Instant Messaging Fraud

Imagine if you will, that everytime you receive a SPAM email, you get billed for it on your next month's internet bill.

That would piss you off to no extent would it? Especially if you programmed your inbox to automatically send those SPAM emails to the junk folder or the trash bin without reading them. When you inquirer with your internet service provider, you are told that if you had read the email, at the bottom, in fine print, it said that if you did not wish to receive those anymore, you had to reply back with the word STOP.

That's what the CRTC is allowing companies who send instant messages to do through your cell phone provider. I once "texted" to Coors for a contest through Boston Pizza and obviously didn't win the trip with the pretty girls at the Coors Mansion but what I did win was the obligation to pay $60-$70 a month in texting fees. That's right, apparently, the company that hosted the contest was sending me text messages and I wanted nothing to do with it so I would delete without reading. BIG mistake! They charge you for that and at a premium rate too.

What I didn't know (because I wasn't reading the texts) was that if I did not wish to receive those text anymore was to reply with the word STOP. It took three months of billing but my wife was able to convince ROGERS to delete all charges on my phone and my 14 year old's phone which totaled upwards of $300 in "premium text".

This is robbery pure and simple and I cannot believe that the government allows such a business to function this way. If you think about the SPAM email example, it is the same thing. Imagine how frustrating that would be.
Anyway, I know better now and so does my family but I'm still cautious about using my phone for anything other than phoning someone.

Hope you don't get caught like I did.

Cheers!

My first post

Well! I guess I'm a Blogger now.

Don't know who will ever read this but my intent is to throw anything and everything I can think of into this Blog. I'm working on a project for the Canadian Air Force Officer Development Program and we are under a tight timeline so a lot of the posts will be me venting my frustration.

I'm also a Pilot by trade and I have not flown since 2002 so as you can see by my Blog Name, I Need to Stretch my Wings very soon.

I'll play around with the Blog page until I'm happy with the setup.

Cheers! For now.