Swindled by Dialogue Mobile (Pty) Ltd SMS Spam

R

Redeemed

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This morning when I got up I noticed three consecutive smses from Booble which read:

Welcome to Booble. Subscription costs R14/2 days. Helpline: 0114610317. To unsubscribe sms STOP to 33299.
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As for the timing all three were sent just after midnight. I never subscribed to this service so I was startled so I immediately smsed "STOP" to 33299. This was at 08h12 this morning, then at 08h16 I get the following response:

[Free Msg] You have been unsubscribed from all services on this shortcode. Bluestream. Help: 011-461-0317
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I noticed that R14 had already been charged from my account. However at 08h43 am I again receive the aforementioned "Welcome to Booble" sms. :mad:

I immediately called the helpline number (Got a "welcome to Bling" message), before I could explain myself the lady on the other side requested my cellnumber so that I could be unsubscribed, I gave her the number and she confirmed the unsubscription. I questioned why I'm only being unsubscribed after calling the helpline and she told me that it was because I didn't sms the words "STOP ALL".:mad: The I asked how on earth would I have know that since the spam sms had adviced me to sms "STOP"?

I was really peed off at this stage, I questioned why I was subscribed in the first place and she said somebody must have used my phone to subscribe although I had my phone with me all the time.

Then I wanted to know why I had recieved a "Welcome to Bling" sms minutes after receving confirmation that I had been unsubscribed. The agent told that I should not worry about that sms as it was just a "free" marketing sms even though it had the words "To unsubscribe sms STOP to 33299". She kept insisting that I shouldn't worry as I had been unsubcribed.

I was overwhelmed by her patronising tone and dropped the phone after giving her a few choice words. It seems she got her revenge for my abrupt ending of the phone call because minutes after the conversation I received the following sms, obviously out of spite:

Welcome to Booble. Subscription costs R14/2 days. Helpline: 0114610317. To unsubscribe sms STOP to 33299.
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So ja I have been "re-subscribed" :mad:

Edit: The agent also said: "luckily you have only been charged R14".
 
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The police should be able to help.
This is plain commin stealing.
 
I agree but do our SAPS entertain issues like these? Anyone with experience?
 
Ridiculous. Contact your service provider and report it - maybe there's some way to get a refund that way too. Also ask your SP to put you on a no-WASP list or something.
 
wow, just wow, I have no words, the only light at the end of the tunnel is the new consumer protection act will make short work of these type of scams.

But still, word for word, I would contact your Service Privider, and ask them what your rights are here, failing that go to the police and report them, they stealing money from you. How many other poor folk are getting pwned like this.

This stuff makes me mad!!!!
 
Thinking about this......Surely you need to confirm your subscription to a paid service before they can add you? So this means that I can subscribe people i dont like to these kind of services without a need for confirmation? Hmmm, you sure you didnt subscribe or someone close to you didnt use your phone?

Sounds a bit dodge dude.
 
Chunkyfeather said:
Thinking about this......Surely you need to confirm your subscription to a paid service before they can add you? So this means that I can subscribe people i dont like to these kind of services without a need for confirmation? Hmmm, you sure you didnt subscribe or someone close to you didnt use your phone?

Sounds a bit dodge dude.
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I do surf the the web with my phone using Opera and I do come accross sites with adverts and other other offers but I never explicitly asked to be subscribed to any service. That is what is most upsetting, the lack of opportunity for confirming subscription even though on the other hand they give you an opportunity to unsubscribe (though in my case they failed to hounour the request).Yesterday while surfing I did encounter a site with the message "enter your cellphone number here to subscribe" but I sure as hell didn't enter my number.

Even if I had inadvertently subscribed, look at the resultant nightmare of trying to resolve the issue. I'm still subscribed as we speak.
 
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Iv just found out that Dialogue mobile has been charging me R7.00 per day for the last Three months from my cell phone contract, got a vodacom account and they say they cant realy do anything a about it, sucks to be a vodacom subscribe. cant wait to change!
 
Chunkyfeather said:
Thinking about this......Surely you need to confirm your subscription to a paid service before they can add you? So this means that I can subscribe people i dont like to these kind of services without a need for confirmation? Hmmm, you sure you didnt subscribe or someone close to you didnt use your phone?

Sounds a bit dodge dude.
Click to expand...

And it's dodgy too....
 
Willvoda said:
Iv just found out that Dialogue mobile has been charging me R7.00 per day for the last Three months from my cell phone contract, got a vodacom account and they say they cant realy do anything a about it, sucks to be a vodacom subscribe. cant wait to change!
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Log onto your online Vodacom profile and then go to the WASP services, you can remove your subscription from there. You can also view who else is billing you.
 
Why did you reply with a "Stop" if you haven't signed up for anything. The "Stop" sms is how they catch you. I just ignore and delete these sms's.
 
Well here I am - another unsuspecting victim of "Dialogue Mobile" we fraudulently rip off the unsuspecting consumer.

EmptyN (beyond useless) - don't even get me started - I noticed the airtime disappearing after I received this SMS "At 21:31 on 25/10/2012 I received an sms stating: "Hope you are enjoying our service. Just a reminder, you have spent R200." Not long after I received a 2nd and 3rd sms, I immediately contacted my service provider to register complaint - after discovering it was reducing my top-up balance in increments of R20. By the time I had completed the complaint - they had depleted my airtime. This after MTN lady said she was stopping it. Hell, I didn't even know who the hell the stinky bastids were deducting my money ever so merrily - until the mtn consultant confirmed it was Dialogue(we fsking rip you a new one) Mobile.

At no point in time had I signed up for this service, I think they need to be held criminally liable for processing fraudulent transactions.
I've submitted a complaint to Dialogue, WASPA, MTN and tomorrow I am opening a case of Fraud - I've located the MD on LinkedIn : Don J. Lange against him and the company Dialogue Mobile.

I've also got the reference number for my call - fortunately mine is on a top-up contract, but what if it's a normal contract billed in arrears on an open account - I would be crying out in frustration, and the sms's are still coming it seems - received 4 more whilst I was typing up this message.

There's also no option to stop or opt out, they are just continually deducting or would be if I had any airtime left.

From a severely frustrated victim. Is there no way that one can launch some form of class action lawsuit against these parasites?

The sad thing is they just brush you off, if they do make amends, they just locate some other sap.
 
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