Predicto.com - PredictoMobile Predicto Scamming users Internet
Predicto.com a.k.a "PredictoMobile", which is located at http://www.predicto.com/, is scamming users.
I was at a particular "Points for Prizes" website named ProPrizes (located at http://www.proprizes.com/) and Predicto was one of the "offers" you could complete in order to get points which could in exchange be used to order prizes. This "ProPrizes" said in plain, easy-to-read neon green letters that this offer was "free".
So I get to the website, and it has me enter my cellphone number. Okay, I say. So I entered it.
Next thing I know, a timer with about 30 seconds on it counting down was telling me I had a "PIN" sent to my cellphone and to confirm it. Obviously, I didn't wait to see what happened if the timer ran out, so I entered it as quick as I could.
Next thing I know, I get about 4 text messages (!), and the first one says something at the end about "9.99"...
So I'm thinking, "What? How could they possibly charge me $9.99 without my explicit consent? I know I did not consent to an aberrant $9.99 charge." I didn't even think that it was possible for a 3rd-party company charge something to your phone bill without you accepting it through the phone company (in my case, Verizon).
Worried, I decided to look up the website on Google, and lo and behold there were numerous complaints about this particular "company" swindling money from users.
So the next thing I did was rush out and call their "support" number. I had a lady with a quite difficult-to-understand accent pick up the phone. I angrily went through the "cancellation" process with her (having to spell out all of my responses by using phrases such as "'a' for apple") and she told me that I would be receiving a check for $9.99. I was shocked to hear that the company could not just redact the charge, even though they somehow had the magical power to bypass customer authorization to PUT something onto my phone bill.
I am extremely upset and I hope that no one is ever tricked by this swindling company ever again.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
DylanAsdale
Avon,Indiana,
USA
Whatever.
#3Author of original report
Tue, December 08, 2009
Yeah, whatever. Who puts a timer on one of their opt-ins?
Also, can you explain why you have so many ripoff reports on here about you?
Don't issue a point-by-point rebuttal of my concerns then tell me you "care" (right after you cover your a*s, no less).
Still waiting for my $9.99 check.
Predicto Customer Service
New York,New York,
United States of America
Customer Service response
#3UPDATE Employee
Tue, December 08, 2009
We are sorry to hear about your experience. Please be aware that we at PredictoMobile take customer satisfaction very seriously and would like to address any concerns you may have. You can call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-360-0518 so that we can resolve your inquiry; you can also contact our customer service at http://predicto.com/support or by sending an SMS message with the word HELP to 654654. Keep in mind, we post our toll-free customer service number on our website and include it in SMS messages we send to your cell phone.
Please note we use an industry best practice double opt-in to prevent inadvertent or fraudulent sign-ups. To enroll in our service, a prospective member must first submit their cell phone number on the PredictoMobile sign-up page which clearly explains our terms and conditions including the monthly price of the service and billing to the cell phone. We then send a text message to their cell phone which again discloses the essential membership terms. They then must correctly enter the PIN on our website or reply with a confirmation SMS message from their cell phone to activate the account. The double opt-in process and clear disclosures ensures a high level of consumer protection and satisfaction. If a member wants to cancel the service, they can simply text stop to 654654 or call Customer Service or go to http://predicto.com/support.
We hope this addresses any concerns you may have; if not please contact us and well take care of your issues.
Sincerely,
Customer Service
PredictoMobile