Platte media

gipsychild206

Has anyone else been plagued by this pop-up on their screen? It is now demanding £29.99 from me. I don't remember ever signing up to this and have definitely never given any credit card details etc. Help!! How do I delete this programme and if I don't pay then will they chase me for this money even though I have never signed up!!!

Browntoa

its a company of dubious history

hang on while I find the article I posted

found it

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=999513&highlight=platte

you enjoy watching films online, then the front page of getfilmsnow.com might look an attractive place: the images there recently included X-Men: The Last Stand and Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror. In the weeks the Guardian has investigated it, the front page has boasted images from The Matrix, The Assassination of Jesse James , The Simpsons, Seinfeld and the 1942 classic Casablanca - overall, the sort of films that may draw in young teens.
However, those promised titles don't amount to a hill of beans compared to what you'll find if you take the free three-day trial subscription: thousands of pornographic films or trailers. And worse, if you don't cancel the subscription promptly, your computer will fall victim to a series of popups, pointing out that you need to pay Platte Media for your use of getfilmsnow.

Does the latter sound familiar? Getfilmsnow is the latest site to use a popup billing system that first appeared in 2007, then run by Micro Bill Systems: it demanded money following users' access to pornographic websites. And this is the same model, run by a new company (Platte International Ltd) but with the same person - Ashley Bateup, now chief executive.
But unlike the first incarnation - which was explicit that you were getting billed for access to !!!!!! - this one seems disingenuous about the sort of content it offers. And it is now planning to apply the same model to music, a move that has at least one analyst worried about its potential to upset would-be buyers of music online.
Now, the Guardian has learnt, getfilmsnow has been sent a cease-and-desist letter relating to images from Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox films. And the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has indicated that the use of images for films that are not on the site may be in breach of unfair trading terms.
MBS came under the watchful eye of the OFT after complaints from people who insisted they had not realised that they were agreeing to be billed. In January, Bateup promised changes to the billing and access software (!!!!!! bill firm opens new front, January 24).


MBS pops up again
The business was then acquired by Platte International. In March, MBS gave an undertaking to the OFT to change its business practices after a review of the sign-up process, the fairness of the terms and the automated billing. This struck a balance between "protecting consumer interests without stifling innovation" (OFT accepts undertakings from Micro Bill Systems Ltd).
The ruling also applies to Platte International, which operates through a specialist division - Platte Media - to provide consumer digital entertainment. Publicly available information says it has links to Leeds, Gibraltar, Austria, Holland, Essex and the British Virgin Islands, with a head office in Brazil. The company is backed by a wealthy Chinese investor (whom Bateup declines to name).
Though some consumers complain of being caught out by the popup bills from getfilmsnow.com, we found the installation process unmistakable: signing up involves a download, clicking through screens, and entering a four-digit number. But forget to cancel the trial, and a £29.99 bill for 30 days' subscription soon pops up. The software is difficult to remove, too. But where are the films? The Platte International website claims to have "licenses in place with all of the major film studios and music labels". But Twentieth Century Fox - which owns X-Men: The Last Stand and The Simpsons - says it "has not licensed any of our products to Platte Media and our legal team is investigating the matter".
Licensed to bill
WarnerBros., which owns The Matrix and The Assassination of Jesse James says: "The content on the GetFilmsNow website is not licensed or otherwise approved," and hinted at "ongoing legal issues".
The Guardian also learned that Platte Media was sent a "cease and desist" letter regarding the images on its front page. The original images were then removed and replaced with Planet Terror, Pillow Talk, Casablanca and others, although the X-Men picture remained.
"It's ironic that they talk about the illegality of people removing their software, yet are misleading the public, using copyrighted materials for which they have no right to do so," says mbsvictims.org.uk, a support organisation which grew out of people outraged or angered by MBS's - now Platte's - billing methods.
So why use yet more pictures of films that are not available? Surely this is misrepresentation? "No. It's not our intention to misrepresent at all," says Bateup. "The reason that I don't think we're misrepresenting is that we don't advertise that page [getfilmsnow.com] at all." But it is linked to from Platte International websites, indexed by search engines, and is visible to the world.
Bateup blames the missing films on delays in integrating the content and promises that the featured titles will be available. This seems a poor excuse for not ensuring that the photographs reflect the true content, as web pages are easily changed - and Platte has changed it in response to complaints from film companies.
He also says the contract for the film content is with the British internet Broadcasting Company (BiBC) - not, as Platte International's website claims, with all major film studios. This website also states: "Platte International ... has recently partnered with BiBC Limited for additional music, video and audio book content from all of the major music labels and film studios." But there is no partnership: "BiBC does not have a contract with Platte International to provide film/video content for getfilmsnow.com," says managing director Paul Hague.

Challenged to explain the missing films, Bateup admits his marketing is all about pornography. His selling point for popup billing remains anonymity - no name, email or financial details required to sign up. "Over 35% of consumers pay by postal order - this in itself says something about the consumer and their wish to remain anonymous," he says.
Bateup also claims popup billing is being extended into streamed online music (1970s to present) on chartunlimited.com, thanks to another content provider which he won't identify. If so, this new website might attract new users - like teenagers - who might not realise how the billing software works or bother reading lengthy terms and conditions.
That worries Mark Mulligan, an analyst at Jupiter Research, who follows the music market. While emphasising that he hasn't looked at chartunlimited - "and I don't want to risk doing so" - he says there are important implications, given that twice as many UK consumers aged under 25 use file-sharing networks to get music, rather than paying to download: "The legitimate market needs all the help it can get, and chartunlimited.com has the potential to be a bad news story the music industry could do without."


But Platte Media could have more significant matters to deal with. Des Fitzpatrick, a case manager in the OFT's Scambuster team says: "The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) prohibit misleading actions and misleading omissions in commercial practices. It is possible that placing images of films that the trader cannot (legally) supply on the website may constitute a breach of the CPRs." Some of Platte's users may be complaining - but the OFT has the power, in extremis, to put it out of business. And the legal threats from film studios could also be a problem. In trying to capture a bigger market, Platte may have made too big a grab for fame

totalsolutions

Hold on got the removal instructions here back soon.

http://www.theeasypc.co.uk/wordpress/?tag=how-to-remove-platte-media

Browntoa

here

download an AUTO REMOVAL FILE TO DELETE PLATTE. This file will do almost everything for you
http://www.theeasypc.co.uk/remove.bat

and for you to read for more important information

http://www.theeasypc.co.uk/wordpress/?tag=how-to-remove-platte-media

If people have found this page, please be advised you should pay for all your own debts, and if you have signed up to platte media and owe them money then its your responsibility to pay them. These instructions help to remove any traces of platte “if the platte removal tool” doesn’t do the correct job and leaves files and processes still running on your PC which (as a uninstall tool) should not leave

Browntoa

If you believe you have been unfairly hit by Platte Media/MBS, you should contact the following:

(1) The Office of Fair Trading (OFT), who are monitoring their activities
(2) Your MP, who is your local representative and who can take up matters on your behalf with the OFT
(3) The police if you believe that software has been downloaded without your consent. This might also include others, without your knowledge, using your computer to access their sites.
(4) You can also contact Trading Standards, both your local office and the West Yorkshire Trading Standards office.
A simple way to do all of the above is to produce a single letter, stating what has happened to you, which you can send with suitable covering notes to all parties.

Links to help you find the correct people:

(1) For the attention of Michael Haley
Head of Consumer Protection
Office of Fair Trading
Fleetbank House
2-6 Salisbury Square
London EC4Y 8JX

Your complaint should refer to this Press Release

(2) If you don't know who is your local MP, refer to this website.

(4) This link will help you with Trading Standards issues.

N.B. Strictly speaking, the OFT doesn't deal directly with consumer complaints, but given that they have now ruled on this matter, they should be prepared to receive complaints if they relate to contraventions of the undertakings which have been given to them by MBS/Platte International.


http://mbsvictims.org.uk/index.php?topic=127.0

hflower74

I am being plagued with this since yesterday!!

Is it easy to get rid of??
Do the links posted above work ok??

Browntoa

yes, just follow post 4

hflower74

Thankyou

RisingDamp

I welcome the appearance on the forums of the information about Platte Media, which has been mostly taken from the MBS Victims Forum, of which I am a moderator.

Could Browntoa, and others, who (as has happened) lift text directly from our forum, please provide an acknowledgement of the source of that material? I go to a great deal of time researching issues, and contacting the OFT and other bodies, in order to help other consumers, and regard it as a basic courtesy that the sources of posts like No. 5 are acknowledged.

Thank you.

Browntoa

as you can see I have credited the sources of where I got the information ???

post 5 says

http://mbsvictims.org.uk/index.php?topic=127.0

which is the source

if that original information was copied from your forum without a credit then I apologise

stef240377

I was recently plagued by platte media and another pop up virus. Having no technie knowledge and very short patience after this only came up when kids had been online, paid for a guy to come round and resolve it. After eight hours in my house he were clueless apart from wanting to reformat my pc, as soon as it hit 5pm and definitely raking in his £40 an hour decided after all that he would give it one last attempt and bingo viruses gone. Went to challenge him on the fee but he backed down and asked me to give him £60.

Now finding this thread i will be more relcutant to pay out in future and tackle things myself if the info is there to start with.