Mobile content download failure, Mobile scams, SMS competition
costs - Customer or Network responsib
Mobile content consists of ring tones, logos, pictures,
wallpapers and other content offered on web sites for download.
Just surf the web and you will find many web sites offering
services - some topic specific, other country specific.
Frequenting forums recently, I found disgruntled clients in
South Africa that wanted to download mobile content, but the
ring tone or logo failed to download. As a result the "networks"
and Mobile phone companies are blamed for this failure of
delivery.
The actual post I refer to started off with a warning about a
scam where people received "Please call me" SMS. In response to
the "please call me", the customer was kept online having to
answer senseless surveys with the call charges running up on
their phone bills. The South African networks issued a warning
against this scam that was doing the rounds.
Reading the posts I was quite astounded with the level of
ignorance from the public side. Immediately legitimate SMS
competitions (premium rated SMS) were drawn into the
conversation with clear customer dissatisfaction being
expressed. The following accusations were made in the particular
post:
1. Networks were blamed for delivering the 072 "Please
call me" SMS and supporting such practice.
2. Companies offering SM
S competitions were blamed of not stating the cost per SMS
clearly.
3. Mobil
e content companies were blamed for false advertising and
clear anger was evident where customers submitted and paid for a
download, but did not receive it.
Let's take a look at this situation:
1. Networks being blamed for delivering "please call me" SMS:
For those that are not familiar with the "Please call me SMS"
system here is a simple explanation. The system works on the old
land line "collect call" basis where the mobile phone user send
a SMS to someone they know to phone them. The person responding
to the "Please call me" returns the call and foots the bill for
the call.
I think the initial intention for the service was to render
assistance to people that could not afford the call or run into
trouble without prepaid airtime to phone for help in a crises
situation. It was not long, however before the opportunity was
grabbed by abusers of the system.
What the scammers do, is to send out "Please call me" SMS to
random mobile phone numbers. The recipient unknowingly returns
the call as they do think that it is from someone they know and
requires assistance. The bad thing about the "Please call me"
SMS is that the recipient has no way of knowing who sent the SMS
as it does not support sender ID.
Upon answering the call, it turns out to be a call center doing
a survey. The caller is kept online for as long as possible as
each minute is charged to his/her phone bill at ridiculous rates
- as much as ZAR 50-00 per minute. 10 Minutes online, results in
ZAR 500-00 mobile phone bill of which the scammer in question
get revenue share from the networks.
Issues at stake that we should question:
SHOULD THE NETWORKS BE BLAMED FOR THIS PRACTISE?
1. Working with the networks myself, I find it hard to believe
that they will support such practice. Normally with any
promotion the client has to state the nature of the promotion,
as the Networks have to check whether or not the promotion is
anti-sp@m policy compliant. Should the networks not investigate
complaints like these and send out a Press release stating their
position towards these sort of scams? Where are the network
public relations officers?
2. Isn't it the mobile phone user's responsibility to NOT return
any suspicious calls or SMS they receive?
3. Where does supplier responsibility end and customer
responsibility start?