Premium SMS Information Guide

Premium SMS consists of a wide range of exciting services and content for your Optus mobile. These services are generally provided by third parties and are billed directly to your Optus Mobile Bill or taken from the balance of your Prepaid Credit.

What are Premium SMS?

Some examples of Premium SMS are:

• Transport (Tram/Train) Updates and Alerts
• Reverse Charge phone calls (eg 1800MUMDAD)
• Ringtones, games & wallpapers
• Text & Win competitions
• TV reality or competition (eg Today) show SMS voting/entries
• Weather alerts
• Chat services

How do I know it is a Premium SMS?

Premium SMS are usually offered by third parties and are rarely advertised directly by Optus. You can often recognise a Premium SMS as beginning with ‘19’ and which is 6 or 8 digits long and which you text a keyword to.

How do I access Premium SMS?

Premium SMS are advertised in all types of media, including television, radio, newspapers, magazines and on the Internet (accessed from your PC/Mac or Mobile).

Premium SMS one-off services (such as responding to an in-store promotion or purchasing a single mobile game), you would need to send a keyword from the mobile to the premium ‘19’ number.

Premium SMS subscription services are required to operate a double opt in mechanism whereby customers are required to reconfirm their subscription via an SMS to the Premium ‘19’ shortcode before the subscription can commence. This is true even if a customer enters their mobile number into a SMS subscription website. This action will trigger a free SMS to the mobile number entered containing information about the subscription service (incl cost/frequency/how to opt out) which must be responded to via SMS for the subscription to start.

This is to ensure full customer knowledge of the service prior to opting in, and avoids issues where anyone could enter a mobile number into a website and start a subscription on any number.

How much do Premium SMS cost?

The cost of Premium SMS 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 SMS can be charged as follows:

• One Off: This is when you are charged a non-recurring single amount for the service being provided. Eg you send a keyword to a ‘19’ shortcode for a mobile game and receive the link to download. The request is charged at 25c and the response is charged $6.60. No further charges are incurred. Subscription: Where you opt into an ongoing subscription with associated ongoing charges (daily/weekly/monthly).
• Joining/Signup Fees: Where you may also be charged a joining or signup fee in addition to an ongoing subscription fee as part of a subscription service.

How do I unsubscribe from a specific Premium SMS 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 within 24 hours. If you’re receiving messages from more than one Premium SMS (from different ‘19’ shortcodes), you’ll need to reply back with ‘STOP’ to each different ‘19’ shortcode.

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

If you are still receiving Premium SMS messages from the shortcode you’ve sent stop to 24 hours after requesting to unsubscribe, you should contact the help desk of the Premium SMS provider directly. The help desk number will be available in the Premium SMS you’re receiving and is also shown on the bill as well as in Zoo (see below). You can also enter the shortcode into the 19sms.com.au website to find the helpline.

Remember that due to the nature of ‘one off’ Premium services, you cannot unsubscribe from them – as they’re ‘one-off’.

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 SMS provider.

Optus Customer Care “Contact Us” link on our homepage

Barring or limiting spend of Premium SMS on your mobile

Optus mobile and most resale customers can limit the amount they can spend on Premium SMS, including barring access completely.

To access the Optus Premium SMS spend controls simply go to Optus Zoo on by following the below instructions:

1. Go to http://mobile.optuszoo.com.au/cocoon/welcome/welcome.do
2. Use the left-hand navigation to go to My Mobile > My Mobile Account > Premium SMS Spend Control.

Here you will see some important information and a ‘slider’ which allows you to set your monthly spend limit, from $0 up to your maximum (credit limit). If you do not set a limit your monthly spend will automatically default to $200 per month for postpaid customers and unrestricted for prepaid customers (due to the inherent spend limit prepaid has).

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 premium content however it is possible that free ‘19’ shortcode marketing messages could potentially still be received.

Can I control what my kids spend on their mobiles?

If you are the account holder and have services under your own Optus account, you have the ability to ‘lock’ those services to a particular spend limit. This ‘lock’ prevents the mobile users to be able to log into Zoo (or call customer care) to change the spend limit. When a lock is in place, only the account holder is authorized to change the spend limit or remove the lock.

To ‘lock’ a spend limit please call Optus Customer Care. (You are not able to action this via Optus Zoo). So just go to the “Contact Us” link below and call the appropriate customer care number where a helpful representative can assist you in applying a spend limit ‘lock’.

What other services does this spend control affect?

If you choose to bar Premium SMS, your access to any non-Premium SMS will not be affected however you still may receive FREE messages from ‘19’ numbers which may be marketing, or if your mobile number is entered into a subscription website, you will still receive the SMS message asking you to reply with a keyword to confirm the subscription. This message can only be sent once so you can safely ignore this message. Optus is not able to stop these messages being sent.

Other non-Premium SMS that will not be affected by the spend control also include Zoo purchases/services (made on Optus Zoo) – even if these services are supported by ‘19’ shortcodes. These services are not ‘Premium SMS’.

How long will it take to implement my spend limit update?

Both Optus Zoo web and requests to Optus Customer Care will be actioned within 1 business day of the request being accepted and successfully processed. Your spend limit will not apply until this time.

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

There is no charge for restricting your monthly spend on Premium SMS.

Liability for Charges

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 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 Service which you are contesting (you will find the Customer Care number in the Premium SMS you’re receiving, on your bill, on Optus Zoo and on 19sms.com.au). Or alternatively you can call Optus Customer Care on 1300 300 937 where a helpful representative can assist you with any concerns.

Premium SMS Safety: Hints & Tips

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 Content Provider.

Premium SMS are 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.

If you have a PostPaid account with Optus then your bill will show you how much you have spent on Premium SMS. 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 SMS messages.

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

If you’ve got a child or teenager with a mobile phone, take time out to explain Premium SMS 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. You are also able to apply a spend limit ‘lock’. See the section “Can I control what my kids spend on their mobiles?” above for more information.

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 SMS: Frequently Asked Questions & Troubleshooting

Any SMS you send to/ receive from a number that starts with ‘19’ has the possibility of applying a charge (unless it starts with the words ‘FreeMsg’). The cost of individual messages can vary from $0.25 to $6.60. It should be clear at the point of initiation as to whether the service is a single purchase or a subscription. All subscriptions require a ‘double opt in’ where if you send an SMS to a ‘19’ number (or enter your mobile number into a website), it must respond with a free SMS message back with all the details of the subscription including cost/frequency etc and the requirement for the user to send another SMS to confirm the subscription terms are understood.

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. Subscription services are usually initiated by either sending an SMS to a ‘19’ number or entering your mobile number into a website. Either action will have sent an additional SMS with details of the service which you are required to respond to to provide your agreement to take up the service. Some Premium SMS subscription services are taken up making, or receiving a voice call to/from an automated system, however to be subscribed, you are still required to receive – and then reply to – an SMS confirming the details of the subscription service.

Premium SMS details will only show if there are any charged to you in the relevant billing period. The way that Premium SMS are presented on your bill varies based on whether you have a 14 or 8 digit account number. Note that ‘Content Services’ on the bill is not limited to just Premium SMS. It also includes Optus Zoo transactions and some other Optus services.

If your Optus Mobile account number has 14 digits:

• In the Mobile Number Summary section of the bill you will see an item of ‘Content Services’ under the heading of ‘Not eligible for plan benefit’. This shows the total amount charged for all Content Services (‘Content Services’ here is not limited to just Premium SMS).
• Further down the bill you will see a heading of ‘Content Services not eligible for plan benefit’ which details all the transactions, including shortcode, title, Supplier (the Content Provider) and their helpline.

If your Optus Mobile account number has 8 digits:

• In the Service Charges section, a line item of ‘Content Services’ will show the total amount charged by all Content Services (‘Content Services’ here is not limited to just Premium SMS).
• Further down you will see ‘Content Services - GST Applicable’ section which details all the transactions, however it does not have the same level of information as in bills of 14 digits.

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.

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 shortcode 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 SMS 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 SMS provider;

Optus Customer Care “Contact Us” link on our homepage

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.

Premium SMS Complaints:

Your first step should be to raise your complaint with the content provider who supplied you with the Premium Service. In certain Premium SMS messages you receive, the helpline will be provided which you can use to get in contact with the Content Provider. Additionally, you can enter the shortcode into http://www.19sms.com.au which will provide you with the helpline for the Content Provider.

The phone number is also printed on the Optus bill against the transaction(s)it supplied. You can also log into Optus Zoo (see below) to view all your Premium SMS transactions, read the description of the service, and find the customer care number. Additionally you can use a web form to raise a complaint directly to the Content Provider. Optus suggests that you follow the path detailed below to successfully raise a complaint;

1. Go to http://mobile.optuszoo.com.au/cocoon/welcome/welcome.do
2. Use the left-hand navigation to go to My Mobile > My Mobile Account > Content & PSMS Transactions.
3. Click on the ‘Query’ link against one of the transactions you want to raise an opt out or complaint on. (Opt out only available on subscription services).

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 SMS 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 the Content Provider or Optus.

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

Links for More Information:

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

Communications Alliance
http://www.commsalliance.com.au/Activities/mps

Mobile Data Tips– Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association

ACMA– Mobile Phones: Child Safety Checklist

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.

Optus Customer Care “Contact Us” link on our homepage