MBLOX - mystery charges on my mobile

Skint_yet_Again

Hi I wondered if anyone has had any recent experience with this company.
I am nearing the end of 18mth contract with orange and was checking my bill and noticed an item 60030 # multimedia services recd I phoned orange and they advised me this is Mblox who I had never heard of. I did a google search and am now really worried that this may be the first text of many that I am going to be charged for.

Orange say they cannot block the number. I have tried phoning MBlox and the number is permenantly engaged. I have tried emailing customer care @ mblox. com (without the gaps) and the email has bounced back as undeliverable.

I have filled in and sent a complaint via the web query page on mblox website. I have asked them to tell me when I subscribed to their services and what the supposed service is. I have requested they stop anything being sent to my mobile and remove my mobile from all their records.

Anyone have any advice ? Thanks

grumbler

If they don't return the stolen money, complain to phonepayplus: Make a complaint about a premium rate number

http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/Number-Checker/Check-a-Number-Results.aspx?ncn=60030

Skint_yet_Again

grumbler wrote: »

If they don't return the stolen money, complain to phonepayplus: Make a complaint about a premium rate number

http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/Number-Checker/Check-a-Number-Results.aspx?ncn=60030

Thanks to grumbler, I phoned phonepayplus, I re-sent email to MBlox. MBlox phoned me and sent me an email this afternoon. It turns out this charge is from a company called "smart taxi". I re-checked the dates of the charges and phoned my local taxi firm who confirmed this is a charge from them. When I phone a taxi on a night out I request a secure text message to my mobile once the taxi is outside....saves me standing outside venues and is more secure for us females, as you get the reg of the taxi also. So mystery solved, I hold my hands up to panicking after reading MBlox reviews, and I have to praise MBlox customer service on this occasion.
(It would be more helpful if it was clearer on the bill tho )

Jason_Chapman1

I would like to draw everyone’sattention to MBlox and online currency transaction company who most of you haveprobably never heard of. However how many people here have brought virtualitems off one of those facebook games, Township, cityville, Farmville, the listis endless.

This morning while checking my bank account Inoticed my orange phone bill was £125 for last month alone, I’m only supposedto be paying a fixed term contract of £40 a month. My wife confessed to me thatshe had been buying virtual items online for a game called township, funny shetried to tell me last night when we were watching that BBC 4 documentary onFacebook.

Domestic issues aside, I sat down with herand told her to take me through the method in which she uses to pay for virtualitems. The thing that got me is how easy it is to pay for items. First of allwhen you click on the link you get a choice of packages you want to buy. Thenall you need to do is enter your mobile phone number. You then receive a textsaying that you have purchased an online item for whatever game you’re playing.The text then asks you to confirm your payment by texting ‘Y’ to a premium ratenumber. Then you get another text thanking you for your payment. And that’swhen you get caught out, and when MBlox goes to work, because they handle thetransaction you have made and charge you a small fortune not only for the textyou just sent them, but also the text they send you. Last month alone I lost£95 to Mblox in charges, and I suspect hundreds more in previous months.

I looked through the terms and conditions of ‘Township’and saw nothing about employing a company to handle any transaction. In factall the terms say is that you are able to buy things with real money. They mentionnothing about phone bill charges and other hidden charges that are billed tothe facebook user, through their mobile phone company.

People get into the trap where they think theyare buying something directly from facebook when in fact they’re not.

I have tried to phone and emailMBlox but surprise surprise I get stonewalled. Surely there are regulationsstating that these companies have to answer to complaints.

So my question is; are thesecompanies exploiting loopholes in the law to make money, and more importantlyam I able to claim money back from MBlox or do I cut my losses and nip this inthe bud.

Onefinal note about these facebook games and people who buy items off them. I knowit’s your choice, but you have to remember that you’re not actually payinganything of real value. At the end of the day it’s just pixels, pixels that cancost an absolute fortune.