Barring or limiting spend of Premium SMS on your mobile

On October 11 2010 Optus will be providing Optus mobile customers with the ability to limit the amount prepaid and postpaid customers spend on Premium SMS services, including barring access completely by setting your monthly spend to $0.

Can I pre-register to bar my mobile prior to October?

Yes, Optus is providing Optus mobile customers with the ability to pre-register their mobile for Premium SMS barring from July 15th 2010 onwards.

How do I pre-register to bar billed Premium SMS Services on my mobile before October 11 2010?

Customers can call Optus customer care and request that their mobile service be pre-registered for Premium SMS barring. The barring of billable Premium SMS which will take effect on the date Optus launch Premium SMS barring.

It is important that customers refrain from interacting with any Premium SMS services (services using “19” short codes) during this period – for example, by not responding to any advertisements for Premium SMS services.

How long will it take to implement my pre-registration barring request?

Requests received prior to October 11 2010 will be actioned within one business day of the customer request.

Customer requests received on, or after October 11 2010, lodged online or via Optus Customer Care to bar or reduce your monthly Premium SMS spend limit will be completed within one business day of receipt.

*Important*

Customer access and ability to incur premium SMS charges will not be restricted until the barring request has been completed within Optus systems.

What happens on October 11 2010?

You can access new Optus Premium SMS spend controls simply go to Optus Zoo. Just log in using your mobile number and password and set your monthly spend limit.

If you do not set a limit your monthly spend limit will automatically default to $200 per month for postpaid mobile customers and unrestricted for prepaid mobile customers. If you set your premium SMS spend limit to $0 you will bar your mobile services from being able to send or receive any billed premium SMS.

To access the new Premium SMS spend controls via the Optus Zoo internet site after October 11 just go to the following web link, log in using your mobile number and Optus Zoo password and navigate to the Content Spend Limit web page as follows:

http://mobile.optuszoo.com.au/cocoon/welcome/welcome.do
My Mobile > Content Spend Limit

Alternatively you can call Optus Customer Care. Just go to the “Contact Us” link below and call the appropriate customer care number where a helpful representative can assist you in setting your spend limit.

Optus Customer Care “Contact Us” link on our homepage

*Important*

Setting your “spend limit” to $0 will prevent you being charged for receiving billed premium content however it is possible that free “19” short code marketing messages could potentially still be received.

Is there any cost to implement spend controls on my mobile service?

There is no charge for restricting your monthly spend on Premium SMS, including barring these services. If you choose to bar Premium SMS, your access to any non-Premium Services will not be affected.

Liability for Cost

You are responsible for calls, messages and other purchases that appear on your phone bill, including those that are made by family and friends, even when made without your knowledge. However, if as a customer you’ve not been fully informed about the price and content of a Premium SMS service that you’ve been billed for, you have the right to contest these charges.

Firstly you should contact the Service Provider of the Premium SMS Service which you are contesting (you should be able to find the Customer Care number in the Premium SMS you’re receiving or on their website).

Alternatively you can call Optus Customer Care. Just go to the “Contact Us” link below and call the appropriate customer care number where a helpful representative can assist you.

Optus Customer Care “Contact Us” link on our homepage

What are Premium Services?

Some examples of Premium Services are:

Premium Voice Services:

• Psychic and horoscope hotlines
• Voting lines for TV reality shows
• Dating and chat hotlines
• Exam result hotlines

Premium SMS Services:

• Ringtones, games & wallpapers
• Text & Win competitions
• Text & Win trivia
• SMS voting for TV reality shows
• SMS jokes and horoscopes
• SMS weather alerts

How do I know it is a Premium Service?

Premium Services are usually offered by third parties and are rarely advertised directly by Optus. You can often recognise a Premium Service as beginning with a "19" number or short code being either a phone number you dial or text a keyword to.

How do I access Premium Services?

Premium Services are advertised in all types of media, including television, radio, newspapers, magazines and on the Internet (both on your PC and on the Mobile Internet). Generally to opt in for a Premium Service you will need to dial a Premium number, SMS a Keyword to a Premium "19" Short code, or online you can enter your mobile number into a field and so opt in to purchase a service or piece of content. Premium SMS subscription services are required to operate a double opt in mechanism where customers are required to reconfirm their subscription via an SMS to the Premium "19" Short code before the subscription can commence.

How much do Premium Services cost?

The cost of Premium Services varies from provider to provider, depending on the kind of content you're looking to purchase, so it’s very important to look at the cost and pricing model you’re signing up for. You could be charged anywhere between 55 cents and $6.60 per message.

Premium Services can be charged as follows:

Flat Rate: This is when you pay a flat fixed fee for each SMS sent to and/or received from a Premium Number or a flat fee per phone call made to the Premium Service.

Subscription: Where you opt into an ongoing subscription with associated ongoing charges.

Joining Fees: Where you may also be charged a joining fee in addition to an ongoing subscription fee as part of a subscription service.

Timed Rate: Where your Premium Call is timed and charged at a per minute rat.

Data Volume charge: Where you are charged according to how many Kilobytes of data you are downloading.

How do I unsubscribe from a specific Premium Service?

Always try to reply back to the Premium SMS you receive with the keyword ‘STOP’ in capital letters.

If this unsubscribe attempt is successful, you will generally receive a confirmation SMS advising you of this. If you’re receiving messages from more than one Premium SMS Service (from different “19” short codes), you’ll need to reply back with ‘STOP’ to each different “19” short codes.

Sending ‘STOP’ will not subscribe you to any new services.

Should you still be receiving Premium SMS messages 24 hours after requesting to unsubscribe, you are best contacting the help desk of the Premium Services provider directly. The help desk number should be available within the Premium SMS you’re receiving.

Alternatively you can call Optus Customer Care. Just go to the “Contact Us” link below and call the appropriate customer care number where a helpful representative can assist you in providing the contact number for the Premium Services provider.

Optus Customer Care “Contact Us” link on our homepage

Premium SMS Safety: Hints & Tips

Always read the Terms and Conditions first

As you are liable for the calls, SMS, MMS and purchases that appear on your Optus Bill it is absolutely important to read the fine print of any Premium Service you opt in to receive. Look at the advertising for the service and be sure that you are informed of the upfront cost and if there are any ongoing obligations such as subscription costs or opting in to receive promotional messaging from the Service Provider.

Take note of Spend Notification Messages sent to your phone

Premium SMS services are also required to let you know when you have spent $30 on a specific service by sending you a free message. Non subscription services need only send this message to you when you have passed $30 of spend in a given month, although subscription services will advise you of each $30 amount spent regardless of the time it has taken.

Read your phone bill carefully

If you have a PostPaid account with Optus then your bill will show you how much you have spent on Premium SMS services. See the FAQ below on how Premium SMS is presented on your bill for more information. If you have a PrePaid account with Optus then you can always call 555 to check your balance after sending or receiving Premium rate SMS messages.

Worried about a Premium SMS billing? Do not delete the SMS from your phone

If you’re planning on enquiring about a Premium Service, try to keep the SMS on your phone. It may assist you in helping to discuss the service with the Premium Service Provider or with an Optus Customer Care representative and deleting the SMS does not make any difference to charging.

Educate your kids about Premium Services

If you’ve got a child or teenager with a mobile phone, take time out to explain Premium Services to them and the risks around costly bills and unwanted subscriptions. They may respond reactively to advertising they see on TV or in a magazine, without a full understanding the cost implication.

Consider providing children and teenagers with a Pre-Paid service. This will protect your children from receiving an unexpectedly high bill, plus even if they have used all of their call credits you are still able to call them. Or if they have a Post-Paid account, make sure you review their bill with them each month.

Consider removing some features from your child’s phone service. For example you can turn off access to making international calls, or you can turn off the ability to send and receive SMS. Or consider downloading Mozone from the Optus Zoo Downloads page. Mozone is a mobile application that provides parental and corporate controls for mobile phones. Settings can be put in place that control access to inappropriate websites, Premium SMS services and camera use (e.g. a parent not wanting their child to be able to purchase Premium Content or a business wanting to limit mobile internet browsing only to specific sites it deems beneficial to their employees’ work).

Always keep your phone in a safe place

As you are liable for the calls, SMS and other purchases billed to your Optus Account, it is very important to keep your mobile in a safe place so as to minimise the risk of another person using your phone without your knowledge.

Premium Services: Frequently Asked Questions & Troubleshooting

Q. How much are the Premium SMS messages I am getting costing me?

Any SMS you send to/ receive from a number that starts with 19 is likely to be billed (unless it starts with the words ‘FreeMsg’). The cost of individual messages can vary from $0.25 to $6.60. While you may have just sent one text to perhaps purchase a ringtone or enter a competition, there is a chance that in effect you’ve signed up to a subscription product with ongoing billings. Upon signup, all subscription services should send a ’Welcome’ SMS message advising of the service and all associated charges

Q.Why am I getting Premium SMS messages? How did I subscribe?

If you are receiving SMS messages from a 19 number even if you are not sending messages back then you may be on a Subscription Service. They are usually initiated by sending an SMS to a 19 number to agree to take up the service. Alternatively they might present a web page where you enter your mobile number, get sent an SMS with a PIN which you must then enter back into the web page to confirm your subscription. Some subscription services are taken up making a voice call to an automated system from your mobile, or taking up an offer on a voice call made to your mobile.

Q. How do Premium Services appear on my bill?

Premium SMS details will only show if there are any charged to you in the relevant billing period. The way that Premium Services are presented on your bill varies based on whether you have a 14 or 8 digit account number.

If your Optus Mobile account number has 14 digits:

• In the Service Level Summary section of the bill you will see ‘Premium SMS Messages Rcvd’ and/or ‘Premium SMS Messages Sent’ with the number of messages and total charges for PSMS sent and/or received. Further down the bill you will see these two headings with the detail of each Premium SMS.

If your Optus Mobile account number has 8 digits:

• Premiums SMS Messages received: appear under Service Charges > SMS Mobile Content > Billed Messages – showing the number of messages at each price point (eg 5 units @ $2.50)
• Premium SMS Messages sent: appear under ‘Variable Rates’ in a similar fashion (this section can also include International SMS).
• If you have opted to receive detailed billing: then all Premium SMS messages you have sent will show in a section called ‘SMS Text Messaging’ and all Premium SMS messages you have received will show under ‘SMS Information Services’.

Q. I thought that I had unsubscribed from Premium messages but they’re still appearing on my bill?

If you’ve unsubscribed to a particular service but the charges continue to appear on your next Optus Bill, be sure to cross reference the time and date you unsubscribed against the last time you received a Premium SMS message. Depending on the time you unsubscribed, if it was partway into a new billing cycle, you’ll still be charged for those last few Premium SMS billings on your next bill.

Q. I thought that I stopped Premium messages but now they have started again?

You may be receiving free marketing messages from a service that you once belonged to, which may have been part of the terms and the conditions of the service you opted into. These messages should begin with the phrase “FreeMsg”.

If you wish to stop receiving these messages, text the word STOP to the Premium short code number which starts with the numerals 19. This could take up to 24 hours to be actioned. Texting the keyword ‘STOP’ should only cost you the price of a regular SMS. You may receive a confirmation text message back to your mobile phone advising that you have been unsubscribed from the marketing database.

Should you still be receiving Premium SMS messages 24 hours after requesting to unsubscribe, you are best contacting the Help Desk of the Premium Services Provider directly. The Help Desk number should be available within the Premium SMS you’re receiving.

Alternatively you can call Optus Customer Care. Just go to the “Contact Us” link below and call the appropriate customer care number where a helpful representative can assist you in providing the contact number for the Premium Services provider;

Optus Customer Care “Contact Us” link on our homepage

Q. I tried to reply STOP to the message that I received to my mobile phone, but it won’t let me?

You may be receiving free marketing messages or subscription content links via a WAP Push process. WAP Push sends out a link to a Mobile Internet page as an SMS, but unlike normal SMS messages it might not appear to have come from a phone number. You cannot reply directly to a message sent to via WAP Push.

Prior to opening the link provided in the message, check the content of the actual message (possibly under ‘Options’) there should be a number starting with 19, a support phone number or instructions on how to stop messages coming to your mobile phone. You can send a new SMS with the word STOP to the 19 number to stop these messages, or call the help desk number provided for support.

Q. I keep getting sent messages that contain a link but the sender is unidentified. What are these?

You may be receiving free marketing messages or subscription content links via a WAP Push process. WAP Push sends out a link to a Mobile Internet page as an SMS, but unlike normal SMS messages it might not appear to have come from a phone number. You cannot reply to a message sent to via WAP Push.

Prior to opening the link provided in the message, check the content of the actual message (possibly under ‘Options’) there should be a number starting with 19, a support phone number or instructions on how to stop messages coming to your mobile phone. You can send an SMS with the word STOP to the 19 number to stop these messages, or call the help desk number provided for support.

Premium Services Complaints:

Q. If I want to raise a complaint in relation to a Premium SMS service what should I do?

Your first step should be to raise your complaint with the content provider who supplied you with the Premium Service.

In October 2010 Optus postpaid mobile customers will be provided with the customer service phone number of the content provider who has supplied you with the Premium Service.

Both prepaid and postpaid customers will also have the ability to access premium services billing and content provider contact information in the Optus Zoo > My Mobile > Content / PSMS Usage Transactions

Optus suggests that you follow the either path detailed below to successfully raise a complaint; Contact the content provider on their customer care phone number provided next to the transaction record to escalate your issue directly with the content provider who supplied the premium service.

or

1. http://mobile.optuszoo.com.au/cocoon/welcome/welcome.do
2. My Mobile > Content / PSMS Usage Transactions

and click on the complaints button where you can raise a complaint directly with the content provider and leave your contact details

Alternatively you can call Optus Customer Care. Just go to the “Contact Us” link below and call the appropriate customer care number where a helpful representative can assist you in providing the contact number for the Premium Services provider;

Optus Customer Care “Contact Us” link on our homepage

You can also seek assistance from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), which is an office of last resort. The TIO will only investigate complaints if you have already attempted to resolve the complaint with Optus.

TIO - Telecom Industry Ombudsman
http://www.tio.com.au/FAQ/MPSI.HTM

Links for More Information:

19SMS - Your Guide to Mobile Premium Services
www.19sms.com.au

Communications Alliance
www.commsalliance.com.au

Str8tlk - Australian Mobile Telecommunications Authority
www.str8tlk.amta.org.au

ACMA - Mobile Phones: Child Safety Checklist
www.acma.gov.au/web/STANDARD//pc%3DPC_100694

Still having difficulty?

We’re here for you. Just go to the “Contact Us” link below and call the appropriate customer care number where a helpful representative can assist you.