 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion Groups General General TopicsGSMBluetoothProviders AlltelATT WirelessCingularFidoNextelSprint PCST-MobileVerizonManufacturers EricssonNokiaMotorolaCountry Specific Australian GroupUK GroupRelated Topics PocketPCPalmMore Topics ... |
Cellular Phone Forum / Country Specific / Australian Group / May 2008Register of 19 premium SMS numbers?
Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the tune of nearly $40 on our latest bill - and she's apparently still subscribed! The number is 193 666 but I can't find any reference to it via google. Is it worth trying to contest this? It's time someone steps in and regulates the mobile content subscription industry. Some of the ads I see on TV end up charging you over $50 per month if you don't realise you have to unsubscribe. In this case I don't think my wife was even receiving any meaningful content, just an invitation to enter the next contest - and each invitation msg she received was charged $3.18... Who is your carrier? Telstra? > Who is your carrier? Telstra? Optus. I know they can provide the info (we had a premium inbound SMS charged to a virtual number that wasn't associated with a SIM - figure that one out?) but I'm probably not going to have much luck getting the info on a friday night or the weekend. :) > > Who is your carrier? Telstra? > > Optus. I know they can provide the info (we had a premium inbound SMS > charged to a virtual number that wasn't associated with a SIM - figure > that one out?) but I'm probably not going to have much luck getting the > info on a friday night or the weekend. :) With Telstra, the vendor of the service appears on your bill with a contact number. Not sure whether Optus provide this service >>> Who is your carrier? Telstra? >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > With Telstra, the vendor of the service appears on your bill with a > contact number. Which means f.ck all. The charge appears on your bill from Telstra. As it's their bill, *they* are the ones who have to justify the charge. The onus is not on the end user to chase it up.  SignatureKwyj > >>> Who is your carrier? Telstra? > >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > their bill, *they* are the ones who have to justify the charge. The onus is > not on the end user to chase it up. Sorry, not how it stands at present for any carrier >>>>> Who is your carrier? Telstra? >>>> [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Sorry, not how it stands at present for any carrier Irrelevant to the law on that, you stupid pig ignorant dunny cleaning fuckwit child. >>>>> Who is your carrier? Telstra? >>>> [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Sorry, not how it stands at present for any carrier The carriers get no say in it. SignatureKwyj >> >>> Who is your carrier? Telstra? >> >> [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Sorry, not how it stands at present for any carrier You never ever did consumer law 101 did you dunnychild? On Sun, 07 May 2006 00:58:12 GMT, Michael (or one of their many personalities) said...... > > >>> Who is your carrier? Telstra? > > >> [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Sorry, not how it stands at present for any carrier Um, I suggest you check with your own policy that has just come into force.... > On Sun, 07 May 2006 00:58:12 GMT, Michael (or one of their many > personalities) said...... [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Um, I suggest you check with your own policy that has just come into > force.... Irrespective of that change, no Telstra "policy" gets to override Trade Practices and Consumer Affairs legislation, ever. > > > Who is your carrier? Telstra? > > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > With Telstra, the vendor of the service appears on your bill with a contact > number. Not sure whether Optus provide this service Nup. We didn't even get an itemisation of each SMS - just a msg count, unit cost and total $. Pretty poor really. I only found out the number by getting my wife to check her phone. When we had the premium SMS sent to a virtual number the person at Optus was a little "reluctant" to refund the charge and then said it was as a goodwill gesture. This was after I had explained that the number in question was not even linked to a mobile phone or a SIM card; it's a back2base number which allows us to call a specified landline for a lower rate. Hopefully I won't be greeted with the same "enthusiasm" when I call them about this scam...... > > > > Who is your carrier? Telstra? > > > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > unit cost and total $. Pretty poor really. I only found out the number > by getting my wife to check her phone. Im talking about post bill, are you? If so, thats pretty crap billing from Optus > > Nup. We didn't even get an itemisation of each SMS - just a msg count, > > unit cost and total $. Pretty poor really. I only found out the number > > by getting my wife to check her phone. > > Im talking about post bill, are you? > If so, thats pretty crap billing from Optus Yep, post-paid business. Non premium SMSs are not itemised either. So we have a bill that shows we've been charged for X units, but no idea who, why (well, kinda ;) ) or when. I wonder how many are lurking on the next bill. > > > Nup. We didn't even get an itemisation of each SMS - just a msg count, > > > unit cost and total $. Pretty poor really. I only found out the number [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > who, why (well, kinda ;) ) or when. I wonder how many are lurking on > the next bill. jesus. call them and ask them to turn on itemised billing if they wont, churn in the USA there isn't one but a guy set up this site as a privately run group www.usshortcodeswhois.com I'm surprised someone hasn't done something similar in Australia. I'm also surprised Australia hasn't required a double opt-in as a method of preventing this crap. Dean > Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has > been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > receiving any meaningful content, just an invitation to enter the next > contest - and each invitation msg she received was charged $3.18... > Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has > been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > receiving any meaningful content, just an invitation to enter the next > contest - and each invitation msg she received was charged $3.18... I'm not a fan of over regulation, but if we must regulate something then it had better be these premium SMS blood sucking parasites. I think I posted my woes about being involuntarily being subscribed on a website that accepted any mobile number without proof it was the person entering it. Anyway now I too have been hit by the competition-and-get-subscribed scam; I was stupid enough to see a competition on TV and give in to the "what the heck" impulse. Ever since I keep getting "follow up" trivia questions etc... no "to opt out REPLY STOP" at the end of the SMS or anything like that. Before Rod Speed and the like accuse me of being pig-ignorant, I did read the blurry fine print on screen.. > Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has > been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > receiving any meaningful content, just an invitation to enter the next > contest - and each invitation msg she received was charged $3.18... The number appears to be owned by Netsize Pty Ltd. Their website (netsize.com) gives a contact number of 1300650521 for their Australian office. -Nick On 5 May 2006 04:00:46 -0700, (or one of their many personalities) said...... > Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? Yep - http://web.acma.gov.au/numb/openAccess/inquiry/viewAllocationSearch.do But ask your carrier. If it's Telstra they are about to change their policy to take up these matters on behalf of their customers. Previously they told their customers to contact the service provider in question. > But ask your carrier. If it's Telstra they are about to change their > policy to take up these matters on behalf of their customers. Previously > they told their customers to contact the service provider in question. Which is the way it should be! The company that is billing you are the one's that have to justify the expense, especially when they let these premium services hide behind them with f.ck all accountability and bugger contact details! -- The views I present are that of my own and NOT of any organisation I may belong to. http://web.acma.gov.au/pls/radcom/client_search.client_lookup?pCLIENT_NO=157452 73 de Simon, VK3XEM. > > But ask your carrier. If it's Telstra they are about to change their > > policy to take up these matters on behalf of their customers. Previously [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > premium services hide behind them with f.ck all accountability and > bugger contact details! Dunno what company you are with, Telstra prints the content provider number on the bill > But ask your carrier. If it's Telstra they are about to change their > policy to take up these matters on behalf of their customers. Previously > they told their customers to contact the service provider in question. If they do that, then go direct to the TIO. It's the only way to get the telecos to listen. Don't waste your time attempting to contact the scammers. > Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has > been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the > tune of nearly $40 on our latest bill - and she's apparently still > subscribed! The number is 193 666 but I can't find any reference to it Message STOP back to the number. > via google. > > Is it worth trying to contest this? It's time someone steps in and Yes > regulates the mobile content subscription industry. Some of the ads I > see on TV end up charging you over $50 per month if you don't realise > you have to unsubscribe. In this case I don't think my wife was even Its absolutely ridiculous I agree, $10 per message per week is crap I've been sucked into something I never knew about, it was costing $24 per week cost me almost $100 in the month before I got my bill, tried SMS Stop to number, still didn't do sh.t, kept getting the sh.t, called my carrier (vodafone) the blocked the number from my service and said they would chase it up with the provider to get a refund, then a while later i get told that they can't seem to find a physical way to contact the so called opperator, they have a web site, but they had no response to attemps to contact. so at the end of the day i have to pay for nothing... On the other hand I should start one of these services, could you imagine how much money you would make in just 1 month... Yes I hate them, but it would be a quick way to make money. Try the TIO. Advise them that you specifically told Vodafone to ban all premium services (lie if necessary). > I've been sucked into something I never knew about, it was costing $24 > per week cost me almost $100 in the month before I got my bill, tried [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Yes I hate them, but it would be a quick way to make money. Is your wife fat, does she wear trakky dacks, does she wear moccasins and does she have some of her breakfast down the front of her shirt, does she eat lots of potato chips and spend a lot of time at the pokies as well ? > Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has > been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > receiving any meaningful content, just an invitation to enter the next > contest - and each invitation msg she received was charged $3.18... > Is your wife fat, does she wear trakky dacks, does she wear moccasins and > does she have some of her breakfast down the front of her shirt, does she > eat lots of potato chips and spend a lot of time at the pokies as well ? A touch of PMS today huh? Ok, here's what I've been able to figure out... there are actually two content companies involved. - My wife sent a subscription msg to company A running a competition. This was charged $2. - They sent back offers for further competitions which do not appear to have been charged. She attempted to unsubscribe 3 times and was charged a further $2.00 each time. So we have 4 premium units in total, and that's the end of the story (hopefully) - Company B is a mystery. They have sent 36 SMSs (to date) charged $3.50 each, containing ringtone and wallpaper content. My wife never subscribed to this and hasn't actually received any of the content. The guy at Optus actually matched up the companies incorrectly, so last night I blasted company A for charging us $75+ when it's really only $8... oops. I left a msg with company B and received a call back today promising a refund cheque for $126. The lady I spoke to was quite nice and given that she spent 14 minutes on the phone call to me I'm inclined to believe that there was some sort of glitch or problem. So hopefully we'll get our refunds, and that's that. One other catch that wasn't immediately apparent: the charges seem to take some time to propagate to Optus, so by the time they show on your bill you could have already been charged for 4-5 weeks worth of content, and even if you cancel you'll still have further charges waiting to be loaded into the billing system. For future ref here are the contact details... 193 666 - Netsize Pty Ltd "SMS FAN CLUB" 1300 650 521 http://www.netsize.com/?id=6&sid=2 197 99197 Dialogue Communications Pty Ltd "WIN" 1300 738 639 - this customer service number asks you to enter the premium number you're enquiring about and in this case directs you to 1300 764 041. "Sub" company name unknown, website unknown. googlegroups@sensation.net.au Wrote: > Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has > been hit with the "enter a competition and get subscribed" scam to the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > receiving any meaningful content, just an invitation to enter the next > contest - and each invitation msg she received was charged $3.18... Hi, My name is Jessica Yates, I work for Federal Member Warren Snowdon, an found your forum post about premium SMS numbers when I was researching compliant of the exact same nature. I am still in the process of the finding out more information abou these companies and highly doubt that they are allowed to kee operating the way they are. It is not right that you may be receivin unsolicited text messages which are costing you money. Can I suggest that you send an emal to the Minister for Broadband Communications and Digiatal Economy (Mr Stephen Conroy) with th details of your situation so that this issue may gain some momentum an some sort of stop can be put on these spaming organisations. His email address is minister@dbcde.gov.au Might I also suggest that you register a complaint with th telecommunications ombudsman on 1800 062 058. You may also want t contact your local member of parliament and ask them to support you o this issue. I hope this helps Regards Jessica Yates Electorate Officer A Office of Warren Snowdon MHR Yeperenye Centre Ph: (08) 8952 9696 Fax: (08) 8952 592 -- JessYates ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** > googlegroups@sensation.net.au Wrote: >> Is there an easy way to find out who owns a 19 SMS number? My wife has [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > I am still in the process of the finding out more information about > these companies and highly doubt that they are allowed to keep More fool you. > Can I suggest that you send an emal to the Minister for Broadband, > Communications and Digiatal Economy (Mr Stephen Conroy) with the > details of your situation so that this issue may gain some momentum and > some sort of stop can be put on these spaming organisations. Haha >>The number is 193 666 but I can't find any reference to it >> via google. > I am still in the process of the finding out more information about > these companies and highly doubt that they are allowed to keep > operating the way they are. You can look these 'premium' SMS numbers up here: http://www.smsfun.com.au/premium_lookup.php 193666 gives the following output: Premium Number: 193666 Service Provider: TMG-Company Campaign Name: Text & Win Campaign Type: Competition Entry Campaign Start Date: 02/10/2007 00:01 Campaign End Date: 31/12/2099 23:59 Campaign Description: The service concerns a SMS & WIN trivia game. After activation user instantly receives the first question. The user has to SMS his answer to 193666. The user gets 5 questions. However, the user only gets the next question if he answers the previous question correctly. If user answers all 5 questions correctly, he will enter the knockout round and compete with the other remaining contestants. Every week the user automatically receives the first question of the next round. Sending Fee: $2.00 Receiving Fee: $2.00 Cust Care Phone: 1300 55 26 06 |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.