How do I stop being charged for unwanted texts?

[Donnchadh Ghairdinéir]

I received a text message yesterday claiming to be from a company called Sonnerie. They offered me subscription service providing four or more ringtones per month, for fee of £2.50 monthly. I was offered the chance to cancel this 'service' with a standard 'stop' text, which I did. However I haven't been refunded the £2.50 (which was debited from my balance on receipt), and am also down 10p for the stop text and another 25p to call T-Mobile's help service and ask them to block any further five-digit numbers calling me. Which they did, although for whatever reason it took 18 minutes with me hanging on the line, and they haven't sent a confirming text as I asked.

Anyway, it's not so much the £2.85, or even the principle of having it effectively stolen that's my main concern. I can't be bothered calling Sonnerie and facing another 20 minutes listening to Duffy or Winehouse in the tinny background, or pointlessly arguing with a customer adviser.

Briefly,

a) can I rely on T-Mobile's assurance that it won't happen again?

b) why is it possible for scammers to steal money like this so easily (I'm assuming that they usually get away with it)?

c) am I right in assuming (from a quick google search), that there's a toothless regulatory authority that it probably isn't worth my while calling?

d) Should I change to PAYG with another telephone company?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

How do I stop being charged for unwanted texts?

having worked for a company that apparently did a lot of this shit, my advice to you is find out the address of this company and burn it to the ground. Forget about the money, it's gone, just burn the building, it's the only thing that will work or stop them from doing it again

make sure that you burn down all of the company's premises, and servers, because like gorse bushes, any tiny bit left alive will return stronger than ever.

[Brandenburger Toro]

How do I stop being charged for unwanted texts?

Plough salt into the land.

Romans knew their shit.

[Ginger Yellow]

How do I stop being charged for unwanted texts?

Whatever you do, don't plough dragons' teeth into their lands. Skeleton armies are a bitch to deal with.

[G-Man]

How do I stop being charged for unwanted texts?

I had a similar problem, and research into it suggested that these "services" randomly make claims against numbers for ringtones and games downloaded. A few investigations showed that they'd claim the subscription message came from a brand of phone that the user doesn't use.

I was told that I did the right thing NOT to send a cancelation text to these fuckers.

What makes my blood boil is that the cellphone service provider cheerfully debits my account to pay these gangsters, despite previous complaints. Surely they should ask the ringtone company to prove that their claim against a client of the cellphone service provider is legitimate, and if not to cancel whatever debiting arrangement exists between the companies.

[Ginger Yellow]

How do I stop being charged for unwanted texts?

That line of argument would suggest that they view their customers as clients, which is obviously not true.

[Donnchadh Ghairdinéir]

How do I stop being charged for unwanted texts?

Thanks all. I understand the phone company trades from an address in suburban Dublin, so maybe Messrs K'gog and Toro could chase them from the country on my behalf?

[Brandenburger Toro]

How do I stop being charged for unwanted texts?

If they relocate to Leeds, I will be happy to do so.