The other day when I was waiting in the car for Mandi, I heard her phone go off. I thought it would be nice of me to answer it, or at least see who was calling. Apparently I don’t know all of her ringtones and alerts, as it was just a text message. I did notice that the number it came from wasn’t an ordinary number (55155), so I decided to snoop. The message was a very informative message, teaching me a new pick up line and encouraging me to use it (or rather, for Mandi to use). Wow, so helpful! Sorry, I forget what it was. But if I remembered, I would have to charge you all before teaching it to you, in order to recover the fees that we paid.
Yes, unfortunately we later received the bill for these daily “Premium Messages”, at $2 a piece. Now, I decided to write about this not to complain to you at how hard done by I am at having to pay these extra fees (happily I caught this after only 8 messages), or even to point out that my wife is a wee bit gullible, but to hopefully help you avoid similar charges and headaches (and that awkward and delicate conversation during which you try to educate her without making her feel stupid).
I’ll start with my vague resume. I have been working in Mobile phone sales in Canada since August 2000, and have decided to work specifically with a Telus Mobility dealer, as I have found that they have great coverage, they are the easiest to deal with, and in the long run have the best overall rates. (I’m not getting paid for saying this just so you know).
On my Telus Mobility invoice (which I check online of course, to save the environment – and save the new $2/month paper-bill fee Telus is now charging), the charges appeared under “Data & Other Services”, labeled as “Premium Message”. Make sure you check that on every bill, just in case. I’ve talked to a lot of people who catch these charges months later, and have already paid for them, sometimes over $60 a month. Hard for me to believe, as when my bill is $5 over normal, I’m frantically logging in to see where I went wrong!
If you’re not sure what to watch out for, just remember never to give your phone number to a computer program. Some of the common sites that send out unwanted premium messages I’ve listed below for your viewing pleasure. And if you’ve already unwillingly subscribed, watch out for text messages from any short or other abnormal number (I’ve listed a few common ones below). When you see one, send your own message back saying “STOP” or “STOP ALL”. You should receive a confirmation within minutes, but it could take up to 48 hours. If you don’t get a response, chances are you’re still a premium member. In that case call your mobile phone provider and chat with them.
One site to watch out for in particular though, as a young guy who I recently met recently discovered (he also discovered over $200.00 in data charges in the first 3 days of his new phone ownership) is, of course Facebook. In this case, though, simply ensuring you have the correct data plan on your account will help curb those fantastic fees.
I normally don’t read Mandi’s messages, but this time I’m glad I did, and only 8 days in. I would have been a little more annoyed had it gone on until we received our bill! She didn’t get the IQ test results at that time, but they showed up on our invoice. I’m sad to say she failed.
FYI:
The most common sites I’ve come across that offer Premium Message services, and common numbers their messages come from are:
- mylovereadings.com (from 33777)
- myluvcrush.ca (from 33444)
- ca.yourdestinyrevealed.com/saltar (from 89474)
- wixawin.com (from 88588)
- YourFlirtAlerts.com
- ChallengeIQ.com
- Winicane.com
Some other random numbers you might pay to see are:
- 55155 (on your – and my ebill as “mt_impa55155”, $2.00/msg)
- 33335 (on your ebill as "mt_mqb33335”, $5.00/msg)
- 33456 (on your ebill as "mt_impa33456”, $2.00/msg)
- 78288 (on your ebill as "mt_myth78288")
- 63232 (on your ebill as "Music Subscription")
- 77277
- 74656
- 55655 (or 55655000)
- 47941
- 80800 (on your ebill as "mt_mqb80800", $5.00/msg)
- 20200 (on your ebill as "mt_mqb20200", $2.00/msg)
- 30333 (on your ebill as "mt_myth30333cd5", $5.00/msg)
- 22888 (on your ebill as "mt_mqb22888", $5.00/msg)
- 84040 (on your ebill as "mt_impa84040", $2.00/msg)
- dada_1000dollar_subscription, $10.00/month music subscription
- You may receive texts from 95555 or 75555. If you do, reply "STOP" to that number
- I have read that you can cancel subscriptions to "dada" services by calling 1-888-214-0381 or visiting "http://us.mobi.dada.net/mail_us.php"
- jamster_1000subscription, $10.00/month music subscription
- You may receive texts from 95555 or 75555. If you do, reply "STOP" to that number
- I have read that you can cancel subscriptions to these services by calling
Jamster at 866-856-5267 or emailing your cell phone number (in the email
body) to "info@jamster.com" and indicate what services you want to unsubscribe from
- If charges from ESPN Pro Rodeo ("ESPN Pro RodeoOUT", $2.00/month) appear on your bill, try contacting ESPN APP's at 1-888-549-3776.
(I update this list regularly, as a gift from me to you!)
A common message encouraging you to subscribe may read something along the lines of:
- text hello to ###### to receive updates… (etc.)
Others can include subscriptions to music, ringtones, games etc.
Oh, and I found this in one company’s terms & agreements:3. Description of Service. By submitting your mobile telephone number and other registration information on the Site, you agree to subscribe to our periodical fun facts. This service is available to supported mobile phones and will periodically send mobile phone text alerts to your phone related to your subscription from our collection of content including:: flirting tips, horoscopes, joke of the day, quote of the day, and fun facts.
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