One of the stories we at @TimesOnlineLK did today is of interest to every user of a mobile phone service. My tweets can be long threads but bear with me. I do it because you people don't read articles 🙄 (I'm on to you) #SriLanka
You know all this value added services you seem to have subscribed to? Some willingly, some unknowingly and most by-now-forgotten but still being added to your bill without actually showing up on it? The @TRCSL has now clamped down after being swamped with customer complaints.
Now, mobile companies MUST introduce a PRACTICAL mechanism for unsubscribing from value-added services (VAS). No service can be promoted as being free if it involves any charges whatsoever to the consumer, even at a later date.
Mobile companies must provide information in all three languages. Before activating any VAS, they must inform the subscriber in the preferred language the name of the service, its terms and conditions (with a direct link to them), charges including tax and billing frequency.
Also, the subscription tenure and and deactivation method. All activated VAS should be followed up with a message each time the subscriber is charged, based on the opted billing cycle, with a link to unsubscribe at the discretion of the user.
(OTP) verification is mandatory for any type of value-added service activation, along with reconfirmation initiated with this mechanism. Mobile operations must NOT allow third party web banner-based subscriptions and no such entities must be allowed to bill subscribers...
...for services unless directly promoted as value-added services by the companies. This is something @TimesOnlineLK highlighted as far back as 2016. You know those services you never knew you had subscribed to? It could be because you visited a website and clicked a random link.
If you want to know how THAT happens, see our investigations from 2016. It's called "third-party billing": sundaytimes.lk/160918/news/ho…
Here is another one. You'd be surprised. sundaytimes.lk/160925/news/ar…
The basic marketing strategy here, according to @TRCSL is "subscriber forgets". It was the same manner in which insurance was being hawked over mobile phone connections, with no clarity over what would happen when a SIM changes hands.
And now, after the Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka last week give directions on that subject, mobile phone companies and insurers are fighting back because it eats into huge profits. Consumer beware. END
(OTP) verification is mandatory for any type of value-added service activation, along with reconfirmation initiated with this mechanism. Mobile operations must NOT allow third party web banner-based subscriptions and no such entities must be allowed to bill subscribers...
...for services unless directly promoted as value-added services by the companies. This is something @TimesOnlineLK highlighted as far back as 2016. You know those services you never knew you had subscribed to? It could be because you visited a website and clicked a random link.
If you want to know how THAT happens, see our investigations from 2016. It's called "third-party billing": sundaytimes.lk/160918/news/ho…
Here is another one. You'd be surprised. sundaytimes.lk/160925/news/ar…
The basic marketing strategy here, according to
@TRCSL is "subscriber forgets". It was the same manner in which insurance was being hawked over mobile phone connections, with no clarity over what would happen when a SIM changes hands.
@TRCSL is "subscriber forgets". It was the same manner in which insurance was being hawked over mobile phone connections, with no clarity over what would happen when a SIM changes hands.
And now, after the Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka last week give directions on that subject, mobile phone companies and insurers are fighting back because it eats into huge profits. Consumer beware.
After all that, forgot to tweet today's @TimesOnlineLK article on this subject: sundaytimes.lk/210919/news/tr…
And the full guidelines: trc.gov.lk/images/pdf/Mob…
As far as I know (from inquiries) the current chair @Oshada_S is doing a fair job of balancing consumer interests with industry concerns. In this area, it is clearly the subscriber that had to be protected. Implementation now is key.
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