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Cadavre777
Expert Member
Better to be safe and try avoid WASPs like STD's. I have found Vodacom and MTN quite helpfull in restricting all VAS rate facilities and services offered by 3rd parties on company contracts. An opt in and opt out facility at cellular service provider level (being defaulted as opt out when a number is recycled) could help stop abuse from WASPs and assist networks and clients in disputes over billing.
ajax
Executive Member
A friend of mine was subscribed to a Stormers sms. It was free last year. It was since changed into a R10/month service. He didn't notice this until this month. He should have obviously scrutinised his bill more carefully, but the WASP managed to "cheat" him out of about R100. If it could happen to him, it probably happens to other subscribers as well.
kissingmybbgoodbye
Expert Member
Just wonder how do you find out on a prepaid account who bills you, as you don't get an invoice ?
Please let me know how you activated this. I am currently disputing some charges with MTN and as yet no-one has mentioned this option.
Not only Vodacom:
refer this post:
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?p=1944232#post1944232
My complaint refers to a MTN number although the charge originated from a Vodacom company.
refer this post:
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?p=1944232#post1944232
My complaint refers to a MTN number although the charge originated from a Vodacom company.
AirWolf
Honorary Master
You can still request an itemised billing (at a charge) or view the last 10 transactions for free on V4me (if you are with Vodacom).
The itemised billing on a prepaid Vodacom phone costs R10 for something like the last 30 days.
Firstly if a subscriber would like to check which WASP might be deducted their airtime, the subscriber can simply go to www.smscode.co.za. You can input the short code or receiving long code and the contact details of the WASP who is assigned the code will be displayed. Contact details my change cause i am honestly not sure how often that site is updated.
Secondly regarding Vodacom, the billing issues are around subscription services. Which to my knowledge are only offered by Vodacom and MTN. In order for a WASP to launch a subscription service, it needs to be approved by Vodacom. Now my question is, once these services are being launched, are the WASPs in question changing their applications? Are Vodacom who want to protect their customers proactively checking the applications that are being launched? Im sure due to the vast amount of services that are available its almost impossible for the telcos to monitor each and every service.
Also to defend the WASPs, a large part of the customers do not understand how subscription services work. Maybe to find a middle ground, more distinct education to the customers needs to be implemented. And that is not on a 15 second advert where their is information available but in the actual messages received by consumers when they activate their services.
As for the recycled numbers story... I think the recycle limit is 3 months of inactivity before a sim is recycled. Maybe an addition to the business rules for ALL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES offered by WASPS is that if a WASP can see inactivity on a sim for longer than 30 days or 45 days or wateva, that mobile number should be automatically removed from the service. Just a thought....
Secondly regarding Vodacom, the billing issues are around subscription services. Which to my knowledge are only offered by Vodacom and MTN. In order for a WASP to launch a subscription service, it needs to be approved by Vodacom. Now my question is, once these services are being launched, are the WASPs in question changing their applications? Are Vodacom who want to protect their customers proactively checking the applications that are being launched? Im sure due to the vast amount of services that are available its almost impossible for the telcos to monitor each and every service.
Also to defend the WASPs, a large part of the customers do not understand how subscription services work. Maybe to find a middle ground, more distinct education to the customers needs to be implemented. And that is not on a 15 second advert where their is information available but in the actual messages received by consumers when they activate their services.
As for the recycled numbers story... I think the recycle limit is 3 months of inactivity before a sim is recycled. Maybe an addition to the business rules for ALL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES offered by WASPS is that if a WASP can see inactivity on a sim for longer than 30 days or 45 days or wateva, that mobile number should be automatically removed from the service. Just a thought....
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I have recently implemented one of these wasp services, sending out SMS's charged at R5. We adhere to the waspa rules, and have things in place that should a billing attempt fail 3 or more times in a row the user is automatically removed etc. But it is vey easy to actually ignore the rules and just bill any cell number you can find. I'm not surprised that people do this. I fact I was billed by "loadin" something like R20 for three months. It was when that service started and I think I was "optet-in" as defult when they started. Are you aware that the cellphone operators pocket something like 33% of the charged amount? They must be making millions, and that is probably why they don't do more to prevent this sort of thing.
A global Opt-Out list sounds like an excellent idea.
If you want to be shocked just watch the Cartoon Network on a saturday morning. Pretty much every advert is for R10/week subscription services and you can't tell me that an 8-year old kid understands what he or she is doing when they subscribe.
If I was a parent I'd definitely want to put my kids number on the opt-out list so that they could never subscribe to anything.
kaspaas
Expert Member
The buck should stop with the cellular guys: If they allow 3rd party billing (at a decent commission of course), they must also take responsibility for the associated problems.
If I tracked such fraudulent billing and was sent on the "not our problem" route, I would go for a criminal charge against the big boss of VC with my current contract.
Getting a big boss in court might just change the attitude of the cellular bosses in this regard.
If I tracked such fraudulent billing and was sent on the "not our problem" route, I would go for a criminal charge against the big boss of VC with my current contract.
Getting a big boss in court might just change the attitude of the cellular bosses in this regard.
kaspaas
Expert Member
Last time I looked it was possible to get prepaid accounts for free at www.vodacom4me.co.za - this was however very long ago.
Could anyone confirm if this is still the case?
Yeah, but only the last 10 transactions (WAP/SMS/Voice included)
kaspaas
Expert Member
Go the criminal route.
It is amazing how fast debit orders problems are sorted when one starts threatening criminal charges. When a banker realises he/she could end in court as an accomplice for fraud, banks can all of a sudden recover money at no charge.
When an insurance broker realises he could be arrested, he will deliver a cheque (interest at prime + 15% included) for debit orders illegally deducted for six months on a Saturday morning before noon.
Quite true. But that's just because some guys are clever enough to realise that they could spend their "court money" on a holiday instead...
