1 reviews | Active since Feb 2013
GameOn and Mobile Acadamy ******* subscriptions
<p>Over a period of more than a month I've occasionally wondered why my airtime seems to be consumed quicker than expected. I now regret not paying the issue more attention.</p> <p> </p> <p>Today I discovered that GameOn has been charging me R15 per day since 4 January 2017. In addition, Mobile Acadamy has been charging me R10 per day since 10 February 2017. All told, that's about R700 of my airtime.</p> <p> </p> <p>I remember getting an SMS for each of these "SERVICES", which I immediately deleted. Each SMS thanked me for subscribing to the service, and I thought it was just a **** to get me to reply OPT OUT which would then open the door to all manner of chaos. I was wrong, and this is a ***WARNING*** to anyone receiving such messages to immediately cancel the "SERVICE" through your "service provider".</p> <p> </p> <p>In this seperate paragraph I clearly state that I DID NOT IN ANY WAY SUBSCRIBE TO ANY SUCH SERVICES .</p> <p> </p> <p>I note that Vodacom has been receiving complaints about these providers since mid-2016, but has not taken any steps to validate the (false) claims of subscription.</p> <p> </p> <p>It is ******* in this country to automatically subscribe anyone to a paid service without their permission and then require them to act to unsubscribe.</p> <p> </p> <p>I therefore expect to be refunded in full by Vodacom.</p>
Dear Customer,
Thank you for making us aware of your complaint.
Kindly be advised that a consultant will make contact with you in due course to assist with your query.
***Please note*** Beware of phishing ****s.
Vodacom will not contact you via Whatsapp to request your personal details
Regards,
Vodacom Consumer Website Team
Dear Customer,
Thank you for making us aware of your complaint.
Kindly be advised that a consultant will make contact with you in due course to assist with your query.
***Please note*** Beware of phishing ****s.
Vodacom will not contact you via Whatsapp to request your personal details
Regards,
Vodacom Consumer Website Team
Dear Client
I understand your concerns and have logged a refund request with WASPA. Your reference number is #***.
WASPS are third parties developing and offering services using the Vodacom network. They make use of Vodacom's cellular network infrastructure and billing relationship with the subscriber to deliver and bill for these services, such as SMS voting, Traffic reports, Games, Competition lines, banking transaction charges etc. Customer’s accept and register to WASP services via sms/calls/website at their own will.
I have liaised with the Value Added Services Division and they confirmed that WASPs (who are the providers of the content) are within their rights to appoint an agent to bill and collect money on their behalf for content sold by them to their customers.
It is not required in law for the agent (in this case Vodacom) to have a specific agreement with, or permission from, the customer, to bill and collect the money on behalf of the WASP.
Notwithstanding the above, the agreement concluded between each WASP and Vodacom provides that every WASP that utilizes Vodacom's services to bill and collect monies for the WASPs' products/services, may only instruct Vodacom to bill and collect money for those products/services that have been specifically requested by customers.
Moreover the Wireless Application Service Provider Association (WASPA) has been constituted to regulate all WASPs to ensure, inter alia, that they abide with the aforementioned provision. Please note that you may contact WASPA via email at *** or call on ***.
Kind regards
Vodacom Consumer Website Team
Dear Client
I understand your concerns and have logged a refund request with WASPA. Your reference number is #***.
WASPS are third parties developing and offering services using the Vodacom network. They make use of Vodacom's cellular network infrastructure and billing relationship with the subscriber to deliver and bill for these services, such as SMS voting, Traffic reports, Games, Competition lines, banking transaction charges etc. Customer’s accept and register to WASP services via sms/calls/website at their own will.
I have liaised with the Value Added Services Division and they confirmed that WASPs (who are the providers of the content) are within their rights to appoint an agent to bill and collect money on their behalf for content sold by them to their customers.
It is not required in law for the agent (in this case Vodacom) to have a specific agreement with, or permission from, the customer, to bill and collect the money on behalf of the WASP.
Notwithstanding the above, the agreement concluded between each WASP and Vodacom provides that every WASP that utilizes Vodacom's services to bill and collect monies for the WASPs' products/services, may only instruct Vodacom to bill and collect money for those products/services that have been specifically requested by customers.
Moreover the Wireless Application Service Provider Association (WASPA) has been constituted to regulate all WASPs to ensure, inter alia, that they abide with the aforementioned provision. Please note that you may contact WASPA via email at *** or call on ***.
Kind regards
Vodacom Consumer Website Team
Dear Vodacom
Thank you for your response. I note that your WASPA response is the default one for complaints of this nature. However, I would like to point out that Vodacom is the CUSTODIAN of every client's airtime account. And just like a bank must not willy nilly accept every demand for a debit order, a mobile service provider has the same responsibility.
In the same way that ********** debit orders are currently the scourge of the banking industry, ********** daily subscription airtime debits are going to hurt your business.
In just a few minutes on Google I found these complaints (links provided below) of the same nature going back to at least mid-2014. These are all linked to the WASP Mobitrans, one of the 2 that have been *****ing my money:
https://mobitrans****.wordpress.com/ (I thought this one deserved to be listed first)
https://www.cable.co.uk/news/ee-customers-stung-by-accidental-premium-rate-charges- ********** 13/
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t= **********
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/[alert]-new-****-mobitran-mobile-academy- ********** .html
https://web.facebook.com/singtel/posts/ ********** ********** 677?_rdr
https://community.du.ae/t5/Data-Service/Mobile-Academy-Subscription-Is-this-a-****/td-p/15315
http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/mobile-academy-charged-ee-customer-for-a-service-he-didn-t-subscribe-to-a ********** .html
Vodacom and WASPA might attempt to claim that I really did subscribe to GameOn on the 4th January, albeit unintentionally. If this is the case, is it REALLY POSSIBLE that I unintentionally subscribed to MobiTrans on the 10 February AS WELL?
Surely Vodacom and other networks should be vetting the WASPs in conjunction with WASPA?
One aspect of the WASP debits is totally different from ********** bank debit schemes – in the mobile network case, the network just keeps making more money by virtue of the bigger top-ups that “subscribers” will have to cough up in order to replenish their ****** airtime.
It would be very easy for Vodacom to make such subscriptions much more obvious to unsuspecting users – simply list active subscriptions by default in any and every airtime balance request.
A suggestion to WASPA: If a subscriber has never used the service at all within the first 7 days after “subscribing”, then the subscription must be cancelled automatically. After that, if the same user “subscribes” for the same service again, the subscription can only be activated by the subscriber in person. While this does not eliminate ********** subscriptions, it significantly limits the cost to the user.
Dear Vodacom
Thank you for your response. I note that your WASPA response is the default one for complaints of this nature. However, I would like to point out that Vodacom is the CUSTODIAN of every client's airtime account. And just like a bank must not willy nilly accept every demand for a debit order, a mobile service provider has the same responsibility.
In the same way that ********** debit orders are currently the scourge of the banking industry, ********** daily subscription airtime debits are going to hurt your business.
In just a few minutes on Google I found these complaints (links provided below) of the same nature going back to at least mid-2014. These are all linked to the WASP Mobitrans, one of the 2 that have been *****ing my money:
https://mobitrans****.wordpress.com/ (I thought this one deserved to be listed first)
https://www.cable.co.uk/news/ee-customers-stung-by-accidental-premium-rate-charges- ********** 13/
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t= **********
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/[alert]-new-****-mobitran-mobile-academy- ********** .html
https://web.facebook.com/singtel/posts/ ********** ********** 677?_rdr
https://community.du.ae/t5/Data-Service/Mobile-Academy-Subscription-Is-this-a-****/td-p/15315
http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/mobile-academy-charged-ee-customer-for-a-service-he-didn-t-subscribe-to-a ********** .html
Vodacom and WASPA might attempt to claim that I really did subscribe to GameOn on the 4th January, albeit unintentionally. If this is the case, is it REALLY POSSIBLE that I unintentionally subscribed to MobiTrans on the 10 February AS WELL?
Surely Vodacom and other networks should be vetting the WASPs in conjunction with WASPA?
One aspect of the WASP debits is totally different from ********** bank debit schemes – in the mobile network case, the network just keeps making more money by virtue of the bigger top-ups that “subscribers” will have to cough up in order to replenish their ****** airtime.
It would be very easy for Vodacom to make such subscriptions much more obvious to unsuspecting users – simply list active subscriptions by default in any and every airtime balance request.
A suggestion to WASPA: If a subscriber has never used the service at all within the first 7 days after “subscribing”, then the subscription must be cancelled automatically. After that, if the same user “subscribes” for the same service again, the subscription can only be activated by the subscriber in person. While this does not eliminate ********** subscriptions, it significantly limits the cost to the user.