Evil 3rd party Subscriptions!

I'm very sorry that your spouse's phone received these text messages. 

Were you able to apply the purchase blocker to his/her phone to avoid these issues in the future?

It is extremely helpful for you (and your spouse) to report those text messages as spam. That is how AT&T is able to take action against spammers. Here is a link with more information about reporting text messages: http://forums.att.com/t5/Wireless-Billing/3rd-Party-Subscriptions-amp-Purchase-Blocker/td-p/3095123

Will you please please send me a private message with your name, account number, phone number and the best time to contact you? Let's see what we can do about your refund. 




To send a private message, you can either click on the link in this message or click on the little blue envelope in the upper right hand corner, click "compose new message" and type my username in the "Send To" field.

I am truly frustrated by these 3rd party charges and question their legality. My son's phone was being charged for services we could not even locate on his phone...or figure out how he "subscribed". The provider website listed on my bill for these charges was not a website in which I could contact or cancel the charges. How could a company as large as AT&T link their brand and name to such a shady company? AND why should I have to pay AT&T to protect/block such charges. AT&T must have better contact information as I am sure the $9.99 per month is being sent to someone? (right customer support person?) Tell me why you are associated with such companies and explain why you have to charge the customer to block them?? I am not convinced AT&T is doing this without making some of that $9.99...

---

@Fireside111 wrote:
I just spent 45 minutes getting $200 of these fraudulent charges off of my bill. The customer service rep, though helpful, denied that she had ever heard of such a scam. This is pretty much the last straw with AT&T, Verizon here I come.

---

wonlt change anything, it is universal to all carriers - if you want to lower the chances of this occurring, call and put a free purchase block on the phone lines. BTW while being frustrating and time envasive, unfortunately it is not a scam - someplace some where in the link there was a buried agreement to be charged, if you downloaded a "free" ringtone, wallpaper, background, taken a quiz on facebook or twitter, reponsed to a unsolicited text message you gave permission for the reoccurring charge - also, there are a few that if you do not respond to the agreement you authorized by default.

Spare yourself the expense of changing carriers if this is the reason, it will happen there also, verizon, sprint, t-mobile, cricket, you name the carrier, it is a problem there also. Save yourself money and just call in and request a purchase block

---

@Fireside111 wrote:
I just spent 45 minutes getting $200 of these fraudulent charges off of my bill. The customer service rep, though helpful, denied that she had ever heard of such a scam. This is pretty much the last straw with AT&T, Verizon here I come.

---

I am very sorry that you were charged by this third party service. Wingrider's suggestion of the purchase blocker is a great one and helps prevent accidental subscriptions that result in charges. As he noted, these companies often bury the cost associated with the service and it's not noticed. 

Please let me know if you need assistance with the purchase blocker. 

---

     If the line is not a smart phone it can be done online without calling in. Source

Block your child from making Mobile Purchases
     AT&T offers Parental Controls at no additional cost. Currently smartphone users must contact AT&T Customer Service at 1-800-331-0500 or dial 611 from your mobile device, to add Parental controls.

 

Add Parental Controls for non-smartphone users

     To enable Parental controls on non-smartphone devices, you will need to access AT&T Mobile Web from the device.
Learn how to access AT&T Mobile Web

     Find out how to set up and use your phone on the Device How-To Center. Click Select your device and choose a device brand and model, then look under Device instructions > Apps, tones & web > Web to view instructions for accessing AT&T Mobile Web from your device.

Enable Purchase Block on your child's phone

• Log in to Mobile Web.
• Go to My Account on the Mobile Web menu.
• Select Parental Controls.
• Select Purchase Blocker.
• About AT&T Smart Controls
  
       AT&T Smart Controls is an online destination where AT&T customers can manage content/location, control spending, increase safety, and limit time for their Wireless, Internet, TV, and U-verse services. To find out more about popular tools such as AT&T Smart Limits for Wireless, AT&T Internet Parental Controls, and AT&T U-verse TV Parental Controls, refer to: AT&T Smart Controls.