Inspiracell text scam!

!/15/11-1/16/11

Deja vu. We had this happen with our phone bill courtesy of Residential Email. Now it's hapened with texting. Yay.


Luckily this came in the evening, so I heard it.

97956: U requested daily inspirational texts. Sub service is $9.99/mo +
Msg&Data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel. Reply HELP for HELP. Enter
on web 8876.

Me: STOP

97956: Inspiracell alerts: You have been opted out and will receive no
further messages or charges. Support: 877-874-3564

(No, I didn't request anything of the sort. I have a Bible- and a library card for that matter.)

This one came the next day early in the morning. I didn't hear it come in. So I unfortunately got the incredibly creative inspirational text.

97956:Enjoy your daily Inspiration texts, alerts billed at $9.99 per month!
To quit, send STOP to 97956. For help text HELP. support@inspiracel.com.

97956: Enjoy the day. Think of the good things, forget the bad ones.

Me: STOP

97956: Inspiracell alerts: You have been opted out and will receive no
further messages or charges. Support: 877-874-3564

Yeah. Right.

We called the carrier, got charges removed and a purchase block on. So hopefully this is over!

My husband and I had a debate going. I thought I was already signed up and had to text STOP to not get charged $9.99. He thought I signed up by texting STOP. I don't know. Sounds like a lose-lose situation to me.

I don't think I've even done any surveys or signed up for anything in years. Apparently, companies can put in the fine print that it's ok to send your names to 3rd parties who may or may not charge you for random pointless garbage you won't want. If charges apply, I want a checkbox. Otherwise, it's a scam! Or entirely legal dishonesty. Whatever. Scummy.

Report it!

http://www.bbb.org

http://www.smswatchdog.com/text-message-from/97956

Scam-Residential Email/ESBI: semi-legal, totally shady internet scam!!

This is one you can't really recognize, unlike the 419 scams which have a hallmark ring to them or even just print at all! So, this one isn't one you fall for really, knowingly, but one more like identity theft where you just notice it one day if you are one to examine bills before forking over your money.

On our bill this past month for our local phone carrier,EMBARQ, my husband noticed a $14.95+$1.01tax charge for "Residential Email Mo Fee" on a separate page labeled "ESBI" with an explanation of 3rd party billing. Whaaa?? Our email is cable, for one thing. For another, WE DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR ANYTHING! Well, my husband called them (Residential Email, number provided), cussed them out and told them we weren't paying. They said ok. No arguments. Someone backing down that easily knows they are shady and in the wrong. Apparently, while he was yelling, the rep kept trying to tell him about the "service" to get him to "keep" when he'd take a breath. She mentioned something about $1000 in coupons she claims he signed up for on the internet or some idiotic thing. I called the next day to ask what she had on file and she had our phone and home address and my husband's email. (So it was him and not me!) She wanted to give me her sales pitch while she was bringing up our record (we have a record for something we didn't order?), but I cut her off and said I don't want to hear it, I think you are scamming people, and I just want to know how to avoid this so please tell me how we got on this list. As a matter of fact, when you call in, they ask you to type in your phone number like you are inquiring about a legitimate phone company charge before you speak with a representative.

You local carrier is allowed to pass on 3rd party charges, so that's legal. I think you can get that "feature" blocked-we're looking into that today. The companies, or at least one I saw while researching this situation, has a "F" rating with the BBB. Go figure!

From what I can gather, you "sign up" for this by entering sweepstakes, filling in your info for a free this or that, taking online surveys, etc. Some people found that the email address on file wasn't even theirs. All, like us, didn't directly sign up for this garbage. Apparently it is in the Terms and Conditions when you are filling online forms (generally for stuff unrelated to this Residential Email company) that they are allowed to bill you, etc. I find it incredibly unfair and shady to advertise one thing, have your sign up window below that, then in fine print (or separate link) to Terms which have nothing to do with what you think you are signing up for, but really are other opportunist, scum charging you for a bogus service.

Here are some links to blogs and info about this:
The first is the BBB thing I found, the second is an account similar to ours.

http://www.spokane.net/stay_connected/PressReleases.aspx?prid=1139

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/309/ripoff0309103.htm

http://momminitup.com/?cat=29

http://www.portlandtn.net/2005/11/scam.html

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/284/RipOff0284153.htm

http://pintmaster.com/20060524/answerstop-voicemail-monthly-fee-voicemail-you-didnt-sign-up-for/

http://tiredcynic.blogspot.com/2007/08/watch-out-for-residential-email-fraud.html

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/residential-email-c44904.html#comments

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Here's my Rip Off Report for McDonald's:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/Fast-Food-Restaurants/Mcdonald-s-Monopoly/mcdonald-s-monopoly-playatmcd-7e478.htm

Call me a complainer, but I won a Shell Gas Card in the 2008 McDonald's Monopoly online game (Free Parking space) and never saw it. They said they sent it (surprise), so I guess that makes me a liar. True, I didn't lose any money, but it still deserves some sort of mention.