‘Value-added’ scams through numbers 239, 2474

I write regarding a recent experience with one of the telecom service providers in the Philippines. I am the owner of a prepaid account with the company for the longest time that I can remember. Specifically, this is about “lost/missing loads.”

I had noticed that my load decreased faster than I was using my cell phone. Suspecting that something was wrong, I decided to start the day by checking on my load balance, which showed me having P59-worth of load. After which, I deliberately did not use my cell phone to text or  call. A few hours later, when I checked again my balance, I was surprised to find out a P30-deduction from my load. I then called the telco, persevering through a series of recordings that would test anyone’s patience.

Finally connected with a real person in a call center agent, I asked for an explanation. From the agent’s record it appeared that I had received text messages from numbers 239 and 2474. These messages, the agent told me, accounted for the lost P30-worth of load. She also told me that these were “value-added services” of the company through a third party.

Article 2 of Republic Act 7349 (Consumer Act of the Philippines) states that the State shall implement measures to achieve the following:

protection against deceptive, unfair and unconscionable sales acts and practices; and provide information and education to facilitate sound choice and the proper exercise of rights by the consumer.

I cite these provisions because I regard the 239 and 2474 messages as “spam,” or unwanted mail. While it is true that they come with the option to “unsubscribe,” the impression given is that they are not unlike all other received text messages or voice calls which are charged only to the sender, not to the recipient. One would therefore assume that a recipient gets charged only when he responds to the message. This is apart from the fact that the messages are the service provider’s promotional materials.

I may be no lawyer, but had the service provider informed me at the onset, as required by RA 7349, that an exorbitant fee of P10 would be charged for each of its promo texts, I would have immediately “unsubscribed” to that “service.” I call it “exorbitant” because the charge is even higher than the fee for a regular voice call, and much more so than that for an ordinary text message which the promo texts basically are. In fact, I see those texts as part of a monstrous scam disguised as “promotional gimmicks.”

As of this writing, my demand for a reversal of my “lost” load (Reference No. 407400256) is awaiting a definite response from the company. I hope it will be a positive response. I believe it is my right as a consumer to get back my money. Also, as a concerned citizen, I feel it is my obligation to make people aware of this setup. The funny thing is that it is even named as a value-added service, but to whose account the value is added, one can only guess.

—ARIEL R. SALUMBIDES,

concerned citizen,

[email protected]