hidden unsolicited texts charges on my bill

[Anonymous]

This as happened a 3rd time now. I'm on contract with an iphone 5.

The first and second times were last year.

My July 2013 bill had an extra charge of £9.00 because of a 82222 that was attached (I checked via phonepayplus) to the IMImobile Europe Limited.

My July 2013 bill had an extra charge of £7.50 again from charges made by that same number.

I made complaints to O2 and got a 'goodwill promotion' refund but not for the full amounts.

Then I made complaints to phonepayplus but never received anything back.

I used to be with Orange but I got all manner of charges from them from unsolicited texts or hidden premium rate texts that were never showing up on my phone but that Orange claimed were being sent and received.

So I moved to O2, after getting into debt with Orange because of it and haven't no phone. I had heard good things about O2 and about their customer service being 'better' for the customer and that I would 'get help whenever I needed it'.

After all the charges last year I thought it was all sorted and wasn't going to happen again until I get an email to notifiy me of my latest bill (which goes out of the 15th of this month) and I notice it was a lot more than the previous Aug 2013 - Jan/Feb 2014 bills were.

So I take a look and yet again I am being charged for premium rate texts that are not showing up on my phone that I have not sent out, this time I'm being charged £15.17. I made a complaint via the chat window and I got told that it must be me...which of course it is 100% not me at all. Then I was told the number was attached to a DM Group whatever that is and that because I must have done this I wasn't going to get any help.

So I made a complaint with O2 complaint system only to get contacted today to say the same thing 'it must be you and we don't care that you didn't actually do anything'. They just tell me send 'STOP' or 'STOP ALL' which does nothing at all to stop them or they tell me to call the customer service of the number which I know I will get charged a stupid amount for calling the number of.

I have made another complaint with phonepayplus today so I will see if they actually help me this time round.

These texts are hidden from me as they do not show in my inbox on my iphone 5. I have tried using the 'block this contact/number' feature on the phone that doesn't seem to work clearly.

I am so sick of this happening and I'm really beginning to worry that the debt problems I got into thanks to Orange will happen again with O2 and then I won't be able to trust any phone company to not have this happen again.

I don't understand how it can happen, I only use Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram social media sites, I sometimes use google if I need to but very rarely and I play online Tapped Out, Candy Crush, Plants V.S Zombies.

I don't see how any of those sites would cause me to get hackers using my phone for an hour (the texts started from 18: 56 to 19:00 all of the 4th Feb) and I get the charges and no one at O2 cares enough about their customers to help them when these kinds of things happen. Especially when it's happened 3 times now!

And just because I'm on contract doesn't mean I can afford to pay these extra charges if they go up any higher from £15 to the £100s and £100s that I was being charged before I got into debt.

[Anonymous]

O2 allow these charges as some people do use these higher premium services.

Have you perhaps thought of changing your mobile number which is free for the first time.

I know it's drastic but at least it has a better chance of stopping these unwanted charges.

[MI5]

It has to be connected to something you are doing. I know you won't agree but as the same thing happened with orange it's too much of a coincidence. Some of these games have in app purchases which charge you by text for extra credits or lives etc. Mobile games are written this way too catch people out and that seems to be what is happening to you.
Sorry but no network will pay your online games charges however unfair you think it is. You just have to stop playing them or buying extra credits.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone else had use of your phone that could have set something up

[Anonymous]

Have you tried calling the companies customer care line? 01494 750500

[Anonymous]

I never buy anything when playing the games. I only connect because tapped out can only be played online.

I don't have the money to buy in game purchases and I always click away if I get asked to or a message pops up saying that I could buy them.

So it can't be anything within the games I play as I don't buy anything from the shops or buy in game purchases, such as donuts in tapped out.

[Anonymous]

I'm very protective of my phone and won't allow anyone I know or do not know to use it.

I've never let anyone use any of my past phones either.

[Anonymous]

Whilst I agree changing my number may help, it just a lot of hassle when you've had to learn a new number from the start after changing phone companies and you have told everyone you know the number to then have to do it all again but I might have to consider it if this keeps happening.

[Anonymous]

I don't dare to as I've researched the short codes and people who have phoned the customer care numbers of the short codes and they get charged quite a lot of money for doing it because they're calling from a mobile and it doesn't really actually stop the problem as it just encourages the company the short code belongs to, to keep sending these hidden texts.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Whilst I agree changing my number may help, it just a lot of hassle when you've had to learn a new number from the start after changing phone companies and you have told everyone you know the number to then have to do it all again but I might have to consider it if this keeps happening.

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I appreciate it is drastic like i mentioned in my post suggesting this but in the long run do you want to continue fighting these types of charges, or go through some short term hassle in changing your number with companies and friends.