Horry wrote...

> When you dispute a charge on your credit card account, the bank
> investigates. The same should apply (and does apply, if you push the
> issue) to telcos and their "premium SMS".

Isn't this the purpose of the TIO?

There is also a mob that supposedly deals with issues arising from the likes of
premium number services. I forget what it's called but when I was on dialup, I
got attacked by a virus or trojan or whatever it was that installed a dialer on
the PC that forced the modem to dial a 1900 number. I managed to pull the pin on
the modem but not quick enough to cop a $5 charge. I managed to trace it to one
particular mob and I wrote to the TIO and Telstra to lodge a complaint when the
charge arrived on my next phone bill.

TIO told me to talk to this mob that covers these types of services. I filled
out all the info and sent it off. That was the last I ever heard of it. No
refunds were forthcoming and in the end I couldn't be fucked chasing down a
pissy $5 charge.

But then, perhaps that's how these mobs make their dough.