Unsolicited text messages to Mobile Telephones

[Worldlife]

I had trouble in finding out where to complain about an unsolicited text message linked to a premium return call number. Eventually got in touch with:-

ICSTIS

Pleased with the outcome of their investigation.

7 January 2003

Dear Sir or Madam

Re: Text Message Promotion - 'Congrats your claim number...'

I am writing to advise you of the outcome of your complaint regarding the above service.

Your complaint has been investigated and was considered by the ICSTIS Committee and its decision was as follows: The service provider was found to be in breach of the ICSTIS Code of Practice because the service was found to be inappropriate. Further, the promotional material failed to state the likely playing time or full cost of the call to this service. As a result of these breaches, the service will have to stop operating until it fulfils the requirements of the ICSTIS Code of Practice. In addition, the company concerned will have to pay for the cost of our investigation.

I regret to inform you that ICSTIS does not have a compensation scheme for non-live services that would enable complainants to obtain refunds on monies spent on calling the premium rate number. However, should you wish to contact the service provider company, their details are as follows:

Teletime
4-6 Bridge Street
Halstead
Essex
CO9 1HT

Contact: Darren Platt
Tel: 01787 478300

I hope this clarifies matters. However, if you have any further questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Shamita Kumar
CASE OFFICER

All replies to be sent to skumar@icstis.org.uk. This email has been sent on her behalf

__________________________________________________ ______________________
The information contained in this e-mail is intended only for the individual or organisation named above. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by telephone on 020 7940 7474 or e-mail secretariat@icstis.org.uk and delete the e-mail. Thank you for your assistance.

Hope the above information is useful to others. The firm involved (Teletime)have agreed to give me a small goodwill payment for the inconvenience and remove my mobile phone number from their lists and not pass it on to anyone else.

[Robin]

Kewl!

[silver]

nice 1

Sil

[gem]

Thanks, I'll remember if I ever have a need (I used to get a few from the same company but they stopped).

[Onslo]

So did you actually phone the number then?

Or is the "goodwill payment" purely for bothering you with the message in the first place?

'Slo

[Memfis]

I registered my phone number with tps.

That includes my x-directory landline & all our mobiles.

If I get a call, then they are breaking the law ;-)

tps have a website @ http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tpsr/html/default.asp

~Mem

[Worldlife]

Hi Onslo...... I contacted the firm concerning the findings of ICTIS and asked them if they would like to make a goodwill payment in respect of the inconvenience caused by their unsolicited call. They have agreed to do this.

Mem.... thanks for your link and I've registered our mobiles with this service too.

[Onslo]

I mean did you phone the number that was sent to you in the text message? or did you just contact ICTIS without even phoning the premium rate number?

Edit : my home phone is already registered with TPS, but I will add my mobile too now

'Slo

[Worldlife]

Wow Onslo .... feel like a reluctant witness in front of a foxy barrister.

Milud... I did not waste my money phoning what I suspected to be a premium call number. Was angry that others might be conned and so passed the info directly to ICSTIS.

[Onslo]

Ahhh kewl, so you got a "goodwill payment" for grassing them up

That rocks !

Well done

'Slo

[squidgy]

I registered my phone number with tps.

That includes my x-directory landline & all our mobiles.

If I get a call, then they are breaking the law ;-)[

Correction - if you get a call from a business in the UK, then they are breaking the law. Those outside the UK can still do what they like.

I don't want this point to be overlooked. After all, the cost of call centre ops wages, plus call charges to anywhere in the UK added together, makes it far cheaper for businesses to phone from India than from the UK. Each country has its own separate TPS service, which only has jurisdiction in that country. I think it's time they introduced a global TPS service.

[Memfis]

are you sure its not :

a) European law
b) The company is still based in the UK ?

/me will take a took ;-)

~Mem

[gem]

I got my letter(s) today confirming that both our mobiles and our home phone have been registered.

By the way, did you know that there are two kinds of x-directory? x-directory - NOT in the telephone book, like mine and x-directory - not in the phone book AND not available from Directory Enquires (which I am not).

[Memfis]

afaik I'm the second one.

So to solve the problem I'll post my phone numbers here.

Pen & paper ready?

It's

999

~Mem

edit : deleted mysterious characters that had appeared in my post. & I'm not talking about any members here!!!!

[squidgy]

are you sure its not :

a) European law
b) The company is still based in the UK ?

/me will take a took ;-)

To be honest I'm not totally sure of the details. Is TPS effective throughout Europe? What about outside Europe? You might have a company based in the USA who phones you from a branch in the UK, or you might have a company based in the UK who phones from the USA. And what about when the business that phones you isn't a company at all, but a partnership? What happens if a company that's based in the UK owns a company in the USA that phones you?

I think there's lots of questions like this about where exactly the TPS has authority. All I know, though, is that it doesn't have global authority to stop marketing calls. For example, I'm pretty sure that a public limited company in the USA that's listed on the Wall Street stock market can phone you from the USA with no comeback, and can completely ignore whether or not you're on the TPS list. I'm just not so sure about these other examples. Let us know if you find out anything, thanks.

[Worldlife]

From my email of 25th January

We seem unable to raise your website from our old link and a search of Google does not appear to give a current one.

Wonder if you might be able to deal with this unsolicited text message on 07949 7xxxxx at 18.25 hrs on 25th January:-

"From 66381416

You have been selected from our list of Valuable Network Customers to receive a £1000 prize!

Secured for 48hrs. Call 090 6638 1416"

Congratulation to ICSTIS for another successful case mentioned by Memfis in News today

Spam sms company fined

At last... a watchdog with teeth!!!!

[Onslo]

I have just made a complaint online about a message I received on 5th Feb claiming I had won £1000 and to call some number beginning with 0906 to claim it. No mention of the length of call involved or the cost.

'Slo

[Worldlife]

You don't know who might be reading our pages!

The BBC contacted The Scream recently to see if they could have more background to the information on this thread and so our Admin asked if I would contact them and I did so.

Two programmes are being run concerning text messages urging people to ring mobile telephone lines.

Monday 22nd September

Between 6.30 and 9.00 a.m. BBC Radio Solent "Breakfast"

7.30 p.m BBC1 South East "Insound Out"

I might have to say a few words on the Radio Programme

[Memfis]

what happened????

do you have a recording?????

~Mem

[Worldlife]

Popped to top to help with the current query from simonaward.

Mem sorry I missed your last post here. Think I mentioned elsewhere that the BBC decided to do a national feature instead and they did not go ahead with this local item.

[DaveL]

A useful site for this is Grumbletext. It has advice and a forum where people have posted information on SMS scams.

[Worldlife]

Grumbletext were mentioned on BBC1 News today.

See Scream thread - Scam and premium rate text messages

Checking Grumbleweed website they unfortunately do not seem to recommend contacting ICSTIS as part of their action plan.

My god, ICSTIS actually did something, there's been a few occasions in the past where we have informed them of other ringtone websites and so on pulling some nefarous tricks and they've never got back to us. Pleased to hear they actually did something good for someone.

As for TPS the telephone preference service is only any good if the people sending the text messages or making the calls use the TPS lists to make sure the numbers they have are clean. I know of call-centres where they just go through the phone book, this is too common, but that does not reflect live TPS numbers so you can still get mithered.

Cellphone numbers are easy to make up, just enter your number into Excel then run it to add 1 to the number and run it 20,000 times. Even being on TPS I still get stuff sent to my cell - I just ring the people who sent it and give them some s*** down the phone when they do lol

[judderman]

To be honest I'm not totally sure of the details. Is TPS effective throughout Europe? What about outside Europe? You might have a company based in the USA who phones you from a branch in the UK, or you might have a company based in the UK who phones from the USA. And what about when the business that phones you isn't a company at all, but a partnership? What happens if a company that's based in the UK owns a company in the USA that phones you?

I think there's lots of questions like this about where exactly the TPS has authority. All I know, though, is that it doesn't have global authority to stop marketing calls. For example, I'm pretty sure that a public limited company in the USA that's listed on the Wall Street stock market can phone you from the USA with no comeback, and can completely ignore whether or not you're on the TPS list. I'm just not so sure about these other examples. Let us know if you find out anything, thanks.

Originally Posted by squidgy

This one involves one of the great things about the EU - the way everything is thought out so well (!!)

In brief - the Regulation that requires businesses to observe TPS lists is a European one. It's supposed to improve telecomms privacy and is applicable across the EU.

BUT - in practise it requires individual member states to have the TPS or equivalent, and for businesses to recognse and respect the operation of the various 'TPS clones', but only within each member state's national borders.

SO - British companies can't coldcall British citizens who are on the TPS list, but they can coldcall Italians on the Italian equivalent scheme. Similarly, Italian companies can't coldcall the 'signed-up' Italians that the British company can, but arre free to coldcall Frenchmen who may have signed up to their own equivalent.

Brilliant, eh?

[duncanelliott]

Hi,

I know a number of ringtones providers got hauled over coals recently for not being clear enough with their subscription services. I cant mention the company names, but you know the ones you always get on the MTV-type TV stations that are perpetually advertising ringtones for 'free' - then in tiny print on the bottom of the screen, scrolling faster than a speeding train", "£4.50 per week repeat subscription until your unsubscribe" and then often don’t actually tell you how to unsubscribe - which again is against the ICSTIS rules.

Its sad really because it gives the whole industry a bad name - and its really not that hard to promote your services in an ethical, responsible way, simply being honest with the customer as to what your offering and at what price. Shame!

Duncan

Removed

[duncanelliott]

Update on this ...

As a result of the total exhausting of 'subscriptions' by Jamster and the like, the subscriptions market is now as good as dead.

Just goes to prove the value of ethical marketing ... or that Jamster et al make an absolute killing, before killing the market.

Duncan Elliott

Removed