Premium Text Scams - no help from Network Provider

dewiapgraham

Why do the Network Providers ignore and wipe there hands when you try and complain about excessive Premium Text charges.

My 14yr old son is into the 1st month of his £15pm Simplicity Contract with O2. He received a text from one number offering a chance to win an iphone. My son stupidly replied and then received (from another number) a question similar to this below:

Play more questions today! Stonehenge is located in England? -Text TRUE or FALSE to 84459 (Info: 0800 4080785 £3 + SNR/question) (Info: 0800 4080785 £3 +SNR/que

It appears that he 'subscribed' to this 'service'. 31 questions in 36hrs later and we have a £66 cost against a £15 contract.

What get's my biscuit is that 02, who after all administer this charge against my son's account are not interested.

This type of 'SCAM' is obviously aimed at children and vulnerable people who do not understand what it is that they are getting into.

If O2 and the other providers simply said NO and put a block against these payments then the industry would surely clean up it's act particularly if repeat offenders were banned from using their networks to send texts.

I am deeply disappointed with O2 and their lack of empathy/support/guidance and I am considering cancelling my business accounts on the back of this.

My son has learnt his lesson and now understands what these scams mean whether it's ringtones, wallpaper or stupidly easy questions but the Network Providers as administrators of these charges have to take some responsibility in the same way that credit card companies have to also handle complaints.

grumbler

dewiapgraham wrote: »

Why do the Network Providers ignore and wipe there hands when you try and complain about excessive Premium Text charges.

Because they participate in this scam and get their share about 50% just for collecting the money.

essexman77

I doubt the contract would be in your sons name if hes only 15

forgotmyname

Before i gave my daughter a phone i told her NEVER ever reply to texts or missed calls from anyone thats
not on the contacts list.

Wife fell for that one ages back missed call from an 070 number.

Annie._2

Vodafone and T Mobile offer a bar to their customers to stop these unsolicited premium rate short code SMS scams.

O2 is one of the networks who do not offer this service to their customers and it should be the customers choice to have a bar to put a stop to these scammers.

nwlondoner

As grumbler has pointed out, the networks make money from premium rate SMS, which is why they are unwilling to help.

A while back I received unsolicited premium text messages and after my network (Three) refused to help, I contacted PhonepayPlus (the regulator for premium rate phone services in the UK) and in the end I got my money back and the company that sent the messages was fined and banned from sending premium rate test messages in future. It was no hassle, all I had to do was fill in a form on their website, but it did take a long time for PhonepayPlus to deal with the matter (around 6 months!).

I know your son "subscribed" to the premium rate messages but I think £66 in just 36 hours is completely unreasonable so it would be worth contacting PhonepayPlus. In fact, if you first contact the company that sent the premium messages, and let them know that you will be making a complaint to PhonepayPlus, they may offer to refund you in the hope that you don't complain (I'm sure they would rather refund £66 than risk a huge fine or a ban from sending premium SMS).

poppy5

I have had contract phones for myself and 2 of my children for several years now and never had a problem with premium texts.

Recently we left BT and I am with 02 and my children are with Orange. I took out all 3 contracts.

I have received unsolicited texts but have ignored them so have not had any charges.

I have been monitoring the bills carefully to ensure the kids stayed within their allowances. They usually do. They have unlimited texts/minutes/internet. The first month 2 chargeable texts appeared on my daughter's bill. Apparently she texted radio one yet she never listens to radio 1. These texts were only 12p so no big deal so I told our daughter not to do it again.

The next month 2 texts were received for £2 each. I rung the company that sent the texts and they said they had not sent any texts to our number.

This month about 5 texts were received at £3 each. The bill was £35 instead of £20.50.

I called Orange and they said I was irresponsible allowing my daughter to have a contract at her age! I've never had a problem before and she has always been on my contract before with her own handset.

Orange insisted she must have signed up for some sort of service. My husband thought I had got the wrong end of the stick as he did not think you could be charged for receiving texts, neither did I!

I have since checked the bill and the texts are to her, there is no text to this company from her initiating the service.

I spoke to about 4 different people and finally someone suggested changing the number which we did. Apparently if you give your phone number to others or enter competitions on line they can sell on your number and if you are not careful the costs can escalate into £100s. We have checked my daughter's phone and the texts were received about 3 weeks ago but there is no record of them on her phone. She says she does not recognise the number and she does delete some texts but can't remember ever receiving them. Orange are absolutely insistent that she subscribed to a service.

Anyway, my husband had a word with Orange and asked for the textl charges to be removed. We finally got a refund but were told if it happens again they will not refund us.

I am going to be very careful now with all our phones but these companies should not be allowed to do this. Orange are not prepared to bar our phones from receiving premium texts. They say adults don't subscribe to these services as they know they are costly. Children often do as they do not realise they will be charged, but as a parent we should be responsible and a responsible parent would not have allowed their child to have a contract in the first place, that's why you have to be 18 and over to have a contract in the first place, blah, blah. Well, at least we got our refund!

TimBear

Firstly, you need to get the messages to stop. If your network can not place a bar, reply to the text with the word 'STOP' and that should at least stop more from coming (from that particular service, anyway).

pimento

Ann_S wrote: »

O2 is one of the networks who do not offer this service to their customers and it should be the customers choice to have a bar to put a stop to these scammers.

O2 do offer it. I have it. I also have an international call bar. It took some persuading, but they did it in the end.

TimBear

It would block them from being sent but not from being received though?

Annie._2

pimento wrote: »

O2 do offer it. I have it. I also have an international call bar. It took some persuading, but they did it in the end.

Thats an International and Premium Rate Calling Bar which all networks offer and not an unsolicicated reverse charge premium rate short code SMS Bar, two totally different things.

Its a shame O2 dont offer the bar to protect customers accounts from these scammers. O2 continue to be partners in crime with the scammers and take part of the proceeds as profit after their customers have been ripped off.