I just looked on the t-mobile website, in advance of my bill coming in, and found a big shock.

I have been charged about £30 for "t-mobile" services, and 3rd party services, during 17th March, and 24th March.

When I phoned up customer services, their technical team said it was for ringtones, however I don't download ringtones.  Furthermore some of these texts were made whilst I was asleep during the day, after coming back from a night shift.

The customer services lady then got in touch with technical, who said that I have definitely been downloading these ring tones.  I was given an address to write to, to complain.

I also asked whether it would be possible to bar premium rate texting, and I was told it wasn't meaning that they can help themselves to more of my money in the future.

Has anyone else had this problem from T-Mobile?  How can I receive bills for ringtones I don't even receive, or even order, and when my phone is switched off?

I think that's one for ICSTIS:

http://www.icstis.org/icstis2002/PhoneNumberLookup/AskPhoneNumber.asp

I did think about them, however all the texts came from t-mobile t-zones, and there are no short code digits, just a bill for loads of reverse charged texts.  Also, there are 3 calls from 3rd parties, but again, I'm not told which 3rd party it is, and that column is left blank, along with the reference number, which probably should be included.

I do visit t-zones on t-mobile, however having just checked my call data very carefully, I have found that I wasn't on there at any of the times listed, although I have missed it by about half an hour once.  Also some of the calls were made during the day, where WAP is not included in the free minutes, and I certainly don't use it during the day.  Also, as a night shift worker, I was asleep during some of those texts!!

My visits to t-zones only include chatting etc, and not downloading ringtones, or paying for subscription services.  I only pay for the WAP call via my inclusive minutes and thats all I pay.

Also, it's clearly stated on the rest of my bill, that I made no texts to any shortcode numbers, so it's a mystery as to how these got on my phone.

Also, slight error from before with the amount, it's actually £43 in total, with some texts costing over £4 a time!!

Any ideas as to how they could have got there?

I had an identical problem with BT Mobile. They are all at it.

In the end the only way they claimed they could stop them was to change my number.

ICSTIS of course didn't want to know and stated that I would have to claim a refund from the company concerned. Then guess what - when I eventually managed to trace them they were no longer at the address given, which by the way they still keep in all of their advertisements now, on TV, Web and publications. This is completely illegal of course, but ICSTIS do nothing, and are not interested. This what you get when you have a supposed regulatory authority which is funded and controlled by the very entities perpetrating these frauds.

By the way, according to the regulations and according to ICSTIS your telco provider is supposed to inform you of the name and current address of the company sending the Premium text messages, if you ask them, so that you may contact the sender. BT of course claim that they do not know who they are and ICSTIS, Ofcom and Otelo allow them to continue to do that, blatantly contravening the regulations as usual!

I have to say that the idea that any company can send out reverse-billed (premium rate) text messages is quite outrageous! Yet another one for the list that shows what imcompetitant baffoons we have regulating the telecoms industry.

A good site packed full of information on this is Grumbletext.

That's true Dave, but I am not quite sure that it is because they are incompetent? They seem to have some sort of vested interest in preserving the current margins for abuse?

Shiggaddi

1. T-mobile website (and account maintenance over the phone) is pretty insecure.

2. Once logged into "My T-mobile", you can send texts from the website, which are then billed to your phone number.

3. I won't go into the detail on a public forum, but I was able to set up an account for my mother with virtually no personal information.  It would be very easy for someone, in a workplace in particular, to overhear & discover all they needed to know to create an account on your behalf.

If you have never set up an account on the "My T-mobile" website, try and do so. If you find you're unable to, it's possible that someone else has done it for you, and is happily using your account to pay for their texts!

Not sure what happens then, but I guess it's like proving a credit card and PIN never arrived at your house....

Good luck
Graham

How does T Mobile and other companies avoid leaving themselves open to possible criminal sanctions,and/or the UK,s various money- laundering lawswhich amongst other things,specifically prohibit the possession of handling of and/or movement of monies obtained through criminal acts.

The answer is of course they cant,because there couldnt care less attitude leaves them wide open to serious critiicism.

I have already set up a t-zones account.

I wrote to the Doxford address, as suggested by the customer services agent.

I then got a reply back stating that they were gratefull for my letter, and can understand why I think their charges were unfair, but the texts definitely came from my mobile, and sim, and must have been someone else, therefore the charges stand.

I was also given the direct number to get in touch with the person who wrote the letter.

I gave him a call, and protested further.  I then asked how these texts could have come from my phone, and he said it would have only been possible if I had been on WAP.  After looking at my account again, he agreed that I had not been on WAP at any of those times, therefore it would have been impossible for those texts to have happened, and he agreed to refund the charges, and the refund promptly landed into my bank account.

I also mentioned that I was inconvenienced by the whole matter, and letters, stamps and phone calls are not free, and he agreed to refund a months line rental by way of credit to my next bill as a gesture of goodwill.

I also asked how it is possible for this kind of thing to happen, but he didn't have an explaination.  My main concern is that this could happen to other customers, and the fact that it took alot of complaining on my part to get the matter resolved.

Although I didn't get an explaination into why this kind of error could happen, I did get refunded.  Just hope it won't happen again T-mobile!!