Teens targeted by rip-off ringtone sites (17/7/08)
July 17, 2008 at 2:02 pm Leave a comment
Seventeen Irish websites selling ring-tones and wallpapers for mobile phones are facing further investigation over concerns that they could be in breach of EU consumer protection law. It follows a Europe-wide sweep of over 500 websites, after a huge number of complaints from consumers who had been lured into long-term contracts in the belief that they were simply downloading a ring-tone for a fixed sum. The survey of 27 EU member states, plus Norway and Iceland, found that 80 per cent of websites are suspected of breaking the rules.
Out of 18 Irish websites examined by the European Commission, only one appeared to be fully compliant. The problems found included unclear or incomplete price information, lack of contact details about the trader, and hidden charges in small print. The majority of the websites checked targeted children or teenagers, using cartoon characters or well known TV characters.
One Dublin teenager, Sam, said, ‘I ordered a €1 ring-tone from a website linked to a networking site. Then I started getting loads of weird text messages…every time I got one, I lost €2 credit. When I finally got to the bottom of it, the company insisted I’d signed up for a long-term subscription. But that wasn’t anywhere on the website. And they refused to refund me. All my friends have been burned the same way.’
EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva has promised EU-wide enforcement action to clamp down on the scams. In Ireland, the companies in question will be asked to clarify or correct certain problems, or risk incurring include fines and closure of the website. In the meantime, the Commissioner is warning young people to be on their guard and check the fine print when downloading ring-tones or other extras for their phones.
Entry filed under: Children and the EU, Consumers and the EU, Crime and the EU. Tags: .
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