AT&T Wireless Customer? Turn Off Phone Purchasing Power To Prevent Unauthorized Charges
If you're managing cellphones for a family or your parents, or let's say hypothetically you have a boyfriend who says he reads Consumerist but really he doesn't or else he would have known better, you'll probably run into stupid subscription and content fees from time to time. You know how people are when it comes to fake "free" offers.
Hypothetically, your dumb boyfriend may have even taken that scammy Facebook IQ test and entered his cellphone number for the results (results: FAIL), and since you pay the bill, you're hit with a recurring $15 monthly fee from PlayPhone Inc. This is all hypothetical, of course.
If you're with AT&T, there's a simple fix for this: call them up and ask them to block purchases from that line. You'll be emailed a PIN that will be required to authorize any future purchases. Then, in our hypothetical scenario above, you can print out the PIN, delete the email, then eat the paper the PIN was printed on.
We couldn't locate similar free options from T-Mobile or Verizon, but if you're a customer and know of a free way to do the same thing, please let us know in the comments.
Sprint does offer a similar feature called Parental Controls. Or you can just wait a few more months to see if Sprint goes belly up. Ha ha I kid, Sprint. No I don't because I hate you.
(Don't feel too bad for Sprint; they overbilled my account by more than $900 several years ago, then tried to stall on returning the funds.)
(Photo: lizjones112)
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I know how this goes... my fiancee signed up for a "free trial" at forclosure.com last night... I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to cancel the credit card :P
@Radi0logy:Can I turn off 411? My husband keeps calling it even though I have showed him 1-800-goog411.
Verizon Wireless offers a "Premium SMS" block, which will keep people from subscribing to third party content providers via their mobile. Just so you know, though, it also blocks free short code services such as Twitter.
Hmmm I didn't know this! Thanks Chris! :D
Also, good information on Sprint. There needs to be more legislation about correcting billing mistakes.
I've always wondered why Myspace and Facebook accept all of those scam ads (like the IQ test), knowing full well they are generally clicked on by kids. I guess money is more important than any sort of integrity with your customer.
btw, Chris, I had the exact same issue with Sprint and even at the so-called executive level, they flatly refused to refund the money, even when I pointed out it was no different than going in my wallet and stealing it. Magically, the problem finally got resolved when I got the REAL assistant to the chairman on the phone and said I was about to file a small claims action and serve the chairman personally at his home.
I've tried to get an assurance from Alltel that they would not allow any third party to place an unauthorized fee or charge on my cell phone bill, but Alltel flatly refused, saying they have no control over who adds charges to a cell phone bill.
It's nice that AT&T is going to offer this option, but it's really a no-brainer. All wireless companies should close this loophole that leaves their customers' accounts vulnerable to scam charges.
Re: Sprint
I signed my 70 yr old dad up for Sprint's "Parental Controls" and it works well.
I have been with Sprint for about 10 years and can honestly say that they are providing better customer service now than they ever have.
While I agree with every bad thing folks have said about Sprint in the past, right now they are actually pretty darn good.
I know about all the Sprint horror stories, but I've had nothing but good luck with them (and I'm on old-school SERO).
My wife did the whole FB quiz thing, and cancelled it immediately after doing it once she came to her senses. She contacted PlayPhone, and they said they would have to look into it, and mail her a check to refund the charge if they found it was warranted.
So we waited for the Sprint bill, and sure enough, $14.99 from PlayPhone. I got onto Sprint Chat, and the rep had no problem refunding me the $14.99 from Sprint's end.
To top it off: a few weeks later, I opened the mailbox. Lo and behold, a check from PlayPhone for $14.99.
We have ATT and cancelled all the crap ATT has, mobile web, purchasing games, even text messaging. I hate that. We have nice phones to just talk on them. That's all.
Just like banks should disallow overdrafts (and the fees that go with them) unless specifically requested by the customer, wireless carriers should disallow third party billing unless specifically requested by the customer.
Re: Verizon - I don't have a Verizon account now, but I recall being able to disable "Premium SMS", which I believe is their name for this sort of thing.
Re: Sprint - the only problem I've ever had with Sprint is their actual coverage. Customer service has never been an issue for me. That said, I believe that many of the complaints against them are valid, and I count myself among the lucky minority when it comes to customer satisfaction with Sprint.
@edwardso: I'm not sure that you can. At least whenever you do call, it says Verizon directory assistance..which leads me to think that Verizon, particularly, would not want to disable this because they know there are free alternatives.
Why does your husband need to call 411 so much? I find myself using Goog-411 more often because it's free, but he must enjoy getting charged $1.45 every time he dials 411.
@albear: How is text messaging crap? They offer a service. You're free to use it ...or not. But just because you don't use it, doesn't mean AT&T sucks for offering it. When you signed up, no one forced you at gunpoint to sign up for text messaging.
these charges from playphone and other scam like providers is usually reversed with little question asked.
I used to work for an SMS aggregator and we received these calls all the time. We eventually got access to ATT billing to resolve this ourselves. Special hint: don't be a jerk on the phone and you'll get it reversed that much quicker.
Also, going to the company's website and finding a number or email works just as well.
Replying STOP ALL or UNSUBSCRIBE is required to make all services stop replying to your phone from that provider. If they don't they get fined.
@Ein2015: I dropped Sprint after a $375 charge for "data" showed up on my bill and my data applications on my phone were disabled. When I questioned the charge through multiple reps, the same response came up "sir, we can't tell you what/when/where the data was" My response was "well, then I can't pay my bill, nor continue to be your customer"
verizon does allow you to disable premium messaging... however, when you do this, it also blocks free messaging services that use the 6 digit codes from sending you anything either.
we had issues with a band fan club hosted by moses.com, a site that posts pics, and a site that posts short updates to your blog.. all free, but none of which worked with verizon's block designed for stopping charges.
@edwardso:
I'm an AT&T wireless employee, and NO, you cannot block 411. It is up to the account holder to be aware that it is $1.79 plus tax per directory assistance call that users of the mobile phones on their account make.
@pecan 3.14159265: Excellent comment. Kids (and grandpas) need to learn about budgeting and responsibility and I think text plans could potentially be a good way to teach that. When I first got my cell phone I, like any 17 year old, texted like crazy and ran up 2 triple-digit phone bills. Mom made me pay out of my babysitting money and I learned my lesson (this was before unlimited plans).
I also want to point out how incredibly glad I am that those obnoxious, poorly animated tv commercials for joke-of-the-day and secret crush texts are no longer the only commercials on TV. I can finally watch my Spongebob in peace.
@blueneon: Yeah, but you can block text messaging, and that's also something the account holder should be aware costs money...
My stepdad has a family plan through AT&T for four of us (him, my mom, my sister and I). But he's gone ahead and allowed me purchasing power on the account, which I rarely use. However, I always make a point to scan the bill every month, especially since my younger sister sometimes makes a habit of buying tons of games/ringtones/features and then not paying for them.
@nakedscience: Im guessing their defenition of nice is much different then mine. Becasue to me, no cell phone is nice unless I can:
- Browse all websites with a non-sucky browser
- Send SMS/MMS message
- Use Exchange Email
- Take decent pictures
- Record Video
- Play MP3s
- Use an SD (regular, mini, or micro) to expand memory
- Use a QWERTY keyboard
- Use GPS
- RDP to a server
Basically, I want to be able to do the vast majority of my job from my phone if I want to, and if needed, I want to be able to leave all other handhelds behind without missing anything.
Verizon allows this as well. At my previous job, I had to manage about 100-150 verizon cell phones as well as 12-20 att cell phones, both of which gave me no trouble when I asked to remove this functionality.
@blueneon: Doesn't it show the charge on the cell phone's computerized high-res screen as you are making the call? You know, to keep the user informed?
yep absolutely correct, you can block text messaging .. I was just answering the question by edwardso in regards to if 411 can be turned off : )
If you had my SERO account, you wouldn't be hating on Sprint.
@blueneon: Yes, but you were saying that you can't block 411 because it's up to the contract holder to know it costs money. Text costs money too, and it's up to the contract holder to know the rates. Why can you block text but not 411?
My mom tried to put me on her AT&T account and I said no. I didn't want to get messed up if she had a problem with it and I didn't want to inadvertently mess her up if I pressed the wrong button or accidentally went way over minutes. Too much Judge Judy, I guess.
I'm looking at a pre-paid right now. I just haven't decided whose to get. With the research I've been doing, it's easier to have a phone people can call me on which doesn't tie up my work phone. Plus, no contract or ETF.
It's no surprise that AT&T didn't volunteer this information when I asked how to prevent charges. They told me that the only way to do this was paying extra for "parental controls". I guess they'll say anything to make a buck. Good stuff Consumerist! Thanks.
@Zanorfes: Actually, that means you got someone who wasn't doing their job right. AT&T actually requires reps to offer this service if a customer complains about a charge such as this. Parental controls are also free, but will only limit content accessed through AT&T's Media Mall and other portals. Sounds like they were trying to get you set up on SmartLimits... which wouldn't even have covered this. Yeah, definitely not doing their job right
@pecan 3.14159265:
Text messaging is crap because it came installed and ready to go when I got my phone. Before I even got out of the store, AT&T had sent me a text message (which was free, but still!).
If someone sends me a text message, I get charged for it whether I read it or not. Since they're charging me, it should be an opt-in situation, not a opt-out. Heaven forbid I should hit the wrong button and connect to the internet. I get charged for KB transfered - even if I immediately disconnect. Another thing that came installed on the phone that I had to have turned off.
I would LOVE an AT&T cell phone that doesn't do anything except allow me to talk on it.
Thank you for this tip!
I just called and asked them to block any charges to our cell #'s.
@sjg1402: Then buy something like an unlocked Motorola F3 on ebay, and use it instead of a phone that's designed with things called "features".
This is a really great idea for people who are responsible for others' cell phone usage.
I know mistakes happen, but whether it's grandpa accidentally signing himself (and you!) up for a $15 a month "Joke of the Day" service or the teenagers signing up for the aforementioned Facebook IQ test, this is good to know.
But it's also about personal responsibility. If grandpa actually wants a knock-knock joke on his phone every day, and actually intentionally signed up for it, he should understand he should be paying it (even if you pay for his service in full). At the very least, family members should be discussing this.
An alternative is that since $15 for 30 days of jokes is 50 cents a joke...you could buy him a $6 bargain bin joke book and have him read one to himself every day.