# Social Category > The Whistleblower Forum >  Scavengers on Dormant Cell phone contracts.

## Candy Bouwer

My story starts with a bit of background:
I have been a longstanding client with MTN and over the years there have been amazing specials and as the time went on I accumulated a couple of accounts as my family spread so I cut back on said accounts. However after a shocking identity fraud with Telkom I decided to retain on of the Sims and upgrade from time to time to keep a backup phone at home rather than have a land line...My Black Berry tends to be temperamental.
Any how this is a basic phone contract with a R100 a month loaded air time and top up option. Now this phone as I say is not used and sits in a draw for most of its existence. Yesterday as luck would have it my Black Beery did the proverbial quiche and had to be taken back to supplier. I fished out the old Nokia back up and put it on charge. Well I have panic mechanic kids and on answering a returned call discovered after only a minute or so of chat that I only had R1 remaining. This morning I duly contacted MTN and demanded to know why they had not been topping up my contract, only to be informed much to my chagrin that I have a daily subscription attached to my account that was started in February...Well I know for a fact that the last time I communicated on the phone was around about feb but I also know that I would never knowingly subscribe to nonsense. The fact is that I have never ever received any word or communication from these people. If they were legit with the fees being R7 per day i would in fact owe them R210.00 per month. The reason I call this a scavenger scam is because they just scrounge out the account and continue to do so without permission.
Mtn gave me the name of something named OPERA with contact details.
Opera in turn supposedly unsubscribed me from their mobimatic account. They gave me some story that they are a platform called a wasp that helps to unsubscribe members with accounts. Then they spun me a story that a company called Sprint Media was the account holder and that I had to take it up with them. 
After phone back after some thought I demanding to speak to a supervisor at Opera and I asked these questions 1) why would my service provider MTN have them listed as the people who are responsible for the account? 
2) If they have permission to terminate my subscription, why did I now have to chase other companies to get a refund for something I did not implement in the first place?
Well it seem that they are trying to remedy something but as always one can only wait and see! :Confused:

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## Dave A

Sprint Media are probably up to some sharp practice, much like my TMobileSA experience some years back. (BTW I never got the refund they promised me - what an outfit  :Stick Out Tongue:  ).

Ultimately I'm not sure these sharp operators are entirely to blame, though. The WASP and VAS system really does open the door to white collar crime via the cellphone industry.

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## tec0

Find the right people that are responsible for your account and keep the right people responsible for their actions that was done on your behalf without your say so and you will get results I did.

I gave my service-provider absolute hell to the point where I got the "top" involved. Believe me the fat cats doesnt like calls from officials... They just don't... Especially when it comes to questionable transactions.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  

And I did all of that for only R10 that was taken from my airtime.  :Slap: 

But as I stated back then when I approached the officials I Dont care about the amount the fact remains it happened... If they can do it to me they can do others...

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## SilverNodashi

Candy, I also had the same experience, but only on an active Vodacom contract which suddenly skyrocketed. It took me 2 months to get off their system, which I never heard of before and never actually subscribed to and lost about R1000 over a 3 month period. They are scam artists and seem have every excuse in the book not to refund you and will actually blame you for being careless enough to signup for their ads.

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## Candy Bouwer

Still No feedback..typical - they promised to send me communication and now on my follow up the issue has supposedly dissapeared off their system - (this is Opera).

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## IanF

Candy
I would lay a complaint by email so it is documented with MTN. Also try send a copy of the email to the company secretary and PRO executive, look in the Annual Report for those addresses. 
In your complaint layout that you have tried with "their" service provider Opera to sort this out with no luck so you want them to sort it out and get your refund as you have no relationship with Opera. Also make it clear that this is a precursor to complaint to the Consumer Commission as you have to layout to the CC what you have done before approaching the CC. Then also point them to this thread as part of the documentation.

You must be prepared to report this to the CC as they may be obstinate at MTN.

Anyway good luck and keep us informed.

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## Candy Bouwer

> Candy
> I would lay a complaint by email so it is documented with MTN. Also try send a copy of the email to the company secretary and PRO executive, look in the Annual Report for those addresses. 
> In your complaint layout that you have tried with "their" service provider Opera to sort this out with no luck so you want them to sort it out and get your refund as you have no relationship with Opera. Also make it clear that this is a precursor to complaint to the Consumer Commission as you have to layout to the CC what you have done before approaching the CC. Then also point them to this thread as part of the documentation.
> 
> You must be prepared to report this to the CC as they may be obstinate at MTN.
> 
> Anyway good luck and keep us informed.


I shall follow your advice..thank you...will keep you posted  :Smile:

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