Spam texts

[pentoman]

My girlfriend is being sent spam text 'jokes' and being charged for them.

She phoned her mobile company (o2), unsurprisingly they are completely useless and unable to do anything.

She's texted STOP to them and had a reply back saying the texts will be stopped. However she never signed up for it.

What's the best route to follow? Complaining to o2? She wants the costs refunded. Could O2 find out if she did actually ever text a premium rate service?

The company offering the service is www.mobilesisters.co.uk/
but I wouldn't be surprised if it's actually just some foreign guy operating out of a flat in London with a P.O. Box.

Russell

[paulhol]

unfortunately texting stop often just lets them know you are reading them. a friend of mine in his wisdom called one of those back page adverts for hot steamy sex on the phone etc when he was drunk. since then he was getting about 5 texts per day advertising hot and horny housewives at £2 a pop. Called them up and told them to put his number on the blacklist, did this about 10 times and they took no notice whatsoever. he called his network provider who finally blocked them, although even now the 28 year old busty blonde from london texts him occasionally

[john_p]

Unsolicited billed text messages are a big no-no. Also, STOP *must* unsubscribe you from the service. Presumably this is some bedroom operation charging random numbers.

Go to the icstis website (www.icstis.gov.uk) and enter the shortcode into the "Check a number" facility. This will give you the details of the SMS provider who is billing you (a bit like a wholesaler for SMS). Ring them up tomorrow and explain the situation - 90% of the time this will stop you getting billed. Whether you get a refund or not depends on the company who actually requested the messages are sent to you - some are dodgy, some are reputable. You can only ask. O2 will wash their hands of it, unfortunately.

If you don't get anywhere make a complaint to ICSTIS who will be very swift in resolving the situation, including totally blocking the shortcode if necessary. They have come down very hard lately on such "service providers" .. e.g. www.icstis.org.uk/consumers/adjudications/default.asp?node=&id=390


>> Edited by john_p on Sunday 29th January 23:23

[busa_rush]

I suffered this when I was with Vodafone, they kept coming, adverts for all sorts, sending STOP, complaining to Vodafone etc didn't work. I told Vodfone that I was not going to pay for them (£2.50 each) and for the first few months I was credited the cost back but after that Vodafone claimed it was my responsibility, which legally is not true !

I terminated my contract in the end and didn't pay Vodafone the final balance until they had agreed to deduct these text message costs but they threatened all sorts claiming that they had already paid the text provider. The fact that I'd not asked for these messages and didn't even know who was providing them didn't seem to matter to Vodafone.

[pentoman]

This system - of basically being able to text someone and charge them for it - is so questionable given the abuse potential you have to wonder how it is even allowed.

OK so there is a potential genuine use for it in information news/weather etc services, but the fact is its so open to abuse that it allows any dodgy character to set up a 'bedroom operation', get hold of phone numbers, text them without asking and charge them for it, and that this appears to be reasonably common.

Can't believe they allow something that's so obviously going to be jumped upon by scammers! Seems a bit like operating a jail with an 'honour system' to me!

Russell