Dave wrote on Apr 8
th, 2006 at 8:33pm:
I know it has been mentioned that as it is your provider that bills you, then the contract is between you and them and not the telco provider of the scamming company. Thus, it is surely your provider's responsibility to be able to proove that you did indeed sign up for such a service.
I find it appalling there is no system in place for the mobile networks to reject such messages if the subscriber doesn't wish to recieve them. Sending such messages out gives scammers carte blanche to dip into people's account, quite often unnoticed.
I've now lodged a written complaint with the Orange Executive Office (assuming its email address is valid). This in many ways is an even more serious scam than 087X - there will be many cellphone users, particularly pre-pay customers, who have no idea that they have fallen victim to a fraud given the absence of billing records from the cellular provider. ICSTIS has been wholly useless in providing any level of consumer protection. One would think that, given Dialogue Communications (the SP for 84010) has already been fined (see below) 17,500 pounds for similar scamming last year that this would be sufficient for the regulator to do something. Instead it sits on its backside with its corporate head buried deep within. ICSTIS cannot seek refunds!!! What a joke. ICSTIS is complicit in this fraud. Like Ofcom, it serves no useful purpose and nneds to be replaced with an independent regulator with some technical understanding of the issues and an ability to take action against these scumbags.
From ICSTIS web site - adjudications:
28 September 2005
Provider(s) Dialogue Communications Ltd
Location Sheffield
Telephone network(s) O2
Orange
T-Mobile
Vodafone and Virgin
Service type Unsolicited text service - subscription service
Cost £1.50 per message
Number of complaints 3
Source of complaint Public
Complaint from Nationwide
Fine £5,000
Sanction Formal reprimand
29 December 2005
Provider(s) Dialogue Communications Ltd
Location Sheffield
Telephone network(s) All mobile networks
Service type Reverse-billed competition
Cost £1.50 per message received
Number of complaints 2
Source of complaint Public
Complaint from Nationwide
Fine £7,500
Sanction Formal reprimand
29 December 2005
Provider(s) Dialogue Communications Ltd
Location Sheffield
Telephone network(s) All mobile networks
Service type Various reverse-billed SMS
Cost Various tariffs
Number of complaints 1
Source of complaint Monitoring
Fine £5,000
Sanction Suspended 6-month bar on access
Formal reprimand
See:
http://www.icstis.org/consumers/adjudications/default.asp?node=&id=352http://www.icstis.org/consumers/adjudications/default.asp?node=&id=384http://www.icstis.org/consumers/adjudications/default.asp?node=&id=392