GLOBE: Tighter rules on VAS to increase customer protection

Globe Telecom is enforcing tighter rules to protect its customers against unscrupulous practices of some third-party value-added service (VAS) providers resulting in prepaid load deduction which customers often mistake as “nakaw load.”

Unknown load deductions happen when customers click on an online advertisement link or button of VAS providers. As a rule, customers should get a verification code via SMS on how to opt-in as well as another SMS for successful subscription and cancellation instructions. However, there are instances when partners circumvent the rule, thus, automatically enrolling the customers without consent. This in effect happened to a prepaid customer who complained online about load decrementation from a VAS provider, GotDeals Mobile, Inc.

GotDeals Mobile, Inc., issued a public apology after a customer complained in social media about alleged load theft.

In reference to a Facebook post of a subscriber complaining about loss of load due to 3rd party transactions, we at Gotdeals Mobile, Inc. are taking full responsibility for the inconvenience that the customer experienced due to issues encountered in our servers. We sincerely apologize to Globe Telecom and their customer for the damage that this may have caused them. We have rectified the issue to ensure that it will not happen again.

Globe General Counsel Atty. Froilan Castelo said, "We want to assure our customers that we have clauses in our contracts with partner content providers which penalize those who resort to fraud. We are also implementing stricter opt-in guidelines to make our customers aware that they are signing up for VAS subscription which entails charges."

Globe also reminds customers that upon receipt of any push text message with an access code, they can text HELP to the access code number to verify service status, then text STOP to discontinue the service if they want to.

To further protect its customers, Globe also has a prepaid load notification service called Load Watch to help prepaid mobile customers get real time balance and updates on usage of their load. With this service, customers have better control of their load should there be unwarranted deductions.

Globe encourages customers to report unwarranted load deductions on VAS services so these incidents can be investigated and properly addressed. Castelo said, "We will not hesitate to impose sanctions against those vendors or partners who are found guilty."

Please reach out to @talk2globe via Twitter, Globe Telecom official Facebook page, and customer hotlines 211 (mobile) and 730-1000 (landline).