Premium Messaging Charges
flagrant999
Newbie

My daughter has a basic phone and this month on the bill there is a 9.99 charge for Premium Messaging and 2.00 Charge for data. She swears she signed up for nothing. Verizon on the phone states that she signed up for jamster on 12/13 at 2:40 pm. My daughter doesn't even know what jamster is. She says she gets junk messages all the time and just deletes them. Now on the phone Verizon kept insisting this was a 3rd party and they are not responsible. Verizon kept comparing it to a land line if some one called me. But if we some one called my on the land line and left a message and I deleted that message they can't just sign my up for a service. Why is this legal with Verizon? How is it possible that one can automatically be signed up for a service they never asked for or agreed to? Does anybody know if it is possible for me to get a refund? How can this be legal?

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Re: Premium Messaging Charges
archeryhunter19931
Contributor - Level 1

There are times i get the same messages as well. What i do is text STOP back and that helps in most cases. Cause if its not a full phone number, but a short code, thats when you would reply STOP.

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Re: Premium Messaging Charges
budone
Legend

It is very easy to sign up without knowing. A survey on FB, download a 'free' ringtone........ Entered phone number in a contest.

Call VZW to block ALL premium messaging and ask nicely to credit the charge. If the first time ever, they normally will write it off, but if it has happened more than once..... You will have to pay.

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Re: Premium Messaging Charges
tikibar1
Community Leader
Community Leader

You also can forward the texts to SPAM and then follow the instructions in the reply text you receive from Verizon.

If you call back to Verizon and explain that it was a mistake and  that you want premium messaging blocked on the line, sometimes they'll give a refund.  But that is something to consider ... either add premium messaging block to your daughter's line via your on-line MyVerizon account, or have Customer Service do it.

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Re: Premium Messaging Charges
Not applicable

People easily get tricked into signing up without knowing. As was said she goes to a website it asks for her phone number for "free" stuff like ringtones or something else. Except it's not free. Too many people don't realize there is no such thing as a free lunch. And that grown ups so I can see how kids get get misled

Best way to stop it to to block premium messaging on her phone and also block data on her phone. Without a data plan it's very easy to rack up charges on phone at $1.99 per MB.

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Re: Premium Messaging Charges
flagrant99
Enthusiast - Level 3

Thanks for all your responses. I was able to get a refund after complaining on the phone to a different more helpful agent.

Here is a good link in these same forums explaining that verizon customers can get "opt out" messages that automatically sign customers up for services that they do not want if they do not reply to them with the word STOP in it.

https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/838341#838341

My daughter simply deleted a text she thought was junk. Apparently this can cost money with verizon. Smiley Sad

To make maters worse this "jamster" company is so bad there is a web site called
http://www.jamsterscam.com/

It appears a class action law suit is being prepared against them. I don't understand why Verizon would do business with a company that is know for scamming people. It appears T-Mobile does as well.

Personally I think it is horrible that any phone carrier can automatically start charging customers for something that they do not OPT OUT of.

I guess for now the only answer is to block PREMIUM MESSAGING from all my phones.

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Re: Premium Messaging Charges
Not applicable

flagrant99 wrote:

I guess for now the only answer is to block PREMIUM MESSAGING from all my phones.

We have it blocked. Honestly I can't think of a reason why I would want to PAY $10 for a text anyway. Personally I think it should be blocked by default and leave it up to the account holder to unblock it. Don't forget to block data on your daughters phone too.

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Re: Premium Messaging Charges
acraftylady
Specialist - Level 2

In 8yrs we have never gotten opt out messages on our 3 phones, strange.  I did have premium messaging charges once but I signed up for something I wanted to use for a month and new I would have the $9.99 charge.  Mary

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