Skip to main content

How Kenyan mobile users are "accidentally" charged for services they didn't buy

Texts showing unsusbcription
from RoamTech's 2254 and
refund of deducted airtime.
RoamTech has subscribed
StartTimes clients to other
billable services.
Last time, I told you guys about how some fishy company was deducting my Safaricom airtime, silently.

Well, I found the chaps, and found that I wasn't the only one affected by this scam. If you ever owned a StarTimes decoder, and used the *850# , well, guess what, your airtime might be disappearing to some company known as RoamTech. To be clear, StarTimes here might have nothing to do with this, since RoamTech was just their supplier, providing them with the *850# service. The use of the numbers using the service for other purposes might not have been passed through them.

Located at the 1st floor of Mayfair Business Centre, just behind Mayfair Restaurant and Casino in WestLands. I then demanded an explanation as to why the chaps have been deducting robbing me of deducting my airtime.

Well, the company was migrating to a new system, and in the process, conveniently mixed up their databases, and ended up having the wrong subscribers on the database which is charged KSh. 30 to receive ringtones and other stuff.

They duly refunded the KSh. 120 that they had robbed deducted from my account.

Now, in the last episode of the saga, Safaricom customer care staff had informed me that all they could do is unsubscribe me from the 22554 content - to get a refund, I had to contact the PRSP, who were not picking up calls.

Some caring person from Safaricom later explained that Safaricom, and the rest - Orange, Airtel and Yu -  are required by the Communications Commission of Kenya (Serikali) to charge subscribers on behalf of PRSPs, who have a legal contract to take your money.

Customer care and other Safaricom staff had also told me that I must have subscribed to the PRSPs services, one way or another - maybe by clicking some advert on the Internet and giving my number.

Nope - as I came to find out later, those short codes, *somenumber# are provided by some PRSPs. PRSPs are also notorious for "mixing up their databases" , much in the same way a bartender would mix cocktails, with the result being that people who were using some service end up being  billed for a new service.

Eg, You may have taken part in "Shinda Smart 6969", with your taking part coming to an end when the competition closed. However, the guy running the competition will "accidentally" subscribe to some ringtone service, which all these guys have.

PRSPs exploit Safaricom's new system 

 Now, there's something that Safaricom don't want to say.
Cheeky Safaricom won't admit someone
took them for a ride

The company came up with a new system, to which they migrated all those on some PRSP service to. To do this, they asked PRSPs to forward the phone numbers they were billing for some services.

PRSPs then did some mixology and forwarded all phone numbers they had, including those not being billed for any services. The migration was done in phases over the last three months to June. That explains why a number of people started receiving Spam SMS out of the blue, say, asking them to buy some ringtone or MP3.

Those receiving the services were being billed. Investigation reveal that Safaricom came to discover later that the PRSPs had played some nice trick on them when suddenly, there were many people complaining. I gather they noticed this after my complaint, and that now clients are being told that investigations and reversals will be done, without them asking them to contact the company like in my case. Not sure of that though.

That explains how Roamtech started billing me, and many others.

Checking if subscribed and what to do

You can check if you are subscribed to any such services by dialling *100*7*1# on Safaricom.

Safaricom Director of Legal Affairs, Nzioka Waita, says that the firm has blacklisted a good number of PRSPs who have been misbehaving.

We can only hope that CCK will come up with guidelines to stop PRSPs "accidentally" mixing up stuff.

Oh, and by the way, you can report any communication provider you feel is not living up to their bargain to CCK on the below contacts


Tel: +254-20-4242555 / 4455555

Mobile: +254-703-042555 / 714-444555

Email: chukuahatua@cck.go.ke

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

RE: Appointment as Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to The United States of America

Image: South African marriage courtesy The Telegraph ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/6237922/South-African-man-marries-4-women-at-same-ceremony.html  ) Dennis Kioko, Address Pending. President to-be-elect, Republic of Kenya, Address Pending, Again. Dear Sirs/Madams, RE: Appointment as Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to The United States of America  I would like to draw your attention to news reported across various sections of the press (way behind your daily portraits on the front page) that several Missions to the country are equivalently vacant with the duty of appointed high commissioners having expired. This includes Kenya's High Commission to the United States of America. Among your first duties, having assumed duty as Kenya's president, duly elected or otherwise, will be to appoint commissioners to these missions. It is in this regard that I highly invoke you to consider me as a likely appointment to the
Post a Comment
Read more

A to Z of Girl Pick-up Lines

Girl,  You are like a breath of fresh air , like an outstanding piece of Art in an art gallery  There are many things you and me can be, but it puts a smile of satisfaction on my face and a smile of envy on my buddies faces that you both beautiful and bootyfull  E ither your creator must have taken the greatest care creating you or your cheated your way around heaven, 'coz you clearly the prettiest girl on earth  D on't ask why my breathing quickens every time I see you; setting my eyes on you makes me feel like I am drowning in your beauty, I have to catch my breath   Exciting, Exotic, Elegant, Electrifying ; so many definitions in english , but when it comes to the human race, girl, you are the one and only definition of all the above  W hen I say you are fly , it may be due to the sensation of flying off the ground that I get when I am around you. Some girls are beautiful, a few are decent, even fewer got class; I didn't know I could find all this qualities in one gir
Post a Comment
Read more

Nairobi's Top 4 Texas Brisket Places Reviewed and Ranked

Brisket on a bed of roast vegetables with barbecue sauce at Texas Brisket, Kikuyu  This review has been updated after a number of you suggested I try the brisket at County2County.  What's the best place to have Brisket in Nairobi? What's even brisket?  Brisket is one of the toughest cuts in a cow, from around the belly. It is so tough that it has to be smoked for about 16 hours to tenderise. But that there, is the catch.  12 to 16 hours later, it is the most flavourful and softest cut you will ever have. So full of flavour and so soft you can pick it apart with your fingers.  However, due to the long cooking time involved, only a few places offer brisket in Nairobi.  The best so far is Texas Brisket which is located within Kikuyu Railway station.  They do the meat for a proper 16 hours, and will usually have a fatty or non-fatty portion. The fatty portions are more tasty. A 500 gram serving goes for KSh. 900 and a 1 KG order comes with a serving of free fries. Their brisket has
Post a Comment
Read more

Beers in Kenya: A sober opinion

Note: This is a dated post and has since been mostly passed by events. SAB Miller beers including Castle and Peroni are no longer widely available in Kenya after their exist. Sirville Brewery was bought out by Brew Bistro before being permanently shut in a tax dispute. Kenya is a land of milk, honey, beaches and taxes. I have penned, or is typed, a newer post here .  Peroni - One of the best beers in Kenya. Did a taste of canned and bottled Italian, and bottled Tanzanian I like the tangy flavour and body in Tanzanian Peroni. The can is close. Heineken drinkers will like the Italian one.  I have had a short beer swigging stint in my life. It has however been long enough for me to share my opinion of Kenyan beer. Interestingly, over the course of sharing such opinions with other drunkards connoisseurs,  I have found that we all have different views as to what beer is the best, which one makes you too drunk, or which one gives one free, extra hangover for every hangover you get
Post a Comment
Read more

A Kenyan in Addis Ababa (Part 2) - The "University Girls"

Addis Ababa's Light Rail system runs through the middle of a street. The electrified light rail is still under construction, though mostly done This post continues from Part 1.  The residents of Addis are friendly too. On my first day, I did meet a guard at a hotel, who later offered to show me around. Among the places he suggested, was this place where some “University girls” were holding some "dancing ceremony". He added, that Ethiopians being Orthodox Christians, were about to go on a sex, alcohol and meat fast, hence the importance of this “ceremony.” I had some suspicion that I was being sold to sex, but my guide insisted that this was not a sex sale. Just dancing University girls. We did end up in some nondescript compound, and into a house. There was sort of a sitting area, with a radio system, low benches and tables, and grass sprinkled around the floor. Grass sprinkled around the floor is an Ethiopian tradition that indicates you are welcome to a plac
Post a Comment
Read more