcome Back Kotter. Good to see her on tv again!
tim this is angel vazquez from the ten
she’s great! loved her in Welcome Back n so many other shows!
In the scene with the Judge, the United States Flag is displayed improperly. It should be on the speakers right, viewers left.
I just saw this commercial, and the flags have been changed. It looks like they used special effects to “flip” the flags.
Her name is Vernee Watson-Johnson; found her by looking up the cast of Welcome Back Kotter.
You mean, Vernee Watson-Johnson, just like it says on the page above?
The lowest cost service is clearly OOMA basic. This and Vonage overcharge. I did recognize this actress from several TV shows. The point if these spots is to look hip and fool the uninformed viewers. I asked myself “can I still do better?” I really think I can.