In The News Today...just interesting articles found in the news

[LendaL]

CBS) Every kid wants a special ring tone.

"What's wrong with the ringtones that come with the phone?" CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson asked teenager Kelsi Dolan.

"They're Beethoven!" Kelsi said.

So imagine Kelsi Dolan's excitement when she got a text message on her brand new phone.

"It said, 'you've qualified for a free ringtone,' and they sent it to me three times," Kelsi said. "So I asked my Mom if I could get it and she said 'no.' So I texted 'no' back."

But saying "no" wasn't enough. A charge for $19.99 showed up on her phone bill. When her mom tried to get it removed, her phone company told her it was a monthly subscription and it couldn't be stopped. 

"I didn't even want a refund for the first month because I figured, 'okay, ya got me.'" Debbie Dolan, Kelsi's mother, said. "Fine I'll take the $20 hit. But when you're gonna keep doing it and you won't do anything to stop it?!"

It's called "cramming," Attkisson reports: Charges for services you didn't order and don't want that can be next to impossible to stop.

And it's not just happening to kids. Last year, the FCC ordered millions of dollars returned to angry cell phone customers who said they were scammed.

Rebecca Anderson did nothing more than search the Web for free ringtones. Then she, too, got hit by monthly charges.

"I did not agree to any charges. I did not download anything," Anderson said.

An innocuous-looking website run by a company called Ringaza. Peel away the layers of Ringaza and you find a man named Scott Richter, better known to some as "the King of Spam."

A few years ago, Richter was one of the biggest e-mail spammers in the world. He even paid a $7 million settlement over it. And now he's in the ringtone business. He didn't respond to our repeated interview requests.

But carriers like Ringaza owe some of their success to carriers like Verizon Wireless ... which agree to add the charges to your regular phone bill.

"If you believe that you've been charged in error or that you didn't subscribe, we'll credit that charge," said Verizon Wireless spokesman John Johnson.

Johnson says if you suspect fraud, all you have to do is call. But it's not always that easy.

"Verizon said that this was an outside carrier and they were not responsible for these charges," Anderson said.

And in Dolan's case: "They told me they wouldn't take it off and they couldn't stop it."
turns out the big carriers are making money off the deal.

"What is Verizon's share?" Attkisson asked Johnson. "What kind of cut do you get from these bills?"

"I don't have a percentage," Johnson said.

"Does 30 to 40 percent sound accurate?" she asked.

"It doesn't sound unreasonable, but again I don't know," Johnson said.

It looks to the customers like Verizon or other companies may not be very responsive because they're getting a cut of the action.

"Well, sometimes it looks that way and that really concerns us," Johnson said.

Since CBS News first began working on this story, Verizon decided to change its policy. Customers can now block those unwanted charges.

And Kelsi is still looking for the right ring tone ... one that's really free.
*******************************************************
Why you should read TOS very carefully...and even then.. you could get scammed..I dont dont even look twice at those so-called free ring tone offers..

[Madd4Money]

Thanks Lendal  That is a great article.  Hopefully some of the new people won't be so willing to enter their cell phone numbers into those ringtone offers, unless of course they read the TOS and want the subscription. 

I know I won't touch them!!!

[froggyjoe]

wow very interesting.. ty for the share on that one..   I have not purchased a celular yet. but planning it on in it very soon.. I would of been one of those people that would of looked for ringtones.. and my luck that probably would of happened to me.. .. im also interested in a safte place to get ringtones in the very near future like the end of next month thanks again

[jlb001]

great post.

i'm an old geezer.... my cell has the same ring it had when i bought it.

i dont want to watch vids on my phone, i dont want to read my phone (texting).. hell, most times.... I DONT WANT TO TALK ON MY PHONE.

my main objective in life is to live a very long life.... and be the only person in the western world who has never sent nor received a "text" message.

 

[joclt22]

thanks. this is way i only get my ringtones from ordering them from my phone carrier. i tried a ringtone offer on another site awhile back.... i did get teh charges stopped after the 1st month but i never got credit for the offer so i was a bit mad. yes i know you do offer that you are interested in. and i was..... but i read the whole tos and every word everywhere on their site and no where does it say anything about any charges other then a one time 1.00 fee for the download/tranfer of the ringtone.... so yeah.... i got scammed. but i won't no more! live and learn i guess.

[MystedMoon]

great post.

i'm an old geezer.... my cell has the same ring it had when i bought it.

i dont want to watch vids on my phone, i dont want to read my phone (texting).. hell, most times.... I DONT WANT TO TALK ON MY PHONE.

my main objective in life is to live a very long life.... and be the only person in the western world who has never sent nor received a "text" message.

 

Too late!

You're not the only one who never has text messaged, etc. 

I use my phone for conversation and that's all! 

I have the ability to access the web on my phone, text message and I choose not to do so. 

If something important has to be said, I will call a person, NOT get charged extra to text message them. Nor will I spend a connection charge on top of getting charged per minute for using the internet option on my phone. Yes, my carrier charges per minutes usuage and a connection fee. 

And I am with you, I actually HATE talking on the phone. Mine is used for work and emergencies. 

As for the ringtones, I get free ringtones at one per month from my carrier that are automatically loaded into my phone. I do not get charged for them and it's an extra service they provide to their timely paying customers. 

[tjones911]

Hehe I made my own ringtone

[jlb001]

great post.

i'm an old geezer.... my cell has the same ring it had when i bought it.

i dont want to watch vids on my phone, i dont want to read my phone (texting).. hell, most times.... I DONT WANT TO TALK ON MY PHONE.

my main objective in life is to live a very long life.... and be the only person in the western world who has never sent nor received a "text" message.

 

I use my phone for conversation and that's all! 

I have the ability to access the web on my phone, text message and I choose not to do so. 

If something important has to be said, I will call a person...

And I am with you, I actually HATE talking on the phone. Mine is used for work and emergencies. 

perfect comment.

two things for which i'm greatful....

1) for most of the 80's and into the 90's... i was in germany. i missed ***thank god*** when crack busted out here in the states.

so, when i got back to the states, after hearing all these stories about crackheads.... i was a bit older and MUCH wiser about drug use.

i remember... when i got back.... looking around and thinking *** WHAT IN THE *F*!!!*** it was like being in a "night of the living dead movie" in some neighborhoods.

2) being born at the time that i was.... 1966.... it put me at the very end of the baby boomer gen and the very beginning of "gen x". while ours may not be the greatest generation... i feel that we may have certain quailites that arent shared by the current generations.

but we arent without our problems either.... my main disappoint with us, collectively.... is the parents that dont teach their kids the value of work.... of getting the job done.... of goal setting and achievement.

something is really WRONG with a teen driving a $20K-$30K (OR MORE!) car to high school.... and wearing $100 jackets/shoes.

when your mommy and daddy has bought everything for you.... how in the hell are you supposed to learn the real value of busting your *bleep*?

my friend just gave his 16 year old a frigging mercedes. as i asked him.... "whatever happened to people paying their dues?"

[Administrator]

I'm not advocating drug use, nor have I tried either, but you should check out the pending legislation regarding crack cocaine:
http://www.sentencingproject.org/AdvocacyMaterialDetails.aspx?AdvocacyMaterialID=64

Crack cocaine was widely maligned because racists saw it as a "black drug".  It's not some mega-drug that causes neighborhoods to fall apart -- in fact:

Crack cocaine and powder cocaine are derived from the same drug and, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, have the same effects on the brain and nervous system.

Politicians passed laws hugely over-criminalizing possession of small quantities of crack and then selectively enforced them:

More than 80% of the defendants sentenced for federal crack cocaine offenses are African American, despite the fact that more than 66% of crack users are white or Hispanic.

If you want to talk about why there are ghettos, I think you should consider going back to some of the root causes of poverty.

Again, I'm not advocating drug use nor intending to defend those who do... I just think this is a pretty racist con job on the part of our elected representatives.

[jetskimax]

Thank you for a very interesting thread.  I admit I'm a news junkie and appreciate good content when posted! 

[jlb001]

***crack vs coke***

while you have some valid points in your post... crack and coke didnt have an equal end result.

meaning.... crack has destroyed entire neighborhoods. coke never did that. so, which is worse? the one family thats ripped apart by drugs.... or a neighborhood going from a group of middleclass people, working to make something of themselves... to one where gunfire, robberies, murders, etc are the order of the day?

i'll take you to areas right in augusta that i saw this transformation with my own eyes.

lastly.... drug use within itself isnt necessarily a bad thing.... depending on the drug and the person.

i know, i know.... the PC mindset says "jumping on the bandwagon" is a good thing.

however, i can supply you with a list of nobel prize winners and well known businessmen... not to mention artists... who not only advocate certain drug use, but used drugs themselves while doing work that led to them being nobel prize winners or developing products ... or works of art... that changed the world for the better.

mind altering drugs CAN have a positive effect, its just the masses cant handle it.

THERES the problem.
   

[Administrator]

There's no doubt that drugs contribute to the downward spiral of poor urban areas, but I really don't think that the situation would be any different if crack had never come into prominence.  There are plenty of other highly addictive and destructive drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and other uppers, and heroin.  I challenge you to give compelling evidence that crack itself is to blame for poor urban neighborhoods.

Crack is the drug of choice in that situation due to its cheapness.  If it was unavailable, they'd potentially have to spend a bit more on a different drug, but the same abuse would occur.

the Journal of American Medical Association also released a study that disputed the notion that crack cocaine was more chemically addictive than the powder version.

Hint: your personal, anecdotal experience with one neighborhood does not a compelling argument make

[jlb001]

There's no doubt that drugs contribute to the downward spiral of poor urban areas, but I really don't think that the situation would be any different if crack had never come into prominence.  There are plenty of other highly addictive and destructive drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and other uppers, and heroin.  I challenge you to give compelling evidence that crack itself is to blame for poor urban neighborhoods.

Crack is the drug of choice in that situation due to its cheapness.  If it was unavailable, they'd potentially have to spend a bit more on a different drug, but the same abuse would occur.

newscat[/url]]the Journal of American Medical Association also released a study that disputed the notion that crack cocaine was more chemically addictive than the powder version.

Hint: your personal, anecdotal experience with one neighborhood does not a compelling argument make

crack gained the upper hand due to its VERY low cost in comparison... and availability... to the other drugs that you listed.

if youd reread my comment youd see i said.... "areas right in augusta that i saw this transformation with my own eyes"

the "s" at the end of "areas" indicates the plural form of the word.... plural means more than one.

i was in field collections for 7 years my friend.... and know the complete city of augusta better than you probably know your own neighborhood.

 

[jlb001]

while admin is a good sport.... i guess he/she has no other name.... BUT....

the argument of "there would be a same end result with any other drug" really holds no water.

DRUGS have been around forever.... in some form since man found out he could take a trip and never leave the farm.

i have DIRECT PROOF.... of cracks effect.

anything else is speculation.

[trishmj40]

I also learned the hard way with free ringtones 
I was charged over 50.00 even though i texted STOP after my free trial and received a confirmatin text that my
services were cancelled, yet low and behold, they were on the bill.  I now am fighting with verizon to have them removed, i have saved copies of all text messages, yet they (verizon) said they cant retrieve them!!

Agree with "stay away from free ringtones"  they are NOT free!