MTN and Flirtnet - how to not brighten your day

I've spent 3 days making 9 calls to MTN customer service to get two sets of unsolicited content subscriptions removed (MTN Dating and MTN Gamersplus, both flirtnet services). Their so called "self help" ussd codes (*136*5#) to report and remove this, reported "you are currently not subscribed to content services", but calling customer services revealed such services. Seven of the nine agents (well, including those who put me on hold for 30 minutes or longer and never came back) told me that they "successfully" removed the services. Two of them actually did remove it (I know this because I received an SMS to tell me it was removed).

What a battle. And the blatant accusation from MTN that I subscribed to the services, when I never did. In fact, I have stopped using the internet on my cell phone, to see if these "content services" still get added to my account.

Apparently these content services are most often "accidentaly" selected by clicking on pop-ups (disabled on my phone) or some other devious underhanded con artistry way of getting your money. If I really wanted content services, I would not be opposed to sending a traceable sms or email to subscribe, but right now, if you have these charges on your account, the cellphone company simply tells you that you subscribed. They, nor the so called content service provider have to prove that you did. You are left to prove that you did not.

What an easy and ******** way of *****ing money from unsuspecting customers. Mind you, as far as I understand, MTN and other cell service providers have agreements with these so called WASP services, but they really do not give a damn about how you get subscribed. As far as they are concerned, it is your own fault. They get a cut of the booty, after all.

The USSD code service, clearly does not work, even when the agents swear the do. One admitted that you don't always see these services, and it happened to be one of the agents managing to removed the content service.

The money that you've paid up to that point, well, it is no longer yours. Forget about getting it back. They wear you down trying to do so, to the point where you'd rather stop trying.

Shame on you. If people wanted content services, let them subscribe in a traceable manner. Your double opt-in remedy happens after the fact (by then you are already subscribed), and cancelling it takes an entire weekend. This is blatant day light *******. WASPA had over 1.6 million complaints regarding this last year. Surely you must realize something is wrong here.