Re: Texts to Twitter charged at international rates, even though UK number.

If you want to do something about this, I suggest the following - I'm
on 3, so have tailored it for that.
If you do nothing, you'll get nothing.

Phone the following:
OFCOM: 020 7981 3040 and
OTELO: 01925 430049 - log a report and they will give you the name and
address of the highest UK complaints contact in 3, based in Glasgow.

Also, phone your local Trading Stadards and ask to log a report
against 3's UK Head Office in Maidenhead.

I then suggest something along the lines of the following letter to
your mobile provider (in this case, the chap at 3 in Glasgow)

-------------------------------------------------------------------

My 3 phone number:
3 Account number:

OFCOM reference:
OTELO reference:
Trading Standards Ref (Maidenhead):

RE: UK Mobile numbers being excluded from bundle without warning

In 3’s Terms and Conditions, it states that bundled calls and texts
are included “to UK mobiles”.
Most people understand the code +44 to be uk – for example:
http://www.thephonebook.bt.com/publisha.content/en/search/international/rec
ord.publisha?id=L231

So, you would have reasonable expectation that sending a text to the
UK number
+44 762 4801423  should be included:– as I understand, and OFCOM and
OTELO agree – that the prefix +44 means “UK” and the number range
07xxx could be expected to be a “normal” number to send a text to
(rather than a short or premium code).

However, it appears that 3, along with 2 other companies, have decided
to charge this number as international.  Fortunately, by chance, I
noticed this after only a few texts (to a service called “Twitter”).
Others have not been so lucky, and there are many web forums
complaining of unexpected bills of £60+.

This number turns out to be a Manx Telecom number but is NOT excluded
anywhere in your terms and conditions, and when I called customer
services, they actually suggested that for every person I call or
text, I should call 3 customer services, “just to check”. As the hold
time is often 20 minutes and calling CS is like pulling teeth, that’s
really not going to happen.

OFCOM and OTELO say that your choosing to charge for this number is a
commercial decision, however having reviewed your T&amp;C they do not
believe that any warning was given. With regards to this, Trading
Standards compare the following scenario:
If I go to buy a lemon, marked at 10p, and when I reach the till it is
30p, I can choose not to buy that lemon. In this case, I have no
choice – the charge is applied without my being aware of it.

All three would like me to forward your response to this point, and
OTELO would like to know if you consider your reply to be a “deadlock”
letter so they can then proceed further

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Don't forget, this is constantly updated at
http://www.digitaltoast.co.uk/twitter-sms-scam-text-costs-warning
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