I cannot agree with the above two posts more !
We all remember the sex chat lines, horoscopes, racing results and just about anything else that you could hang on the end of a phone line, thank God that these services were pulled but somewhat too late for some individuals and companies that got burnt with catastrophic Telkom accounts !
So now we have VIRTEL and the birth of the 0839 number, this is nothing new, a company called ‘ Moneycall” later to become ‘Moneytalk’ were doing the same thing. They use something called a ‘DICON’ linking the existing Telkom number to a number such as 0839 and calls are charged at VAS rates ! some of the resulting revenue being directed back to the user. Law depicts that any advertised VAS number must include the wording, ‘ Calls charged at VAS rates, free minutes do not apply’ however this can be hidden away in small print or ignored completely, with little legal reprimand for the offenders.
I am glad to inform all that
www.moneycall.co.za is no longer !
Is it not bad enough that our tier 1 carriers rip us off for phone calls, now we have companies that allow us to do it to each other.
There should be serious legislation regarding these services and I strongly advise that companies implement an 0839 barring on their relevant PBX systems.
Unfortunately it is usually the poor man in the street that gets hurt by these numbers, a previous scam was advertising fictitious jobs in the free classifieds and the applicant is kept hanging on an IVR asking all sorts of questions just to keep them on the line, this is criminal !
So, VIRTEL, I hope you enjoyed my praise of your business venture !
