I was reviewing my March 2009 AT&T cellular phone invoice and noticed two(2) monthly subscription charges.
One (1) Subscription-'Digital Content'
Content Provider-'PlayPhone Inc' for $14.99
short code#77888
Type-MT
One (1) Subscription-'Flycell Downloads'
Content Provider-'Flycell' for $19.99
short code#69999
Type-MT
I contacted AT&T and inquired to what these charges were for, the AT&T employee informed me that they were communication charges for two (2) separate subscriptions. I informed her that no one had authorized any subscription orders for our account, she informed me that she would process a cancellation order and credit request, but I would have to pay the full amount of the current invoice and receive a credit for the credited charges on my next invoice.
I informed her I was unhappy with doing this but I would, I then asked how such unauthorized charges could be processed on my AT&T invoice and she informed me that it was probably due to an unanswered text message to this cell phone number, that automaticly processes a subscription if the recipient does not respond to the text message.
I then informed her that there must be some type of marketing connection between ATT&T and these subscription company's and definitely was not happy hearing that this type of senerio could even exist and stated I was would like to cancell my three(3) cell phone accounts also. I asked to speak to some one who was directly affiliated with this marketing operation technique, she then asked me to hold for a moment, she returned and informed me that the credit would be applied within 48 hours and the cancellation and future block would be initiated on all my phones. I thanked her for time and assistance.
This type of marketing procedure is nothing more then "fraudulent sales' and needs to discontinued by AT&T immediately.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
If you want to file a complaint, I went to the Playphone site and there is a BBB (Better Business Bureau) Icon in the corner. If not on the main page, go to Frequently Asked Questions and it shows on that page. Click on the Icon and it will take you right to their site. There's a place to file a complaint with the San Jose, CA BBB where Playphone is located. I filed and if we can flood them with complaints, something is bound to be done. rkhaley