-By Anthony Kolawole

“Your subscription to The Guardian monthly has been renewed successfully and 150.00 deducted from your account. Your service will be renewed on 2016-05-31. To cancel, text NO TGM to 4900. Thank you!” That was one of the frequent and obtrusive SMS that delivered to my phone from my service provider, MTN on my mobile number: 080330027… Was that a problem? Yes. The problem was that I never subscribed to any ‘Guardian Monthly’ news alert and the bigger problem was that N150 was deducted from my voice call balance.

At N150 per week, I was going to be losing N7, 800.00 to MTN just for this rogue service each year. So many Nigerians are also victims of this thief, called MTN. If I multiply that by ten out of the more than 37 other short codes that send me unsolicited offers every other fifteen minutes then I stand to lose anything in the vicinity of N78,000 each year and that is minus the caller tunes that can be accidentally subscribed to.

Following the direction given, I sent ‘NO TGM to 4900’ and the response I got was “you are not a subscriber of requested SMS Alert Service. To Know About More Services, Please Type HELP and send it to 3307*.” Yet, my N150 remained deducted.

Contacting MTN network provider’s customer care via the online chat platform was a lesson in time wasting. Ifeoma at the other end of the chat maintained or feigned that sense of helplessness throughout the duration of the exchange. I simply terminated the chat and resolved to never use that line again since I have been similarly debited for a caller tune I didn’t order as well as countless other deductions that I didn’t know of until I notice an unusual speed at which my remaining airtime balance is depleted.

FOR MORE: http://theicon.ng/2016/05/11/subscribers-beware-how-mtn-defrauds-nigerians-of-millions-of-naira-daily/

Don't know why Nigerian Government allows that South African company to reap us off, something their Government will never allow any country to do to their citizens.

If it was in their country they would have started killing the foreigners who perpetuate such evil by now.

Xenophobic people!

playtheblues:
Don't know why Nigerian Government allows that South African company to reap us off, something their Government will never allow any country to do to their citizens.

If it was in their country they would have started killing the foreigners who perpetuate such evil by now.

Xenophobic people!

So thoughtful comment

playtheblues:
Don't know why Nigerian Government allows that South African company to reap us off, something their Government will never allow any country to do to their citizens.

If it was in their country they would have started killing the foreigners who perpetuate such evil by now.

Xenophobic people!

Hateful comment. Not saying it is good for any company to rip their customers but there is so much hate innur comment and u are no different from people that hate foreigners.

We are so helpless in this Country. The govenment doesn't care...Our tears are bottled up and our hopes destroyed! How did we get here? How can one be cheated/chanced in his own home by an outsider? Seriously, I'm confused

This should be in front page lalasticlala, Seun

Trending01:
-By Anthony Kolawole

“Your subscription to The Guardian monthly has been renewed successfully and 150.00 deducted from your account. Your service will be renewed on 2016-05-31. To cancel, text NO TGM to 4900. Thank you!” That was one of the frequent and obtrusive SMS that delivered to my phone from my service provider, MTN on my mobile number: 080330027… Was that a problem? Yes. The problem was that I never subscribed to any ‘Guardian Monthly’ news alert and the bigger problem was that N150 was deducted from my voice call balance.

At N150 per week, I was going to be losing N7, 800.00 to MTN just for this rogue service each year. So many Nigerians are also victims of this thief, called MTN. If I multiply that by ten out of the more than 37 other short codes that send me unsolicited offers every other fifteen minutes then I stand to lose anything in the vicinity of N78,000 each year and that is minus the caller tunes that can be accidentally subscribed to.

Following the direction given, I sent ‘NO TGM to 4900’ and the response I got was “you are not a subscriber of requested SMS Alert Service. To Know About More Services, Please Type HELP and send it to 3307*.” Yet, my N150 remained deducted.

Contacting MTN network provider’s customer care via the online chat platform was a lesson in time wasting. Ifeoma at the other end of the chat maintained or feigned that sense of helplessness throughout the duration of the exchange. I simply terminated the chat and resolved to never use that line again since I have been similarly debited for a caller tune I didn’t order as well as countless other deductions that I didn’t know of until I notice an unusual speed at which my remaining airtime balance is depleted.

FOR MORE: http://theicon.ng/2016/05/11/subscribers-beware-how-mtn-defrauds-nigerians-of-millions-of-naira-daily/

All of them are the same. Airtel also auto-subscribed me to Guardian news daily without warning. Called them to stop it and they refused, but I texted the stop code myself and it worked, fortunately.

However, they hooked me on another daily N100 subscription for what I know nothing about. Have made every effort for them to stop deducting N100 everyday from my account, and when they refused I stopped recharging the line. Let me know how they'll take the money.

ammyluv2002:
We are so helpless in this Country. The govenment doesn't care...Our tears are bottled up and our hopes destroyed! How did we get here? How can one be cheated/chanced in his own home by an outsider? Seriously, I'm confused

Dearie am so touch by ur comment.....
Can i be ur frnd 2 console u.....?

musicwriter:


All of them are the same. Airtel also auto-subscribed me to Guardian news daily without warning. Called them to stop it and they refused, but I texted the stop code myself and it worked, fortunately.

However, they hooked me on another daily N100 subscription for what I know nothing about. Have made every effort for them to stop deducting N100 everyday from my account, and when they refused I stopped recharging the line. Let me know how they'll take the money.

Hummm, I pray you don't have emergency and the only line to recharge on is that line. They'll sum up the money and deduct it once your recharge it.


Imagine MTN telling me am still owing them #540 for newsline alert at #30/week.

gen2briz:


Hummm, I pray you don't have emergency and the only line to recharge on is that line. They'll sum up the money and deduct it once your recharge it.


Imagine MTN telling me am still owing them #540 for newsline alert at #30/week.

Very easy!. I'll borrow N100 from them. They'll charge N5 and give me N95. Already been doing that and it works so fine. In fact, they just taught me how to save money.