Vodafone Text Adverts

Fnz

When I check my Vodafone credit balance (*174#) I'm presented with an semi-coherent advert - written as presented on phone:

FREEtxt PIZZA to 50015 to get a complimentary FourStarPizza at any store!MobyCool is 2.50euro/3days18s MTL0818300048 Quit? Text Stop.

So, if I understand it correctly (in conjunction with what I read on this thread) it implies that I can somehow get a free pizza, at any Four Star Pizza store (pick-up only). However by taking advantage of the offer I am subscribing to the MobyCool service, which costs €2.50 every 3 days 18 seconds (). I can quit the service by texting "stop" (presumably 50015).

Has anyone used this service? How did this jumbled mess of an advert get by quality control?


Also, previously I received a regular text message, reported as being from Vodafone, offering 20% extra credit should I top up via Bank of Ireland. I got on to Vodafone, when I didn't receive the extra credit, who told me the message must have been sent by a third party and that the sender's identity can be spoofed to show "Vodafone". So am I right in now assuming all messages to be a load of bunk; is there an easy (and free) way to verify the legitimacy of these text offers?

Random

Since I switched one of my numbers to Vodafone those bloody messages on *174# are more annoying than anything. They're very unclear and they really do seem designed to take advantage of people who don't speak shorthand or understand how premium texts work. I understand networks are out ot make money but this just seems below the belt.

As for verfying SMS are legit - the only sure way is to call customer care and ask them. Generally they will be able to contact the promotions debt, check the list of people contacted in relation to each promotion and see if your number is on the list.

Ah-Watch

DONT subscribe to them please, I beg you! I hate ALL the Subscription services as they take advantage of customers, racking up huge bills(often against th rules I read on ComReg website) and then I have people crying that "I put in €20 for my free texts and its gone already!" I loved the way vodafone didn't have these messages on *174# but they have appeared over the last year and I think they should remove them, it'd make my life just a little simpler:cool:

Fnz

Got another message the other day; very similar to the one I got before offering 20% extra if I topped up by €30 at Bank of Ireland.

Get EUR6 extra credit when you top up by EUR30 with AIB, Bank of Ireland or at www.vodafone.ie before 28 Feb 09. Optout1800200234

Did anybody receive same? I want to trust them but have been burned in the past.

Ah-Watch wrote: »

DONT subscribe to them please, I beg you! I hate ALL the Subscription services as they take advantage of customers, racking up huge bills(often against th rules I read on ComReg website) and then I have people crying that "I put in €20 for my free texts and its gone already!" I loved the way vodafone didn't have these messages on *174# but they have appeared over the last year and I think they should remove them, it'd make my life just a little simpler:cool:

Agreed, I was never going to subscribe - and would prefer to just see my balance when dialling *174# but "in these trying economic times" it make sense for them to attempt to get some ad revenue from a free service.

Ah-Watch

Fnz wrote: »

Got another message the other day; very similar to the one I got before offering 20% extra if I topped up by €30 at Bank of Ireland.
Did anybody receive same? I want to trust them but have been burned in the past.
quote]


this one is legit, it says 1800200234 which is the vodafone alerts line where you can sign up to new notifiactions etc. You can trust this one:)

Fnz

Thanks for the reply. I might just have to take them up on their mediocre offer.

Hobbes

I got one just now to sign up to some website called zyb where they will charge me to download my phone contacts and store them.

Looked a lot like spam and didn't feel like phoning the optout number on it. As when you reply to any spam you end up getting sucked dry.

So I ring vodafone and put on hold for some time. With continual breaks in the music with just enough pause to think someone is responding to you but the auto-responder kicks in.

Guy on the phone said the spam was legit and so was the number.

The next annoyance is trying to unsubscribe. It isn't very helpful, although it does warn you to save the options and not hang up until it is confirmed. So I went through the menus twice and confirmed I had unsubscribed.

Just as it said it was saved someone picked up the phone and asked how they could assist me. So verified that I was unsubscribed. Probably need to check again tomorrow to be sure.

I found the whole thing time consuming and annoying.

shellyboo

Fnz wrote: »

by taking advantage of the offer I am subscribing to the MobyCool service, which costs €2.50 every 3 days 18 seconds ().

I think they mean '18s' as in, you must be over 18... Maybe!!

I wouldn't be happy with that at all, I don't think Vodafone should be advertising those subscription services... expecially not when you're just checking your balance.

drunkmonkey

Hobbes wrote: »

I got one just now to sign up to some website called zyb where they will charge me to download my phone contacts and store them.

Is zyb not a free service, well excluding data charges?

Fnz

Hobbes wrote: »

Looked a lot like spam and didn't feel like phoning the optout number on it. As when you reply to any spam you end up getting sucked dry.

Yeah - I'm always afraid that, by using the opt-out number, I'd eventually end up being asked to prove that I did not, in fact, contact that number to sign up for their 'super premium' service.

I found the whole thing time consuming and annoying.

A PR triumph for Vodafone! :rolleyes:

Sam Vimes

Fnz wrote: »

which costs €2.50 every 3 days 18 seconds ()

that's not 18 seconds, it's saying you have to be 18 or over :P, ie 18's

Hobbes wrote: »

I got one just now to sign up to some website called zyb where they will charge me to download my phone contacts and store them.

Looked a lot like spam and didn't feel like phoning the optout number on it. As when you reply to any spam you end up getting sucked dry.

zyb is free except for data charges and isn't a subscription service. it's a fantastic website