Just realized there is a recurring $9.99 charge on our cell phone bill for data for the last 6 months! We have an unlimited data plan (which we never use) so called to find out what the extras were for. They said we had downloaded a service called premium sms 654 654 predictor mobile. Verizon said that we would have had to download it and then confirm 3 times that we wanted the service and were wiling to be charged 9.99 / month. They said since we must have done this, they couldn't retroactively remove, but would remove one charge as a courtesy. Sadly, we not only don't use the text feature, but don't know how to -- showing our age! That's one of the reasons we were looking at the bill -- so we could figure out how to cancel all these features we don't use at all. So I seriously doubt we could have subscribed to this service -- whatever it is. Something is fishy. And we're out $60.00.
Realistic
United States of America#2UPDATE Employee
Wed, January 26, 2011
Premium messaging is a service that can get opted into multiple ways. Yes, it sometimes can be tricky and people may not know what they have signed up for when they do opt in. However, these charges are not from Verizon Wireless. These charges are from the creators of Predict-O-Mobile. Predict-O-Mobile is a third party company that bills for their services through various cellphone companies (not just Verizon Wireless).
At the time you called customer service, we did not have the tools to opt you out of these services. It's not that we didn't want to, we literally COULD NOT because that would requiregrabbing your phoneand texting the word "STOP" to the number 654654. However, recently Verizon Wireless has given us employees the power to opt people out. I am so grateful they did this--it saves time on both ends.
When it comes to credits, we tend to be more under understanding if this is the first bill someone has come to us about premium message charges. We are willing to credit the current month's bill because you had the opportunity to bring this to our attention long before now, and you didn't. It is your responsibility to check your bill if you believe you have erroneous charges, not ours. If you are looking for retro payments, you need to contact Predict-O-Mobile and dispute the charges.