Posted by jonzo247
Hi,
I would advise everyone who reads this, not to buy content from Jamster for their mobile phone, only once you have bought a ringtone, or picture etc, from them they will then send you further random text messages advertising their services, and if you read the message you get charged £4.
I can confirm that at least 3 people I know have been charged at least £10 by Jamster just for reading text messages they sent. It also looks like one person I know has had his SMS Centre number changed without him knowing so that any SMS he sends are sent via Jamster and not 02, incurring a 60p charge per SMS rather than the more usual 10p.
Jon
Posted by methylated_spirit
I sent away for a ringtone from them once, never again. Cost me £7, after all the txts etc, never even got the ringtone.
Posted by Chazzer3
I am afraid if you buy from Jamster you must be pretty dumb, (or drunk), when all the content they ask you to pay for is available free of charge on the internet,
my appologies to anyone that has bought from Jamster or similar,
Posted by twerg
A mate of mind decided to buy a ringtone from then a couple of months ago, he got his tone but on a regular basis they now send him more content, and charge him without his sayso. Very difficult for him to quit this service. Beware everyone, they are scammers!
Posted by methylated_spirit
Yeah thats the "club" isnt it? They rip you off snd call it a club, the legislation really needs looked at.
Posted by jonzo247
Legislation for these companies needs to be looked at. I once bought 2 tones from another mobile content company, but never recieved them, and when e-mailed them asking them for help etc, they ignored the e-mails. It seems that if it don't work, they expect you to try again, thus lining their pockets as you might try and get a ringtone 3-4 times before you give up and realise it aint gonna working, wasting between £5 and £10, with no hope of getting a refund at all.
I don't think it is right for a company to sell you a ringtone etc, then send you more content which you have to pay for, even though you don't want it, without offering you the chance to stop them sending things to you.
If the company concerned has changed your SMS centre to make even more money out of you, that should be made illegal. It just goes to show that some companies have no morals at all.
Jon
[ This Message was edited by: jonzo247 on 2005-01-05 10:42 ]
Posted by govigov
How can they change the message centre number? It can only be changed by the service provider. (Correct me if i am wrong.)
Posted by twerg
A mate of mine bought a ringtone from this 'service' (scam) and ever since he has been charged $5aud every month for on additional content. Was very difficult for him to quit this service too. Beware, this is a Dodgy service and as always, read the find print!
Posted by OluYom
This is amazing! Isnt there a way you guys can complain to say, a regulatry authority? Or find their webhost/domain registrar to complain & get the site pulled down. That works in many instances.
Posted by methylated_spirit
Jamster are absolutely huge, i doubt that a couple of complaints would do anything...though how they can get away with it in the first place is beyond me
Posted by joebmc
I just hate the jamster ad's on TV, for example on MTV there always on in the ad's (and most other music channels). I dont think the channels realise there losing viewers cos I image most viewers (like me) switch channels as soon as they see them annoying ringtone adverts (I especially cant stand that “crazy frog” one).
I’m sure there’s a text to unsubscribe from them something like “text STOP to 8080”, if anyone knows the unsubscribe text please post it to help other’s get these coning company’s from taking our money!
Posted by OluYom
@meths: No harm in trying. It may look like a couple of complaints at the onset, but you'd be shocked how many others would speak up and take a stand once someone steps up. "All that it takes for evil to flourish..."
Posted by Jake Blues
i heard a while back that these companies were being forced to just use the word "STOP" as a method to unsubscribe, instead of all sorts of stupid codes.
a couple of years back i was sat in the pub half drunk when i got about 6 texts from a company called O2FWD, like an idiot i subscribed to all 6 services but then deleted the texts with stop codes. all i could remember was that they were all different and all crazy, something like: 1g4d5s.
up to this day, if i had credit on that sim,i still get about 12 texts a week from them at 25p each, all "amazing" facts that i actually dont give a damn about and dont make my life better in any way!
Posted by Sammy_boy
Do Jamster have a website that would have the 'stop' codes on?
I personally wouldn't touch these kind of companies with a barge pole, paying £3-4 odd pounds just for a ringtone is ludicrous, let alone them then sending you random crap and charging you a similar amount. If you want different ringtones for you phone, go on to ebay - there are sellers on there that will sell you a CD with literally thousands of ringtones, pictures, images etc. for £3 or £4 - the same as one rip off tone from somewhere like Jamster.
I agree too - whenever I have a music channel on and that advert comes on yet again, I get an almost uncontrollable urge to put my fist through the TV, which is a shame, as the original video/cartoon is very funny!
Posted by stridey512
I feel sorry for any one who falls for this.
a) You can get the content for free of the net
b) Its a rip off
c) Once your in your trapped
Theses companies need sorting but it does always say on the adverts, scrolling across the bottom.
Just teaches you to always read the small print!!
Posted by fatreg
I see it daily and its funny as you like,
if people are stupid enough to want to get a ringtone etc without reading the small print you all deserve to be in the so called "clubs"
on the other hand for any of you that are in these "clubs" replying with STOP to the 5 digit short code will stop the service its a iminent requirement from what i can gather.
fatreg
Posted by jonzo247
I don't think it is funny when you see this happening. Soemtimes people have no alternative to use these services to get their ringtones etc, as their phone has no way of sending data to it from a PC or another phone.
It is time that regulatory bodies of the world stopped these companies from trading, or made it clear to them that once they have sold the ringtone, they are not to charge the customer another penny, and if the ringtone purchase doesn't work then the company should be forced to sort it out, without charging the earth to do so.
Posted by OluYom
I agree about the regulatory bodies doing something. But then we can act too. The power of information can be harnessed here. Post about them in forums you visit. Write letters for publication in newspapers. If you have a personal site, carry reports there.. etc. The idea is: Do Something. Speak out publicly against injustice.
Posted by Peter77
I subscribed to them by accident while trying to download a tone!
I lost £6 credit leaving me with 22p just enough to send "stop" to END the SUBSCRIPTION.
Will jamster send me any more texts that will charge me or should I be OK?
And if not what should I do to stop them.
I want to top-up on monday knowing Jamster won't rip me off again!
Posted by Peter77
I have contacted billing@jamster.co.uk
and they've offered me a refund of £5.
Now I have to sort out how they're going to get it to me!
Posted by lapping-dog
If you live in the UK, try www.neversquare.co.uk, you get to send a number of midi ringtones to your mobile for free, they only charge you when you explicitly buy credits. The only thing with these guys is you have to find the midi files yourself on the web but that's easy on www.musicrobot.com
Posted by karlygirly726
I bought a Jamster ringtone ( the party bee one ) and when I got it, it only played like 5 seonds of it, then replayed it self. I am so dissapointed in them. I send them a comment saying that if they dont fix it, that im going to cancel their plan and give bad recommendations until they fix it. but I was so happy that i got the ringtone, but then I heard a it, and it just says:
The buzz in town, i'm commin around, so come with me me, cause im the party bee.
thats it, then it just repeats. AhhH!!!
Posted by thebaron
In the UK this is, or is going to be made, illegal practice.
Contact ICSTIS with dates & times and so on and they should look into it.
Also contact your mobile operator.
http://www.icstis.org.uk/
Posted by big kid
hi i just wanted to say that i have found out how to get rid of jamster wot you do is call 0870 121 7397 they are called jamba but it is all the same thing jamba and jamsters are the same wot you do is call the number and ask the people to block the text messages and stop you subscribing to the service full stop the call is to germany but your local rates appily so dont worry about the phone bill charge and they refund all of the credit that they have taken but they will only refund it into a bank account hope this helps
kid!
Posted by fatreg
anotehr way is phone em and tell your under the age of 16 and cant by law sign you up to anythnig!!
they will soon stop texting you!
9 times out of 10 you have ti go on the web to download rington anyway so why not just go to your service providers webpage and do it from there??
fatreg