I'm another victim of Cingular/m-Qube - Beware!

> Let's examine the facts:
> 1. The charges that appear on the bill are being billed from M-Qube, who is
> billing them for a third party such as dirtyhippo, Jamster or someone else.

Abosultely correct. You need a few parties to make the whole con work.
Cingular keeps its hands clean by not dealing with the charge
originators directly.

> 2. In the (I shudder to say this phrase) Terms and Conditions that are
> displayed or implicitly agreed to when receiving the free ring tone or what
> ever other "hook" is used to get you to sign up you agree to allow them to
> add the charges to your cell phone bill.

How can you assume such nonsense? My phone is only used by me,
occassionally, for business. Text messaging was blocked on the phone a
long time ago. None of the parties involved could prove I'd signed up
for any service. Cingular suggested the person with the phone number
before me mights have signed up. Anyone with my phone number could sign
me up!

> 3. These companies - however one might consider this untrue - DON'T just
> make up numbers that they want to charge the services to.

Correct, no one's making anything up- real charges are being put on
real phone numbers- but they aren't legitimate, and Cingular refuses to
determine if they are before adding them to your bill.

> The reason I think Cingular and other wireless companies credit these
> charges is because they understand that in most cases when you see the ad on
> TV for a free ringtone you either don't see or bother to see the disclaimer
> at the bottom of the screen

In other words, even if someone does buy a ringtone, Cingular knows the
following charges are unwanted. Do you want to live in a world where
junk charges can be added to your phone bill from any source? Or one
where your phone bill is your phone bill? Maybe your next eletric bill
will have some trip to Hawaii you bought based on some fine print on
some TV show. Or maybe you never even signed up for anything like me.
It's a democracy; you decide.

> And rather than argue with a customer over
> the $1.99 which they don't receive anyway

In my case it was over $60 over 5 months. And the idea that Cingular
doesn't get a cut is laughable. Surely you're not that naive?

It's frightening that a website in the Ascencion Island can pass false
charged on to my Cingular bill, and that Cingular doesn't even verify
the charges. But it's TERRIFYING that you, a consumer, approve of this,
and want this to continue.

The FTC says cramming is "a scam":

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/...s/cramming.htm

Wake up!

---

› See More: I'm another victim of Cingular/m-Qube - Beware!

Hello:

I would like to add my 2 cents to this thread. The companies like Thumbplay
and Mblox CAN have you in their databases even though you did not download
anything or sign up for anything.

My December bill had an additional charge for $12.95. When I questioned
cingular they told me about Thumbplay. I found them on the net and sent
them an email. They told me about mblox.

To make a long story short they had a subscription for my sons phone. They
cancelled the subscription and cingular provided a refund. The next month I
had a charge from mblox for $6.95 and that has also been removed by
Cingular.

My son has no need to lie as we usually laugh about mistakes. He did not
sign up for anything. We create our own ringtones from music CD's we own
and have only downloaded 2 games in the past year.

I agree that the process used by Cingular to allow third party billing has
much room for improvement.

Bob

"Burt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > Let's examine the facts:
> > 1. The charges that appear on the bill are being billed from M-Qube, who
is
> > billing them for a third party such as dirtyhippo, Jamster or someone
else.
>
> Abosultely correct. You need a few parties to make the whole con work.
> Cingular keeps its hands clean by not dealing with the charge
> originators directly.
>
> > 2. In the (I shudder to say this phrase) Terms and Conditions that are
> > displayed or implicitly agreed to when receiving the free ring tone or
what
> > ever other "hook" is used to get you to sign up you agree to allow them
to
> > add the charges to your cell phone bill.
>
> How can you assume such nonsense? My phone is only used by me,
> occassionally, for business. Text messaging was blocked on the phone a
> long time ago. None of the parties involved could prove I'd signed up
> for any service. Cingular suggested the person with the phone number
> before me mights have signed up. Anyone with my phone number could sign
> me up!
>
> > 3. These companies - however one might consider this untrue - DON'T just
> > make up numbers that they want to charge the services to.
>
> Correct, no one's making anything up- real charges are being put on
> real phone numbers- but they aren't legitimate, and Cingular refuses to
> determine if they are before adding them to your bill.
>
> > The reason I think Cingular and other wireless companies credit these
> > charges is because they understand that in most cases when you see the
ad on
> > TV for a free ringtone you either don't see or bother to see the
disclaimer
> > at the bottom of the screen
>
> In other words, even if someone does buy a ringtone, Cingular knows the
> following charges are unwanted. Do you want to live in a world where
> junk charges can be added to your phone bill from any source? Or one
> where your phone bill is your phone bill? Maybe your next eletric bill
> will have some trip to Hawaii you bought based on some fine print on
> some TV show. Or maybe you never even signed up for anything like me.
> It's a democracy; you decide.
>
> > And rather than argue with a customer over
> > the $1.99 which they don't receive anyway
>
> In my case it was over $60 over 5 months. And the idea that Cingular
> doesn't get a cut is laughable. Surely you're not that naive?
>
> It's frightening that a website in the Ascencion Island can pass false
> charged on to my Cingular bill, and that Cingular doesn't even verify
> the charges. But it's TERRIFYING that you, a consumer, approve of this,
> and want this to continue.
>
> The FTC says cramming is "a scam":
>
> http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/...s/cramming.htm
>
> Wake up!
>

Hi:

This is off topic...but what the heck.

Of course my kids (15 and 13) are not 100% honest with my wife and I. But,
I can tell that we spend a lot of time talking and laughing as a family.
This leaves the lines of communication open. If the kids want to do
something and I think they should not, then we have a method: I let them
present a good argument on why I should change my mind.

I would say that more than 75% of the time they come up with a good argument
or a compromise that provides sufficient basis for me to change my mind.
Now, the kids have been doing this for so long that they present the
argument WHILE they are asking for permission!

I also let them experiment with many things. I just inform them beforehand
what to watch out for. There are many times where I tell them NO and there
is no debate. Know what I discovered from this? That my kids are more open
with my wife and I because we are reasonable people.

My kids don't do drugs or smoke and never will. Bold statement but I'd bet
on it and I'm not a betting man.

My house is the gathering place for all the kids in the neighborhood.
Wonder why? Because we are listeners.

Listen to your kids. Give them plenty of time.

Bob

"subdude" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 19:20:27 GMT, "Bob L." <[email protected]>
> graced us with:
>
> >Hello:
> >
> >I would like to add my 2 cents to this thread. The companies like
Thumbplay
> >and Mblox CAN have you in their databases even though you did not
download
> >anything or sign up for anything.
> >
> >My December bill had an additional charge for $12.95. When I questioned
> >cingular they told me about Thumbplay. I found them on the net and sent
> >them an email. They told me about mblox.
> >
> >To make a long story short they had a subscription for my sons phone.
They
> >cancelled the subscription and cingular provided a refund. The next
month I
> >had a charge from mblox for $6.95 and that has also been removed by
> >Cingular.
> >
> >My son has no need to lie as we usually laugh about mistakes. He did not
> >sign up for anything. We create our own ringtones from music CD's we own
> >and have only downloaded 2 games in the past year.
> >
> >I agree that the process used by Cingular to allow third party billing
has
> >much room for improvement.
> >
> >Bob
> >
>
> Oh, of course not *your* son.
>
> We were only talking about *other* people's kids.
>
> We're sure your kid is *always* 100% honest, like you were with your
> parents when you were a kid....
>
>
>
>
>

Bob L. wrote:
> Hi:
>
> This is off topic...but what the heck.
>
> Of course my kids (15 and 13) are not 100% honest with my wife and I. But,
> I can tell that we spend a lot of time talking and laughing as a family.
> This leaves the lines of communication open. If the kids want to do
> something and I think they should not, then we have a method: I let them
> present a good argument on why I should change my mind.
>

This sounds like a scene out of the movie 'Mean Girls"!