I too have NEVER signed up for your stupid service. I've never received any odd text either from unknown sourse. I've just noticed this $9.99 charge has been appearing on my cellphone bill for the past 2 months. I called to cancel, and yet I receive another 3rd charge!!! I expect a refund of $29.97 total that I have had to pay.
My 70 year old mother who knows nothing about text messaging showed me her phone the other day. On it was a bunch of messages from 654654. So we reviewed her bill and found that she had been paying $9.99 a month for Predicto service. Upon calling Verizon, they told us how to cancel the service and they promptly credited the amount. They also put a block on premium content.
I the text messagining world, Predicto is refered to as a short code content provider. There are lots of different content providers. Then there are the Aggregators. The aggregators bundle together blocks of content and make it available for telelphone companies for use on their networks. In this case, Predicto Mobile's aggregator is a company called Open Market. Ultimately, carrier's such as ATT or Verizon are responsible approving or dissapproving content campaigns for use on their networks. If too many complaints come in for a particular campaign, then a carrier might drop the content because they don't want the headaches associated with custmer service.
There is a standards body that sits over the short code ndustry. It is called the MMA or Mobile Marketing Association. The MMA sets up rules and guidlines such as the double opt in. In my mothers case, she never opted in at all. Somehow she got slammed.
The rep at Predicto told me after taking te mobile nuber that my mom had double opted in on a particular date and that she had record of confirmation from Verizon. When I asked for a copy of the record, she claimed to have never said there was a record. They put a lot of fancy talk around it. The double opt is simply a text msg sent to them. Most carriers don't carry text message records that show destination... His means that your case is not easy to prove.
Predicto should be ashamed of themselves. I don't know how they are still operating.
I also am being scammed by Predicto. I may have signed up, I don't know - but as soon as I saw the charge on my bill I cancelled - I texted "stop" to 654654 as instructed on February 24 2009, and here we are in May and I'm still being charged.
Their reply when I questioned it?
"Thank you for contacting our Customer Service Department. As per your request, your account was cancelled and no further billings will occur, as a former member you are still eligible to participate in the year-end $50, 000 sweepstakes drawing.
The terms and conditions for billing are clearly stated to customer both at the time of sign-up and after validation (please feel free to visit http://www.predictomobile.com/index.cfm?fuse=memberterms for more information).
The $9.99 fee is non-refundable, we are very sorry to see you go and hope that you decide to join our service in the future."
UH ... No, Predicto. Wrong answer. You owe me a refund! I canceled it in FEBRUARY!
Unfortunately, you will never get your money back. I fell into the same scam and Patricia the Supervisor claims the money will be refunded by mail with a check. Then I got the same email as you did 2 days later. "Sorry can't refund your money."
At least you all werent as stupid as I was. Got a high phone bill so I started to look in depth at it. come to find out I have been paying for this predicto crap for 16 months with no idea. This whole time I thought it was for our text messaging plan, it was filed on our bill under premium service. I called predicto today, got the same story, you signed up for it in March of 2008, we will cancel but will not refund money. Sorry p, lease join us again. So I am half way to blame for not checking over my bill every single month but I am still out $160.00. Hope this company rots in hell
Just found out this band of thieves has been charging our company $9.99 per month since October - our bookkeeper missed the additional charge!! I tried calling Predicto (I'll bet the person who answered the phone both times is overseas somewhere!). I was told they would only refund the past month and only by check IF I give them the info requested (like that will happen!). Talked to Immix about the charges - bascically was told I am on my own. Time for a new mobile carrier!! How about a class action suit - it seems crazy that this company can get away with this!!!
A class action complaint is opened against Predicto Mobile, LLC in Easter District of Michigan on 09/18/2009 (see http://contract.law360.com/articles/123206). But there is lot of work on the way.
I get caught in Predicto Mobile scam using Verizon Cell like 1000s others. But since September 18, 2009 Predicto Mobile is sued for charging fees on new customers who got numbers previously used by former customers.
In just two words, when you get a cell phone number, it’s usually a cell phone number used by a previous customer (also called ‘recycled’ or ‘dirty’cell-phone number). The previous customer may have subscribed to some Predicto Mobile services in dream or in reality or she changed Cell phone number to get rid of Predicto.
Bad luck for you, when you buy your new cell phone, you will get charged for Predicto Mobile premium text without subscription because the previous client who owned the cell phone number got scammed.
The double opt-in process presented by Predicto Customer Service is a kind of joke: there is no opt-in process. You may have been opted-in by somebody who wanted to get rid of Predicto Mobile premium message by asking for a new cell phone number and you get this person old phone number(with the Predicto Mobile scam bonus).
For your information the case file is opened in Easter District of Michigan as a class action complaint against Alltel Communications, LLC and Predicto Mobile, LLC (case 2:09-cv-13691-DPH-MAR filed 09/17/2009).
Alltel is sued because this Cell phone company authorized Predicto Mobile to steal the money and didn’t protect his customers from dubious transations.
While Alltell sent to Predicto the updated lists of ‘recycled’ or ‘dirty’ cell numbers, Predicto just ignored them: see more at http://contract.law360.com/articles/123206
The official file can be read at http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/18/Alltel2.pdf
We need now to start probably a second class action for unauthorized charges as the previous class action only deal with former customer contract passed to new customers.
Actually, Predicto uses a deceiptive technique that is based on Internet phishing: at the end of the process they just get your cell-phone number.
Please document as much as possible each situation described: take pictures of your cell phone messages, keep a copy of your bills.
Another class action is in preparation for simply abusive billing by Predicto Mobile: similar class actions already ended with settlement related to unauthorized charges for Mobile Content see Media Breakway, LLC Mobile Content Class Action at
http://classactionconnect.com/cell_phone_issues/2009/06/30/media-breakaway-llc-mobile-content-class-action-settlement-announced/
Old people and kids are easy targets to this kind of predators: I checked my grand uncle bill (83 years) and he saw he got scammed. In our community, we are now checking all cell-phone bills specially the elderly ones and the young one: look carefully for this $9.99 Premium Text message.
Spread the information on the internet and everywhere in our communities: we need to protect our kids and old people from these predators.
After I recouped with some other lawsuits, Eyal Yezchekelly, Predicto Mobile CEO already helped to found another company called Email Discount Network (EDN) and guess what?
EDN was sued in Florida, Washington State, and Georgia for the same type of scam Predicto is spreading today.
See Washington State Office settlement agreement (EDN)
http://www.atg.wa.gov/pressrelease.aspx?id=14424
See Georgia Settlements (EDN)
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/settlements/07712/unauthorized-cramming.html#
See Georgia Subscriber Refunds
http://www.georgia.gov/00/article/0, 2086, 5426814_5684686_80061913, 00.html
See state State of Florida complaint:
http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/JFAO-6U3MJB/$file/EDNComplaint.pdf
See Predicto Mobile CEO on YouTube (the guy will appear in the middle of this interview):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi8foOw7OXQ
My guess is that Predicto, Predicto Mobile, PredictoMobile, or whatever is using kind of pyramid scheme to pay back previous subscribers with new subscribers just like Madoff in the financial arena.
My question is now: do Cell phone companies ever check customers complains, I just send a letter with a photocopy of the above documents to Verizon and ask them how they can authorize Predicto Mobile as a 3rd party.
Dear readers, if you have some time, please send these documents to your cell-phone companies (Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Alltell, etc…).
The cell-phone companies are in part responsible for this mess as they share revenue with Predicto or other 3rd parties. I am sure cell-phone companies know about the scam but the financial incentive is too high for them to change.
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