Tips to avoid unexpected charges on your bill

[Teressa]

I have received a 15.00 GBP additional charge upon my bill for Premium Text messages for 85222, linked to 03330030581. After research I have not made messages to either this this message or to this number.

Can you please explain why. Also after trying to phone O2 CSC the free telephone number comes up as 'Potential Fraud'!

This has more than doubled my monthly charge.

I have got a number of telephone call from a 'Potential Fraud' that has been picked up by my security system on my phone.

Can someone please look at this immediately, I have tried to contact yourselves on 3 occasions but the receiver is placed down.

Failure to answer within 7 working days is breach of Ofcom's complaint procedure and being that I am a Key Worker upon the C-19 7 days does include weekends.

Your immediate responses in writing only please.

[jonsie]

@Payforit_Sucks?

[Payforit_Sucks]

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@madasaf1sh wrote:
@Teresa,

And to add you have to prove that you did not click / reply or add your mobile number to a 3rd party.

Things to do:
Report it to the PSA as you have been advised and let them deal with it, report to Action Fraud that's it

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We'll reply to @Teressa in a few minutes, to try to clear up her confusion!

To clarify a couple of points:

Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, where the existence of a contract is in dispute, the burden of proof rests with the service provider and not with the consumer. The consumer doesn't have to prove they didn’t subscribe, the service provider has to prove that they did!

Sadly PSA will not "deal with it". They are a regulator, not an ombudsman. They regulate these services but do not get involved in individual disputes. So in addition to reporting the matter to the PSA, @Teressa should insist on a full refund from Tap2Bill unless they can provide said evidence of subscription.

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[Payforit_Sucks]

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@Teressa wrote:
From PSA: "Most phone-paid services operate well and consumers are not just happy to use them, but also experience few problems. But when a problem does arise, many consumers will want a refund.

Consumers are sometimes surprised to learn that it is not our role to handle individual requests for refunds or to handle individual cases. That’s because PSA is a regulator and not an ombudsman or an arbitrator. We are here to set the standards which the industry must follow - in our case in the form of a Code of Practice. We have an investigations and enforcement role, but that is focussed on determining whether the service and service provider are following our regulatory requirements - or not."
So it is up to O2 to make sure they are compliant with Security and Confidentiality which they are obviously not.
A question that I have placed to them and they have yet to answer. cc NCA into the email also.

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@Teressa 

You seem confused about a number of things

• This is a consumer forum. The people answering your query here are O2 Customers like you, not O2 staff
• Payforitsucks is a website that exists to help victims of fraud like you. We have never been investigated by BBC Watchdog, but have assisted them in their investigations.
• Tap2Bill are a supposedly reputable company who have never to our knowlege been the subject of an investigation. They are a subsidiary of an even larger company, Imimobile. They do have a history of being involved in processing scam phone payments, and have a poor choice of business partner, but have never been found to have acted unlawfully. The "charges" you found on the Companies House record are not related to any investigation - they are charges like the one that your mortgage company puts on your home. It shows that the company owed money and that's all. 

You've had some good advice here. O2 won't usually help you resolve issues with "third party payments". We would agree with you that this is morally and ethically wrong, but that's how it is.

Your claim is against the company that originated the payment. That's probably not Tap2Bill, but a "service provider" they do business with. You need to contact Tap2Bill. If you phone, call during working hours, or you can email customer.service@tap2bill.com. Give them the number that was charged and they should be able to tell you who was actually responsible.

When you know who was responsible, you need to contact them to insist on a FULL refund. If they don't agree to refund you should ask them for

• Screenshots of the subscription workflow where you were alleged to have signed up for this service (as they were at the time of your alleged subscription).
• A description of what the service you are supposed to have subscribed to provides. Is this a newsletter, access to a web portal, a competition? How would it have been accessed if you had used it?
• Any evidence that after supposedly signing up for the service, you actually used it
• The complete web server log of the subscription, including the User Agent strings containing all device details (browser, device type, device IP address) together with dates and times.
• If the alleged subscription started on or after 1st November 2019, auditable evidence that the PSA rules regarding two factor authorisation have been followed.
• Full company details of the company claiming to have a contract with you, country of registration, full name of company, company number and registered company address.
• Details of the Accredited Payment Intermediary(API) that handled your payment.
• Details of the company’s disputes procedure, including any ADR scheme available to you should they refuse to give you a full refund.

If this advice fails to get you a refund, contact us through the website and we'll help you further.

[Cleoriff]

Thanks for all that information @Payforit_Sucks and for pointing out that we are a Customer community and NOT O2.

I was starting to feel we were in the firing line for problems/statements/issues @Teressa kept referring to.

As customers we can only offer limited support, so I'm pleased to see you back on the forum with your excellent informative advice.

[Teressa]

Just had a look at my bill this morning and I have accrued another Premium Rate Charge, despite not even being upon my mobile.
I have forwarded a message to yourselves regarding this matter. I have considered changing my telephone number but am unable to as it is linked to the NHS. Also, I cannot send an email as it linked to my NHS account too, this week we have a Teams meeting. I notice that you are contracted by O2 to deal with complaints such as this, can you please forward to me a proactive suggestion and as you have direct contact with O2 what they intend to do about this as it has been ongoing now since 2013.
Because my computer is linked to Confidential information I cannot risk placing our patients at risk.
I look forward to your replies.

[Teressa]

CnP from customer:

"Re: Premium texts from 85222
Options
on ‎**Personal info**13 22:34

This has just happened to me, and I am pay monthly. I assumed the first text was from O2. It asked me to reply DEVICE to confirm my entry to iPhone 5. As there are various free texts like 'priority moments' from O2 I just did that. Then there were invites to answer questions to win something, which I ignored, until I was invited to text STOP if I didn't want any more texts, so I texted STOP. But I have noticed I have an unexpected item of £11.33 on my bill! Never any mention in any of the texts about consent! I am shocked that they can do this! What do I do now?"

Why haven't O2 and others done something about these people, it is obviously an ongoing issue that customers are having.

On the 19 June 2020 I received an additional 15 GBP placed upon my bill. After discussing this upon o2 customer portal I awoke this morning to find another 1.50 GBP upon my bill from the 20 June 2020.

I have not received anything at all.

The PSA have been informed, a message and complaint forwarded to PayforitSucks, what does O2 intend to do about it?

I have been told to change my mobile number, however this is linked to my NHS account and is needed for emergency calls as I work upon the C-19 Support Unit.

Proactive suggestions requested please.

[Cleoriff]

@Teressa 

I know this is more than annoying for you but I repeat, as have others, this is NOT O2.

We are a community forum made up of customers like yourself.

@Payforit_Sucks  (along with others) have given you some excellent advice on this thread. Could I suggest you read it and base any actions on what has already been said?

You should be directing your concerns to O2 and the company charging you monthly.

If you want to call O2 to place Bar All To Bill Debits and a Charge to Mobile bar on your account, then contact them on any numbers in this guide

Guide: Coronavirus Community Help and Support 

The number ending 4005 is the best one to call.

We can do nothing else for you here.

PS: If you wish to make a complaint then follow the advice here https://www.o2.co.uk/how-to-complain 

[Teressa]

@Payforit_Sucks are contracted by O2 to look into matters such as this, it says so on their promotional information upon their website.

I have tried to contact O2 constantly on the 20 June 2020 but I get an automated voice and then the phone goes dead.

PSA can't do anything they are regulators, Action Fraud says it's up to O2 to sort out.

I haven't received any text messages, I only found the Premium Rate Text upon the O2 website so they are more than aware of the situation as it has been ongoing since O2.

How can I place a block upon anything when I can't get in touch with anyone?

[Cleoriff]

Have you tried any or all of the numbers in the guide I posted?

As I said, the best one currently is 0800 587 4005. Most people who come to the forum have had success with that number.

Remember, many of O2 operatives are working remotely from home, due to social distancing requirements. This is why we have been given numerous numbers, all in the guide.

[madasaf1sh]

Thanks for the update @Payforit_Sucks and apologies for my advice being slightly incorrect, always good to learn new things 🙂