Continuing Spams From Cellphone Companies
How many among us continue to receive spams or push messages from cellular phone companies after the issuance of NTC Memorandum Circular No. 04-07-2009 that prohibits such practice? Are you reporting the spams you receive to National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)? These are just two (2) of the many questions that came into my mind when I come across a news article at the business section of Manila Times.net entitled Smart tops 2009 spam messaging complaints.
The news said that data from the NTC released recently showed that Smart Communications Inc., the nation’s largest cellular phone company, had 858 text spam complaints recorded by the agency last year. The complaints figure is up by 530.8 percent from 136 complaints in 2008. Rival Globe Telecom Inc. recorded a total of 386 complaints last year, 401.3 percent higher than the 77 complaints in 2008 while complaints against Sun Cellular dropped from 77 to 13. All in all, the total number of spam complaints NTC received reached 1,257, almost six times more than the 213 complaints received in 2008.
Spams are unsolicited and unwanted text messages, which can be commercial offerings, promotions, advertisements and surveys. Last year, at the height of the Senate investigation on vanishing prepaid cellphone loads, NTC issued the above-mentioned memorandum circular that provided amendments to the rules and regulations prohibiting push messages. Sad to say, the cellular phone companies continue to send push messages to their subscribers in violation of the circular. I, myself, continue to receive spam text messages but I am not reporting them to NTC. What for? So that NTC could impose fines of PhP200/spam text, a figure they revealed to be the only penalty provided for in the law creating NTC?
So we say, majority of us, including myself, are condoning the violations being done by the cellphone companies. If we will only report the violations the figures reported to and recorded by NTC could easily run to millions and at PhP200/spam text, the fines to cellular could reach billions of pesos. Maybe, if we do so, the telcos would think twice and stop violating the NTC circular. Can I hear your opinion on this? Should we have a campaign to report the spam text messages that we receive not only once, twice but sometimes thrice a day?
Fortunately, I am not receiving any spam anymore except the one from WATCHPAD which asked for my cellphone number without any hint that they will be sending you spam). I am planning to report them tomorrow.
.-= dodimar´s last blog ..Breaking Point =-.
[…] Continuing Spams From Cellphone Companies […]
Hindi lang yan ang pagnanakaw na ginagawa ng Globe.
Globe has charged me P 2,400 plus last month for alleged internet usage on my cellphone, which I did not use. After appealing to them, they waived the charges. This month they charged me again, for this month’s alleged usage, but I still haven’t used the Internet on my cellphone. Now they are insisting that I pay. I can prove that I didn’t use the Internet on my cellphone, but they won’t listen. This is unfair! I’m not the only one who has been having this problem.
My theory about the disappearing prepaid load: It’s being shaved off my alleged “Internet usage,” and since you’re on prepaid, there’s no bill to check.
Yes, I am on prepaid plan and lost all my remaining balance because I forgot to switch off the internet connection on my phone the other day. Though I would not blame my mobile internet provider for it, the smartphone manufacturers must do something about this situation. The internet connection must be switched off after a certain period of inactivity by the user.