North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?
US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty
Anti-Empire >>
A bird's eye view of the vineyard
Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb
The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?
What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are
Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of
The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by
The Saker >>
Reform Candidate ?Sacked? by Housing Association for Reposting ?Racist? Daily Telegraph Cartoon Fri Jan 10, 2025 15:10 | Will Jones
A housing officer was sacked for being a Reform UK candidate and reposting a Daily Telegraph cartoon after being told Reform?s policies on immigration and Net Zero were "in direct conflict" with his employer's "values".
The post Reform Candidate “Sacked” by Housing Association for Reposting “Racist” Daily Telegraph Cartoon appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Trudeau?s Prorogation of Parliament is a Mistake He Must Be Allowed to Make Fri Jan 10, 2025 13:18 | Dr James Allan
Justin Trudeau wants to prorogue Parliament to buy time before the election. Voters will punish him for it, says Prof James Allan, but it's a mistake he must be allowed to make without activist judges getting in the way.
The post Trudeau’s Prorogation of Parliament is a Mistake He Must Be Allowed to Make appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The Significance of Jordan Peterson Fri Jan 10, 2025 11:00 | James Alexander
Jordan Peterson should make his mind up about Christianity, critics say. Prof James Alexander disagrees: he's a profound Jungian explorer who wants to help a secularised world see why Christianity still matters.
The post The Significance of Jordan Peterson appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Massive Recovery in Antarctica Sea Ice Unreported by Net Zero-Obsessed Mainstream Media Fri Jan 10, 2025 09:00 | Chris Morrison
There's been a massive recovery in Antarctica sea ice this year. But you won't hear about it in our Net Zero-obsessed mainstream media, says Chris Morrison.
The post Massive Recovery in Antarctica Sea Ice Unreported by Net Zero-Obsessed Mainstream Media appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
In Episode 25 of the Sceptic: Mike Jones on the Pakistani Rape Gangs, Poppy Coburn on Why It?s a Rac... Fri Jan 10, 2025 07:00 | Richard Eldred
In episode 25 of the sceptic: Dr Mike Jones on the Pakistani rape gangs, Poppy Coburn on why it's a race hate scandal and Ben Pile on the fall of ESG.
The post In Episode 25 of the Sceptic: Mike Jones on the Pakistani Rape Gangs, Poppy Coburn on Why It?s a Race Hate Scandal and Ben Pile On the Fall of ESG appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?114-115 Fri Jan 10, 2025 14:04 | en
End of Russian gas transit via Ukraine to the EU Fri Jan 10, 2025 13:45 | en
After Iraq, Libya, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, the Pentagon attacks Yemen, by Thier... Tue Jan 07, 2025 06:58 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?113 Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:42 | en
Pentagon could create a second Kurdish state Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:31 | en
Voltaire Network >>
national |
consumer issues |
opinion/analysis
Wednesday February 21, 2007 10:09
by Jim O'Sullivan
printable version
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Gab
Twitter
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (7 of 7)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Just got my daughter free from these leeches. They were taking her call credit for months. Is there nothing that can be done to stop this subscription service scam? Has the government now legalised robbery?
Ads appearing in the Red Tops and on TV targeting children and youngsters for "holidays to Ibitza" and "Playstation 3" are just lures to entrap phone owners in "subscription services" If you answer, they will take €2 every 4 days from your call credit.The company from Dun Laoghaire that are running this promotion are failing to give full up front details of what is involved. The prizes that are being advertised may not even be drawn for. Best not to be tempted into responding at all and warn the kids to stay away from these so called competitons. They are inveribly scams out to poach peoples call credit.
Can anyone post instructions on how to get free of those rip-offs ?
Hi Eskimo. The people to contact in the first instance are;
RegTel,
Crescent Hall,
Mount Street Crescent,
Dublin 3
Ph 01 6767025
Fax 01 6767035
Email info@regtel.ie
Under normal circumstances if you simply text "stop" to the short code 5 digit number for the service provider,the guy who is taking your money, this should stop them.
What has happened to you is happening to many people. You were misled into what is called a "subscription service", you probably thought you were buying a ringtone or a wallpaper in a once off transaction however the advertisements fail to spell out that a condition of sale is that you "join" this "subscription service" and once in that, the company can enter your call credit directly and take your money, even in return for nothing. (Welcome to the brave new PD Celtic Tiger Ireland.)
Recently these operaters have started advertising Prize Draw competitions. These are twice as misleading and dangerous. The one referred to in the lead post costs €15 per draw which is supposed to happen once a month.However nobody checks. The €15 is taken €2 every 4 days so it can take time for people to realise what is happening as call credit is almost impossible to monitor.
A word of warning. RegTel are in fact a self regulatory agency paid for by the same guys that are taking your money so that is the reason that these cowboys can apparently get away with robbery. When you phone RegTel, you will find that they have now hidden behind a very plausible chap, a call service, who will give whatever advise you need. I strongly suggest that you insist that you want a refund as you never intended to "join" a "subscription service" and you have received nothing in return for money taken. If you have any further difficulty, post again and I will give you my contact details and I will take up your case for you.
Hi there. I recently found out I was subscribed to two of these services. I only noticed when I got my phone bill. I queried it with Reg Tel and they told me the procedure so I contacted the company who I was subscribed to and requested a call log. They told me that I had subscribed via wap to a free call credit competition. Here's the thing, I have a bill phone why would I subscribe to a free call credit competition.
Anyway, if you have any further advice here's my e-mail
brendanbrady@hotmail.com
Hi Bren,
Glad to see you picked up the scam early. Your story is very typical and it is obvious that these operators are sending out what is called "reverse billing" texts randomly or they have bought what is called a "sucker list" from another operator which gives the number of phone owners that have used a mobile phone club in the past, possibly just to buy a ringtone or a wallpaper. RegTel are supposed to be regulating this business and they know perfectly well that there is a problem but they refuse to tackle the matter and remove the possibility that a phone owner could be abused in this manner. This can be done very simply if the will was there to do it. The problem is that RegTel is part of the business as they are a self regulatory agency. We need the Minister to intervene and stop the scams, all of them.
No doubt by now you will have read of the huge rip off in the UK by these opertors running quizzes. The situation here is in fact much worse, last year there was 6,000 complaints in the UK (Pop 60,000,000)about these "subcription services" while there was 12,500 complaints here (Pop 4,000,000) This indicates a massive problem by comparison and bad as the regulator in the UK is, ours is very much worse.The difference is that the UK has the BBC that will take up these issues while it is very difficult to get anybody here to challange the status quo. It appears that very powerful people are behind these companies.
Regarding your own specific case, you must insist on proof from the operator that you did indeed access a "service". It is possible because the advertising in this business is very misleading, although our experience from dealing with many cases would indicate that you were the victim of random texting. We have not had one case where an operator could prove the claim that the phone owner had accessed a "service". You must also insist that you receive a full refund of all money taken.
You should also mention this to your public reprersentaives, particularly when they call canvassing. We have begun a campaign to have the Minister introduce proper safeguards to bring this business to order so that people can use their phones without being concerned that a third party is entering their account and removing money or billing them.
I will send the letter we sent to the Minister to your email address for your information. In the meantime we recommend that phone owners;
1) do not respond to any advertising for ringtones, wallpapers, quizzes etc. or any offers of something for nothing, such as free call credit.
2) Investigate any texts received from unknown sources. Call your Network Provider and ask them to explain any such texts received. If the text is a "reverse billing" prompt and if you ignore it or delete it, it will go on taking your call credit.
3) Keep an eye on the phones of the young and unsuspecting. These are now being targeted by advertisements for "Playstation 3" and the like.
I will post any additional information as it comes to hand.
i am a meteor bill pay customer. i got a upgrade at the start of march. since that time i have had to send my fone into repair 4 time. my the terms and conditions on the meteor policy i was meant to recevive a new fone after its 3rd repair but i am been told by meteor that it is not aloud. they said that they will let me sign a new 12 month contract but after all the pain and hassel they have caused me i want to change net works but they are saying that i have to pay a fee for bracking there terms and condtitions.
if they have broken there terms and conditions first for not replacing my phone after its 3rd repair should i be liable for the fee for breaking the the contract on my end?
many thanks
marc