Bloody Kids!

frosty

I really feel for you,we had this a few years ago, my sons friend was living with us and when I was out he was chatting to his mum,what I didnt know was she would phone him on her mobile then he would phone her back on our land line:eek: :eek: .They would talk for hours everyday,and I had the pleasure of receiving a £480.00 phone bill,:eek: I made him do jobs for other people to help pay it off.He was 16,his mum thought I was being very unfair because she was claiming benefits and didnt have any money.I was working 40 hours a week and she thought I should pay it.By making him pay the phone bill he has never done it again,His mum now phones him on a friends land line.Good luck and I hope you manage to sort everything out.

jessicamb

That Habbo website is scary - surely its immoral for a company to be blatantly making money out of kids like that (especially when more often than not its the parents paying).

Good luck with dealing with the kids (I'd have them down the coal mine too!)

abbecer

I would make them sell some of their electrical items ie playstation. This would really hit them where it hurts and make them realise that their actions have consequences. I know i sound mean but i think this is a really major thing that needs dealing with in a harsh way.

Rebecca x :rotfl:

skylight

What have the kids said Toto?? You haven't posted since this morning and home time was about 3pm!!

Are the kids still breathing?
Are you??

Penny-Pincher!!

Just a thought-Can NTL disconnect you if you have a disabled child do you not need for emergencies etc?

PP
xx

skorpio40

This link may be useful for anyone who finds one of these premium rate numbers on their phone bill. The org is called ICSTIS.They try and get certain premium rate services closed down. Think i was given ther number by ntl when i found 2 calls , one of which was £20 and the other £15, on my bill which i hadnt dialled. Apparently at the time i was on a dial up service on my pc and they had hi jacked my line. (somthin like that). You can also phone them but i dont hav the number.

http://www.icstis.org.uk/

all_hours

Toto,

I can understand the shock and frustration after receiving such a big phone bill and then finding out it was spent on but - will the kids need the pc + internet for their school work in the future?

I'd give them a choice - work out a way to repay the £200 themselves or unimaginable violence. See which they choose and take it from there.

towseriv

Why not just the following statement under "heykids why not blow ll yourcash on something you are getting nothing from"

"Join Habbo Club, the VIP members-only club, and you will enjoy exclusive room layouts, a free rare furniture every month, special dance moves, priority access to Habbo Hotel, cool clothes with numerous colours and special commands all for just 25 Credits a month"

25 credits seems to cost £2.50

ZTD

all_hours wrote:

I can understand the shock and frustration after receiving such a big phone bill and then finding out it was spent on but - will the kids need the pc + internet for their school work in the future?

By the time it comes to that, the PC will be obsolete anyway. Besides, they can stay late at school, or go to a public library to work. Call it the Habbo workout...

Off to the salt mines!

Toto

Sorry not to get back to you sooner, I ended up working last night.

My kids got in after school and I asked them who they had been phoning.

2 blank faces stare back at me. After a while my 10 yr old said, only my friends oh and this place where I can get stuff for my habbo. I asked my son (15) if he knew anything about it, he said yes. So, at least they didn't lie.

It seems they both knew it cost money and how much it cost. I asked if they had any idea how many times they had called. Neither had a clue. So I asked how they were intending to pay for the calls? Seeing as they knew the cost, and felt they didn't need my permission they must have had some money stashed somewhere? Otherwise I felt it was stealing.

Blank faces again.

So, they got an hour long lecture about the morals of it all, they are obviously grounded and doing jobs around the house to earn the money. I said I would sell their computer unless they came to me with other things which could be sold because in life you have to pay for what you spend (computer access is obviously stopped). They decided to sell their PS2 and games. I said that would cover the interest on the bill, because in life if you borrow money (particularly without permission) you have to pay heavy penalties.

It seems although they both understood the cost when they made the calls, neither of them actually thought about the bill. They were both so engrossed in this website the consequences didn't even register.

So, I have 2 very fed up kids who know they have had their last habbo hotel experience. I am actually shocked at the level of addiction they have both shown. And I find the whole concept of this website appalling, I am sure I am not the only parent in the country having this problem right now, targeting kids and getting them to spend huge amounts of money in such a short space of time should be a criminal offence. I am looking at ways to make a formal complaint against the site for encouraging kids to gamble and for charging huge amounts for calls.

There is a habbo hierarchy, if you don't have the expensive furniture you are bullied and given a lower position in the hotel. The website encourages this. Actually I could write a book on what's wrong with the whole thing.

So, although I hold the website partially responsible, my kids had a role to play too and there are life lessons to learn here. They knew what they were doing was wrong and therefore there are stiff punishments.

So, right now they are keeping the computer, but with no web access unless it is for homework purposes. They also know that if they fail to do all of their chores (which will take them a good couple of months) the computer will go. I have never yet given them an empty threat.