Facebook 'games' and mobile phone charges

I’m always irritated when I see my cellphone bill. I just think the prices we pay for mobile service are outrageous. Period. But this month it was higher than usual, and I started going down the charges item by item.

WTF?!!!!!

$9.99 for IQ Quiz Amazing Facts?

$14.99 for PlayPhone, Inc?

$9.99 for SendMe Auction alerts?

After sitting there and fuming for a few minutes, my head cleared and yes, I did play a couple of those innocent little games on Facebook where the ‘results’ are sent to your mobile phone. I couldn’t understand at the time why they’d go to my cell phone. Now I do.

It’s a money making scam that ought to be outlawed, as in fucking illegal. I’m sure it’s in the fine print legalese somewhere on the site, but if I’m not reading that, I doubt many other people are either.

All of my text messages didn’t amount to more than $3.00 and using the Google Maps data upload while in San Francisco only came to a grand total of .65 cents.

So, beware of these little Facebook games that just all of your friends supposedly want you to play. Your friends couldn’t probably give a rats ass less, but the scam marketing company does.

There’s not much I can do about these, but I can sure avoid them in the future.

Fool me once…

maven

Comments

[bluelyon]

They didn't even fool me once. I started to take that IQ thingie several months ago and realized right away that they wanted a whole lot more than your average FB quiz. I declined and moved on, ever more wary of those quizzes and other apps. The thing is, it isn't my friends that are inviting me...it's a scam of the app.

Good warning!

[Dylan]

Maven, nice blog and I'm sorry to read about your problems with cell charges. Given that you're only online with you phone for limited periods, I think it's very probable that you are unnecessarily paying too much by being on the wrong data plan--especially since I've seen data that suggests 80% of us overpay for cell phones. I would add, however, that there are a few effective ways to fight back. Pardon the name dropping, but I work for the consumer advocacy website, http://www.fixmycellbill.com , that slashes the average cell bill by 28 percent. As the consumer protection division of the company Validas, fixmycellbill.com has currently audited nearly 30,000 cell lines and has saved consumers over $5 million (and counting) off their wireless bills. You can see Validas in the national news media, most recently on Good Morning America at http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/MakeMoney/story?id=7640149&page=1.

Good luck to you and everyone reading. I'll give out my email, it's dylan@fixmycellbill.com, for anyone who wants free advice from an industry insider on getting fair cell phone rates.

Dylan