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From: Rob on 13 Apr 2008 10:10
Beware if you have ever supplied your phone number to Screwfix for delivery
contact only. They have been sending unsolicited text messages and want
people to text a number to stop them. I joined the TPS years ago and only
ever passed on my details to Screwfix and Westpoint Bathrooms so they could
phone to advise about a delivery date. Screwfix has decided to compile a
list of customer details to pass on to a third party or sell them without
permission or agreement from customers.

Mobile phone companies will NOT allow you to block reverse charged messages
as they make far too much money out of it and a lot are dishonest / only in
in for profit.

I have contacted Screwfix for an explanation and asked for the name of the
person who will be refunding the cost of the initial message and the "stop
message". I will be posting those details once I have them as it seems
unlikely I will need to take legal action in order to recover the costs.

Mobile companies should stop the recipient being charged for messages or
calls. It is not the recipient making those calls or sending messages.
When you get spammers like Screwfix sending thousands of them out it does
become annoying.



From: Timfy on 13 Apr 2008 11:41
Hi,

I would be very surprised if a company the size of Srewfix would sell
contact details illegally.

There are many spammers out there that just send blocks of SMSs to whole
number ranges... some will hit, some will bounce.

We had a lot of fun in our office when spam phone call started coming in
to our (consecutively numbered) company mobiles, I work at Vodafone and
in close conjunction with network fraud, risk and security. Strangely
they didn't want to talk to us for very long once we recorded the
incoming numbers and gave our job titles!!

All I can say is be very, very careful who you blame for being the
originator of your spam. It's a very litigious world out there and
legitimate companies take a dim view of being blamed for illegal dealings!

Timfy


Rob wrote:
> Beware if you have ever supplied your phone number to Screwfix for delivery
> contact only. They have been sending unsolicited text messages and want
> people to text a number to stop them. I joined the TPS years ago and only
> ever passed on my details to Screwfix and Westpoint Bathrooms so they could
> phone to advise about a delivery date. Screwfix has decided to compile a
> list of customer details to pass on to a third party or sell them without
> permission or agreement from customers.
>
> Mobile phone companies will NOT allow you to block reverse charged messages
> as they make far too much money out of it and a lot are dishonest / only in
> in for profit.
>
> I have contacted Screwfix for an explanation and asked for the name of the
> person who will be refunding the cost of the initial message and the "stop
> message". I will be posting those details once I have them as it seems
> unlikely I will need to take legal action in order to recover the costs.
>
> Mobile companies should stop the recipient being charged for messages or
> calls. It is not the recipient making those calls or sending messages.
> When you get spammers like Screwfix sending thousands of them out it does
> become annoying.
>
>
>
From: David Hearn on 13 Apr 2008 12:10
Rob wrote:
> Beware if you have ever supplied your phone number to Screwfix for delivery
> contact only. They have been sending unsolicited text messages and want
> people to text a number to stop them.

So the messages are from Screwfix themselves, advertising Screwfix services?

> I joined the TPS years ago and only
> ever passed on my details to Screwfix and Westpoint Bathrooms so they could
> phone to advise about a delivery date.

Not passing your number on doesn't stop it from being the receipient for
spam texts though. Random/sequential diallers aren't uncommon.

> Screwfix has decided to compile a
> list of customer details to pass on to a third party or sell them without
> permission or agreement from customers.

So which 3rd party have they passed them onto - and how are you certain
of this? Are you now suggesting that it wasn't Screwfix who spammed you
originally, or that they've spammed you AND passed it onto 3rd party.

Additionally, why could it not have been Westpoint Bathrooms who passed
your details on? I still seem a bit confused over your claims of them
passing/selling details on when it only appears you have received 1 text
spam yet you claim with certainty that it was Screwfix who did it (and
not Westpoint) - and presumably the only way you could have been
certain, is that the spam advertised Screwfix.

> Mobile phone companies will NOT allow you to block reverse charged messages
> as they make far too much money out of it and a lot are dishonest / only in
> in for profit.

Erm... I thought all companies were in business for profit. It's
charities which aren't...

And I understand T-Mobile can put a block on reverse billed SMS messages
if you ask.

> I have contacted Screwfix for an explanation and asked for the name of the
> person who will be refunding the cost of the initial message and the "stop
> message". I will be posting those details once I have them as it seems
> unlikely I will need to take legal action in order to recover the costs.

When you say "contacted" - does that mean emailed, or actually spoken to
someone? I ask because as yet you haven't stated that Screwfix have
admitted the message came from them, or that it's their responsibility.

So you're saying you don't expect to have to take legal action over a
(max) �1.50 text, + approx 20p stop message.

> Mobile companies should stop the recipient being charged for messages or
> calls. It is not the recipient making those calls or sending messages.

Reverse SMS billing is a large, legitimate market for providing services
on a mobile phone. Whilst problems do sometimes occur with them, these
are likely to be the minority rather than the rule. I would suggest
that better regulation and fining of those companies is better than a
flat ban.

> When you get spammers like Screwfix sending thousands of them out it does
> become annoying.

I just checked my Screwfix account. On the "Personal details" page, I
see: "Data Protection Act: From time to time we may make portions of our
mailing list available to carefully selected organisations whose
products may be of interest to you. If you would prefer not to receive
such mailings, please untick this box."

It is possible that everything on that page is covered by that statement
- which includes home and mobile numbers. Are you certain whether that
box is ticked or not for you?

D
From: alexd on 13 Apr 2008 13:30
On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:10:47 +0100, David Hearn wrote:

> Reverse SMS billing is a large, legitimate market for providing services
> on a mobile phone. Whilst problems do sometimes occur with them, these
> are likely to be the minority rather than the rule. I would suggest
> that better regulation and fining of those companies is better than a
> flat ban.

Perhaps making it opt-in would be a more sensible suggestion.

--
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Convergence, n: The act of using separate DSL circuits for voice and data
From: Ivor Jones on 13 Apr 2008 15:23
alexd wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:10:47 +0100, David Hearn wrote:
>
>> Reverse SMS billing is a large, legitimate market for providing
>> services on a mobile phone. Whilst problems do sometimes occur with
>> them, these are likely to be the minority rather than the rule. I
>> would suggest that better regulation and fining of those companies
>> is better than a flat ban.
>
> Perhaps making it opt-in would be a more sensible suggestion.

Don't be silly, that would lose the networks money.

Ivor

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