6 replies to this topic

[nirmaldaniel]

hello! i wanna alert you all about the tricks which maijor telecommunication Networks Play . It happened that i saw an advertisement on 16-06-2008 on Discovery channel the advertisement meant that SMS LUFT to 57827 and win exciting gift hampers from Lufthansa , so in an excitement i too Messaged , immediately 3 from my mobile Load was detucted , i was Using an AIRTEL ( Bharathi Tellecommunication ) , Then immediately i had a reply asking a Question.

The question was [Quote] The Highest Peak in euorope is in france , name the peak ? [ /Quote] . So i replied saying it is Mont Blanc, immediately i got a reply that it is Wrong!

So i verified again and i sent the message again , and again i got that the answer was wrong.Then i verified with google and confirmed and sent it again . Again the same reply came stating that my answer was wrong. The thing here to be noted is eachtime 3 was cut from my Load. So they Telecommunication Department earn so.. So friends Beaware ! ! ! Dont get Cheated like this..

Edited by nirmaldaniel, 17 June 2008 - 08:21 AM.

[salamangkero]

nirmaldaniel, on Jun 17 2008, 04:16 PM, said:

hello! i wanna alert you all about the tricks which maijor telecommunication Networks Play . It happened that i saw an advertisement on 16-06-2008 on Discovery channel the advertisement meant that SMS LUFT to 57827 and win exciting gift hampers from Lufthansa , so in an excitement i too Messaged , immediately 3 from my mobile Load was detucted , i was Using an AIRTEL ( Bharathi Tellecommunication ) , Then immediately i had a reply asking a Question.

The question was

Quote

The Highest Peak in euorope is in france , name the peak?

. So i replied saying it is Mont Blanc, immediately i got a reply that it is Wrong!

So i verified again and i sent the message again , and again i got that the answer was wrong.Then i verified with google and confirmed and sent it again . Again the same reply came stating that my answer was wrong. The thing here to be noted is eachtime 3 was cut from my Load. So they Telecommunication Department earn so.. So friends Beaware ! ! ! Dont get Cheated like this..

I doubt that this is, if ever, a scheme by telecommunications network. After all, their job is just to relay messages to and from content providers and subscribers. In your case, Airtel is not directly responsible as they are not the ones running the program/contest so please do not be reckless in placing blame, as most irate consumers are wont to do.

Also, it is your responsibility as a contestant to verify your answer before complaining that you have been "cheated" A quick search on Google with the keywords "highest peak Europe" reveals that Mt. Elbrus in Russia is the highest mountain in Europe, standing at 5,642 metres (18,510 ft). Consider, then, Mont Blanc, which stands at a comfortably lower 4,810 metres (15,781 ft).

So... what else can I say? Check the facts first

Edited by salamangkero, 17 June 2008 - 11:52 AM.

[Galahad]

Well, the question clearly states:

nirmaldaniel, on Jun 17 2008, 10:16 AM, said:

Quote

The Highest Peak in euorope is in france , name the peak ?

Since they said highest peak in Europe is in France, then Mont Blanc is the correct answer... So I don't agree that he made the wrong answer...

I do however agree with you that it's not AIRTELs fault, since they only relay messages... Lufthansa is the one you should blame... Their question is clearly missleading, and in my oppinion (I'm not a lawyer, and have no idea about law), you might sue Lufthansa... They do have somewhat bad reputation, so... You would AT LEAST be entitled to receive your money back...

However, since it's probably a small amount of money, I doubt it pays to hire a lawyer and file a suit against Lufthansa... However, posting here on Trap17 is a good way to show what pricks they really are

[joeblogg]

telecommunications companies are so cheap. they alwasy have new tricks and scams to make themselves money. you really just need to read the small print in everything you sign up for and you should be safe. you shouldn't trust anyone on the internet. especially small companies which look suspicious.

[karl77]

Yes nirmaldaniel, unfortunately, this occurs very often.

I was spammed by lot of messages, once I took part in an advertisment.

I was charged 2$ each time I received a spam (message) from them (3rd party)!

[Atomic0]

Most of the time where voting or answering quizzes via SMS, you will be paying extra fees. Unlike the normal SMS fees you pay per message, you may be charged a few dollars extra if you call certain 'Premium SMS' numbers. I suppose it is nothing new, just remember that the are always terms and conditions hidden that say that you will be charged high rates. Fortunately, some mobile phone service providers allow you to disable access to these Premium SMS numbers, thus avoiding any excessive / extra cost on your mobile phone bill.

Also, beware of Free SMS sites that require you to enter your mobile phone number, You are very likely to receive SMS advertising message from them, so avoid that if you don't want to receive SPAM.

[k_nitin_r]

Hi!

The service that you paid for is most probably from Lufthansa, judging from the SMS code "LUFT" and the gift hampers coming from Lufthansa. Usually, there's a marketing organization that arranges for promotional campaigns, so it may not be Lufthansa or the cellular network carrier that are directly responsible for the charges that you incurred.

Organizations try to charge you for SMSes that you send out so unless you receive an SMS from your cellular provider claiming that the SMSes you are sending are to a toll free number and that you will not be charged for sending out the SMSes or availing the service, and that there wouldn't be a setup fee or a rental charge, you shouldn't respond to the SMSes. Besides, how often do you find yourself or your friends winning prizes from an SMS contest? The odds are zero to none (well, actually it's only slightly better than that so unless you have a genie in a bottle or have all of your prayers answered, you might as well donate the amount to charity and bring about some good karma into your life).

The system that accepts your answer probably requires your answer to match a certain text string. Perhaps the correct answer would have been "mont blanc", "montblanc", or even "MontBlanc" instead of "Mont Blanc" but I wouldn't bother trying the other possible matches because the odds of winning are pretty low anyway. The organization that sets up the contest benefits from each SMS that is sent with their code or to their number.