avoid Boltblue: mobile phone site drains all my PAYG credit

tincat

These are their full T&C's. I still don't see any mandatory £15 for joining, or an answer to any of my previous questions.

Terms and conditions


Boltblue Club is a subscription service that will cost you £4.50 per week until you send STOP to 85233. New members will receive a complimentary download, text message allowance or mobile alerts allowance when they join without any deduction from their credit. You can then use your credit to download ringtones, mobile videos, wallpapers, logos and picture messages, and sent PC to mobile text messages and receive mobile alerts, all at a discounted rate. Credit is accumulated to a maximum value of £18.00. Choose from over 35,000 downloads. To request your Club balance, just send the text BAL to 85233. You must be 16 or over in age and have permission from the bill-payer. Standard operator WAP, GPRS and SMS costs apply. Please make sure that your phone is compatible. Pre-pay users ensure you have enough credit to receive texts. Orders usually take a few minutes to arrive but delays can be caused by network congestion so please allow up to 24hrs for delivery. Some items may cost more than a single credit to consume, like full tracks realtones, funtones, nametones and mobile videos. All fees, including fees for existing subscription contracts, are subject to change upon notice from Boltblue. Boltblue will provide you with reasonable notice of such change. If you do not accept the new fees, you may cancel your subscription as detailed above. If you download mobile entertainment content in excess of the amount allowed by your subscription contract, then you agree to pay the applicable Boltblue retail rates for such additional downloads. Boltblue reserves the right to offer from time to time and at their discretion 1 weeks free subscription to new subscribers. This will be a promotional offer which will be linked to certain marketing campaigns for certain Boltblue services and will be applicable only to subscribers that subscribe to the Boltblue service during the period of the promotional offer. Boltblue can withdraw the promotional offer at any time without prior notice of any kind. You may receive info/offers from Boltblue. If you do not wish to receive these offers you may opt-out by writing to us or replying to any marketing message that you may receive. You can contact us by calling Customer Services on 0870 020 9312 or emailing [EMAIL="help@boltblue.com"]help@boltblue.com[/EMAIL].

Helix

I think they are saying that you will get 1 extra free download the first week. So you get 10 instead of 9 for £4.50. I think that is where they get "free" from but I wouldn't call that 100% Free.

RadoJo

Just to confirm for those who haven't seen the difference - the page the OP came to through Google is this one:
http://www.boltblue.com/specialoffer/19/?c=googleuk17e&gclid=CMzAsLWS_ZACFSdCEgod3FSJ2g

The Ts and Cs on that page are different to the Ts and Cs you get if you go to the homepage which is here: http://www.boltblue.com/ and there are no links to the homepage from the first landing page - only the shortened version of the Ts and Cs already posted, and space to enter your mobile number.

When registering on the main site, you have to tick a box to accept the terms and conditions (a full version), but on the landing page the OP came to, there is no such requirement.

eyelinerprincess

Whatever I click through google, it takes me to the first link RadoJo posted in #24, which does mention the £15 fee.

RadoJo

In which case Eyeliner Princess you are much more eagle eyed than me - where on that page does it mention the £15? I can literally only see this text at the bottom of the page:

Boltblue Club is a weekly subscription service with an introductory first download at no extra cost when you join for £4.50/week until you send STOP to 85233. As a member you will get up to 9 downloads and up to 90 PC to mobile SMS each week. You must be 16+ years of age or have bill payers permission, standard operator SMS (sent by the user) and WAP/GPRS/UMTS charges apply.

And the text underneath the phone image which says :
Boltblue
www.Boltblue.com
Love your Mobile
Join for £4.50 per week

and the coloured text about wallpapers etc.

The plot thickens...

eyelinerprincess

http://www.boltblue.com/specialoffer/19/?c=googleuk17e&gclid=CMzAsLWS_ZACFSdCEgod3FSJ2g

Boltblue PayAsYouGo allows you to buy Boltblue services without the need for a subscription. On payment, you can select a no charge mobile video, wallpaper, ringtone or other item of content. Payment is non-refundable, notwithstanding your statutory rights. Afterwards credits may be used for ringtone, mobile video, wallpaper, logo and picture message downloads, PC to mobile text messages and mobile alerts. Choose from over 35,000 downloads. You may view your available credit balance by sending the text BAL to 81194 or login to the website. You must be 16 or over in age and have permission from the bill-payer. You will be charged a one-off non recurring fee of £15.00 (£3.00 x 5). Unconsumed credit will expire after 30 days. Standard operator WAP, GPRS and SMS costs apply. Please make sure that your phone is compatible. Pre-pay users ensure you have enough credit to receive texts. Orders usually take a few minutes to arrive but delays can be caused by network congestion so please allow up to 24hrs for delivery. Not all items are priced the same. Prices are subject to change without prior notice from Boltblue, so please check the website for accurate pricing information. We can withdraw the promotional offer at any time without prior notice of any kind. You may receive info/offers from Boltblue. You can contact us by calling Customer Services on 0870 020 9312 or sending an email to [EMAIL="help@boltblue.com"]help@boltblue.com[/EMAIL]. You can opt-out of marketing messages or cancel your prepaid balance (losing any unconsumed credit) by texting STOP to 81194 at any time. Boltblue terms and conditions apply.

Luis-FlightManWithAPlan

Just been reading up on this thread and in popped the question

What if I was to enter a freind mobile number onto that site? he'd get charged the same as that guy.....but he didnt "register" the same as that guy......surely just entering a number doesn't bound you by their terms and conditions as they cant legally prove that its you.

tincat

Eyelinerprincess, I don't doubt that you are seeing that, but none of the rest of us are. Even when I follow your link I get the landing page that doesn't mention £15, and has a shortened disclaimer.

Is it possible that you need to clear your cookies? Are you already a member of boltblue as maybe they show you a different page based on your IP?

I am v. confused that you are getting a different page with the same link.

hazzie123

I also clicked on eyelinerprincess`s link in her post and cant see anywhere in the T+C`s where it mentions £15 will be taken.

Also that £4.50 is terrible to read,it was only when I lifted my laptop off my Knee closer to my face I could actually tell it was a 4.

eyelinerprincess

Hmm, I don't understand then, the page I'm seeing has those T&C, I've only ever heard of Bolt Blue once before and that was in school, and a friend was a member.