May 5, 2006
Buyer Beware
A weekly look at what to watch out for in the world of telecommunications. Figures, case studies and tips come from the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case).
The world of Telecommunications
46 No. of cases filed (January to December 2005)
Top complaints
1. Unsatisfactory services
2. Redress
A consumer received his mobile phone bill, and discovered that he was charged for premium downloads, labelled as 'third party download'.
As the name of the third party content provider was not mentioned, he contacted his mobile phone service provider, who just gave him a number to call. But after several attempts, he was still not able to terminate the premium downloads, and was billed again for the next month.
He went to Case to ask for the charges to be waived, as he had not subscribed to the downloads.
Case wrote in on behalf of the consumer to the mobile phone service provider, which replied that although the third party content provider agreed to waive the amount charged, customers would normally need to contact the content provider directly in such scenarios. The consumer accepted the waiver.
1. Monitor bills regularly. This is especially crucial if you pay by Giro, as payments are transferred automatically.
2. Request barring of 1900-numbers and five-digit premium SMS services. Some service providers offer a barring option. This prevents inexperienced users like young children or old folk from incurring high charges.
3. Learn how to terminate services. Most premium SMS services are unsubscribed by sending STOP to the five-digit number. Do not attempt to reply to SMS with a properly constructed sentence, as the computer system will not recognise the termination request.
4. Defer payment on the disputed third party portion of the bill. The mobile phone service provider should not demand that the subscriber pay the disputed charges while the investigation is ongoing.
5, Insist that the service provider assist if the third party content provider's address cannot be provided. Mobile phone service providers should assist to resolve the dispute as a contractual relationship exists between it and the consumer.
6. Keep copies of correspondence. Consider writing in via e-mail or post so that records can be kept.
7. Request for a detailed breakdown of records. If charges are being disputed, a detailed breakdown should be shown to verify the authenticity of the claims made.
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