Control Chat - recharged prepaid airtime only to pay for content services

[ajax]

Just got the following sms from Cell C. Kudos to them for tackling these rogue WASP's by the balls.

From 8 Aug 2012 please recharge with prepaid airtime to pay for content services. These costs will no longer be paid from your Control Chat Top Up airtime.CellC

I can rest assured now that some WASP (/cough Opera Telecom /cough) won't start to charge me for "content services" read "junk that is not marketable through any normal channels but something you have be to be tricked into buying".

 

[ginggs]

Well done, Cell-C!

 

[PsyWulf]

Indeed its a great step to stemming the tide of thievery

 

[Solitude]

They should really clear up what "content services" are though. My wife just phoned me because she got that sms and she thought it means that she will have to load prepaid airtime to use data. I've got a feeling that Cell C will be getting a lot of calls because of that sms.

 

[nadspanda]

I would like to know if this "content services" are referring to Blackberry Internet Services???

 

[ajax]

They should've clarified that sms yes.

Content services are ringtones, horoscopes, prOn, wallpapers, and other junk that you download, or to be exact, "subscribe" to, to earn the right to download from a WASP.

 

[nadspanda]

For a Blackberry user this will mean that your monthly BIS of R59, you will have to load that amount extra on your phone to pay for it :wtf:

 

[ajax]

For a Blackberry user this will mean that your monthly BIS of R59, you will have to load that amount extra on your phone to pay for it :wtf:

No, absolutely not.

 

[T3ROR]

got the same sms and filed a complaint on hellopeter. they contacted me and stated that i have to load more airtime as the "free" airtime can only be used for calls etc. is this legal, and how can they just change their terms as they want to and when they want to. i told them to collect their phones and stick their business still waiting for feedback from them.

 

[ajax]

got the same sms and filed a complaint on hellopeter. they contacted me and stated that i have to load more airtime as the "free" airtime can only be used for calls etc. is this legal, and how can they just change their terms as they want to and when they want to. i told them to collect their phones and stick their business still waiting for feedback from them.

Please clarify, are you a subscriber to these "services?" I.e. you get billed R7 odd per day to download ringtones, pron, and other stuff from a single content provider? To name a few, Mobmatic, Ringaling, 35050.co.za, etc. etc.

 

[Beni_Boy]

Cell C 8 Aug SMS

Please clarify, are you a subscriber to these "services?" I.e. you get billed R7 odd per day to download ringtones, pron, and other stuff from a single content provider? To name a few, Mobmatic, Ringaling, 35050.co.za, etc. etc.

I have a similar issue, I manually message to a premium content provider when I need the service. I.e. I am not automatically debited with airtime on a daily basis and credited with some form of content.

Will their new thing from the 8th of August affect me and if so does anyone know if there will be cancellation fees for premature termination of my contract as I opted for a control chat as I was tired of running to top up my prepaid sim when I wanted to get content, now half way through they are changing the terms the contract.

If they are going to force me to use prepaid airtime I will rather be a prepaid client and not be subject to contract terms and contract payments.

 

[ajax]

Armando (Cell_C), could you please clarify what's going on here?
Will sms's to short code numbers now also not come off control chat airtime? This would mean we can't take part in sms competitions like e.g. DSTV's competitions.

The way I understand this is that it's only automatic subscription charges that will not come off control chat airtime, i.e. that typical R7/day that you're charge once you agree to subscribe to say a ringtone service or whatnot.

 

[Cell_C]

Hi Ajax

Just getting clarity and feedback.
Should have later to day.

Regards
±AM±

 

[Beni_Boy]

Hey guys,

I contacted the Cell C call centre and one of the supervisors / Team Leaders assisted me.

Apparently if you send a single SMS to get a single premium rated content product i.e. a single entry to a DSTV competition, control chat airtime will be deducted however if you try to subscribe to a premium rated service that will bill you on a daily or weekly basis automatically one would have to load prepaid airtime for this service.

On the other hand since I am used to cellular networks telling me "We cannot be held accountable for what our agent say!" I contacted Cell C head office (can't remember who I spoke to but someone in sales).

She said she would find out for me and contact me which she did sending me the following SMS.

"Good day, please be advised that premium SMS will not go off from control chat airtime, it will however go off from pre-paid airtime just as other content services. For more information please call 140 for further information.

Where previously the monthly credit could be used at the customers discretion (for SMS, Voice, Premium rated SMS), this has now been changed to exclude premium rated content. If a customer wants to purchase e.g. music or downloads through WASPs premium rated sms portal, the cost will no longer be deducted from the monthly credit. Instead the customer will have to upload a prepaid voucher in order to pay for this purchase.

Regards

Cell C"

If anyone can shed some light as I kind of see that the call centre information could possibly be correct as in the case of a DSTV competition one would not be going through a SMS portal to receive content, unless I am mistaken.

Any insight to the above is appreciated.

Many thanks.

Ben

 

[Cell_C]

Hey guys,

I contacted the Cell C call centre and one of the supervisors / Team Leaders assisted me.

Apparently if you send a single SMS to get a single premium rated content product i.e. a single entry to a DSTV competition, control chat airtime will be deducted however if you try to subscribe to a premium rated service that will bill you on a daily or weekly basis automatically one would have to load prepaid airtime for this service.

On the other hand since I am used to cellular networks telling me "We cannot be held accountable for what our agent say!" I contacted Cell C head office (can't remember who I spoke to but someone in sales).

She said she would find out for me and contact me which she did sending me the following SMS.

"Good day, please be advised that premium SMS will not go off from control chat airtime, it will however go off from pre-paid airtime just as other content services. For more information please call 140 for further information.

Where previously the monthly credit could be used at the customers discretion (for SMS, Voice, Premium rated SMS), this has now been changed to exclude premium rated content. If a customer wants to purchase e.g. music or downloads through WASPs premium rated sms portal, the cost will no longer be deducted from the monthly credit. Instead the customer will have to upload a prepaid voucher in order to pay for this purchase.

Regards

Cell C"

If anyone can shed some light as I kind of see that the call centre information could possibly be correct as in the case of a DSTV competition one would not be going through a SMS portal to receive content, unless I am mistaken.

Any insight to the above is appreciated.

Many thanks.

Ben

Good Day

I have email department that deals with this for more clarification.
Waiting feedback.

Regards
±AM±

 

[Sasha_za]

They should really clear up what "content services" are though. My wife just phoned me because she got that sms and she thought it means that she will have to load prepaid airtime to use data...

I thought the same thing, glad it doesn't mean that

 

[Cell_C]

Hi all

update :
Any premium-rated content or service will no longer come from the monthly control chat Top Up, whether it is once-off or a recurring subscription. Customers will have to recharge to enter competitions, buy ringtones etc....

Regards
±AM±

 

[ajax]

So then you can't enter eg a competition where you sms an answer to a 5 digit sms number?

 

[Beni_Boy]

Pathetic move Cell C

Wow, what a pathetic move and a move that will surely have some damage on any and all premium rated businesses.

An analogy would be :

Joe bloggs walks into a car dealership to buy a car, the sales person Sells him the car and gives him the keys but when the car is delivered to joe bloggs home, he is informed that he will have to a) buy tires to use his car and pay a fee to drive the car anywhere other than his back yard.

Yet when joe wnted to buy the car he understood that he could drive the car anywhere he wanted and use it for anything.

Cell C adding this term to their usage is wrong, either old subscribers should be left untouched and only new subscribers affected or there should be an option to cancel any contracts free of any cancellation charges due to the new term. This is behaviour from Cell C is a form of abusive power and I think its time to call some CPA people to straighten this out.

Adding terms of usage that affect businesses on the pretence that it is for the majority of the users is non sense. There are many other ways of handling this issue.

 

[ajax]

I supported this initially as an initiative against rogue WASPS like Opera Telecom, T-Mobile, Ringaling, Mobmatic and the lot. Now I can't even enter a competition on KFM by sms'ing 32945.