Is Your Child At Risk Of Ringtone Company Abuse?

Posted on June 4th, 2008 by Guy Lewis

When “free” Actually is “misleading” and means ‘taking candy from a baby’

My daughter recently complained about loosing all the credit on her phone.

She didn’t understand that the “free” ringtone download actually meant you are now subscribed to a service that will charge you $3 per message we send you each week for the rest of your life.

The Internet page she got the download from was very misleading. It was not clear at all that there would be money removed from the mobile phone account. It feels to me very strongly that this is intentional.

I don’t know how the guys who run these sort of ‘businesses’ can show their faces in public. Oh yes, perhaps they get out of bed thinking about all that candy they are going to collect from children that day.

They get in their expensive, well earned executive cars and drive to their high tech office to think up more creative ways to make lots of money from children. That must be satisfying work for them.

Keeping on the right side of the law of course is about carrying on until you are found out. Take a look at this BBC report on a fine for $50,000 for “misleading” customers.

These are the same guys who took money from my child without her understanding. It certainly feels to me that when “free download” actually means $3 per week for ever is misleading too.

How can you stop these guys? Complain. Call them up, cease the service. Don’t add any credit on your phone until it is resolved because they will take more from you that you apparently “owe” them!!!

Call your telecoms watchdog and complain. Don’t let them get away with misleading your children.

Warn your children that “free” means money to some people. Protect your children from financial abuse today.

Its hard enough in this day looking after children’s wellbeing without keeping your eye on all the Internet frauds going on and still knowing that there are organisations out there who are running businesses seemingly with the soul aim to “mislead” your child and take their pocket money.

I am left imagining these people returning home after a long hard day taking money from children to put their own kids to bed with a sweet lullaby from a mobile phone ringtone.