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Hidden mobile charges that could be buried in your bill

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 楼主| 发表于 2013-5-3 09:53:57 | 显示全部楼层 |阅读模式
When Maria Dementieva, a 56-year-old doctor in Moscow, dials her husband's mobile phone number, she hears music instead of a normal ringtone.
当一个住在莫斯科的56岁医生Maria Dementieva拨通她丈夫的手机号码时,她听到了音乐而非普通的铃声。
It's the same for him. What they don't know is that this "service" costs them money, even though neither of them recalls subscribing to it.
对她丈夫来说也是相同情况。但是他们并不知道这种“服务”是要收费的,即使他们都没有定制这项业务。
Only when Mrs Dementieva calls her mobile phone network MTS, Russia's largest mobile operator, does she find out that she is being charged for it: 42 roubles (80p; $1.30) a month.
直到Dementieva太太打电话给她的移动电话网络系统-------俄罗斯最大的手机运营商,她才知道这项业务一直在收费:一个月42卢布。
When she complains that she never bought the service, the customer service representative calmly replies that yes, she did.
当她抱怨她从未购买此业务时,客户服务代表平静回复说是的,她购买了。
She is experiencing the same issues as phone users in many other countries.
她正在经历与许多其他国家手机用户同样的问题。
"Turns out that shortly after I had signed a contract with them, they sent me an SMS, informing me that I had this music added to my account and that it was free for the first month, but after that it was going to continue automatically with a monthly fee, " Mrs Dementieva says.
“事实证明在我和他们签订合同不久之后,他们给我发了短信,告知我这项彩铃业务添加到了我的账户,并且第一个月是免费的,但是一月之后这项业务就自动续约并收取月租” Dementieva太太说。
"And to stop it, I had to call them and cancel it.
“如果想停止使用,我必须打电话给他们取消”
"But I only use my mobile for calls. It is not a smartphone, the screen is tiny and I am not tech-savvy, so I don't read or send SMS.
“但是我只用手机打电话。这并不是智能手机,屏幕很小而且我也不精通技术,所以我不阅读短信也不发送短信”"
"I guess I had received this text but I never read it. And I certainly did not know I was being charged for it."
“我想我收到过这条短信但是我一直没看,并且我确实不知道我一直在为这项业务缴费”
Two of Russia's other big telecom operators, Megafon and Beeline, have similar services.
另外两大俄罗斯电信运营商,Megafon和Beeline,也有相似的业务。
Such practices have enraged users, and Russian online forums are peppered with angry comments from customers claiming that the services they never chose to have are costing them dearly.
这种做法激怒了用户,并且俄罗斯网上论坛夹杂来自用户的愤怒评论,声称他们从未用过的业务花费了他们太多的费用。
One blogger, Roman, writes that he bought an MTS Sim card to use for web access only - and still got charged for phone ringtones.
一个名为Roman的博主写到,他买了一个MTS智能卡用来上网,然而他还需交付手机铃声费用。
MTS declined to comment.
MTS拒绝对此发表评论。
Potential pitfalls
潜在的陷阱
In the UK, industry watchdog Phonepayplus states that users "must not be charged for premium rate services without their consent" - and evidence of consent is required.
在英国,手机额外收费行业监督陈述道,“未经用户同意将不得收取付费语音咨询业务费用” - 并且要求有用户同意的证据
"Where consumers are accessing high-cost subscription services, we have a system of double opt-in to make certain that they understand the full cost of the service, " says Patrick Guthrie, director of strategy and communications at PhonepayPlus.
“在消费者访问高费用的订阅服务时,我们有一个双向选择的系统来确保他们了解全面的服务费用” 手机额外收费机构的战略通信总监Patrick Guthrie如是说。
To avoid hidden charges, Mr Guthrie says people should always read the terms and conditions in any advert.
为避免隐藏的收费,Guthrie先生说,人们应该阅读任何广告上的所有条款和条件。
"Once you've seen how a service works and what it will cost, then make up your mind about taking part, " he says. "Be wary of 'free' offers or fabulous prizes. If something looks too good to be true, it probably will be.
“在你知道了一项业务的运转和花费后,就好好考虑下是否要使用,”他说,“警惕“免费”优惠和丰厚的奖品。如果有些东西太好以至于不像真实的,那么它可能就不是真实的”
"If you're signed up to a subscription service on your mobile but want to quit, simply send the word STOP to the service number."
“如果你注册了一项手机订阅服务,但是你想取消,只需发送STOP这个单词到服务号码”
The organisation says that teenagers are especially likely to click on a service that promises to be free, such as a trendy ringtone, but do not read terms and conditions - until their parents discover a hefty charge on the monthly bill.
该机构说尤其青少年更可能点击一项承诺是免费的业务,例如一个流行的铃声,但是并不阅读条款和条件,直到他们的父母发现他们高额的月账单。
PhonepayPlus has even set up a website called PhoneBrain to educate young people about the potential pitfalls of owning a mobile.
反手机额外收费机构甚至建立了一个名为PhoneBrain的网站来教育年轻人关于拥有手机的潜在陷阱 。
When people move from a normal mobile phone to a smartphone, many may not realise that there are a lot of extra hidden fees, says analyst Carolina Milanesi from research firm Gartner.
当从普通手机转换到智能手机,许多人也许没有意识到存在着很多额外的隐藏费用,来自名为Gartner的研究公司的分析师Carolina Milanesi说。
"People should be aware that smartphone apps that are left active keep pushing content to the [phone], which may result in extra charges, " she says.
“人们应该意识到,智能手机所有处于活动状态的应用程序,不断地向手机内部推进内容,这可能会导致额外的费用,”她说。
"I am not sure consumers necessarily realise that and this is especially true for users who suddenly have to deal with a device that is more clever than they thought.
“我并不确定消费者们是否意识到以上信息,这对于那些突然要应付一个比他们想象中还要聪明的装置的用户尤其真实”
"This can easily be avoided by making clear that the app is using the mobile network, something that most apps already do.
“这个可以通过弄清应用程序是在使用移动网络而避免,这是很多应用程序已经做过的事”
"Other things like backing up photos or files can also be set up, as well as working over wi-fi in order to avoid charges. Maps used when roaming are another source of cost when those maps cannot be downloaded beforehand."
“其他的事情,比如备份照片或文件,也可以建立,以及通过无线网络的上网操作,以避免收费。有些地图不能事先下载,使用地图时的漫游费用是话费产生的另一根源。”
Cramming and scamming
手机诈骗
In the United States, millions of customers find unauthorised fees from third-party firms on their phone bills, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a government agency.
据美国联邦贸易委员会的政府机构,在美国,百万客户在他们的电话账单上发现了未经授权的第三方公司的收费。
This is known as "cramming, " because these phony charges are "crammed" among many items on a monthly bill and may be hard to spot.
这就是所谓的“手机诈骗”,因为这些欺骗性的收费在月账单上是和其他项目是挤在一起的,并且可能很难被发现。
Customers end up paying for services they have never signed up for, ranging from ringtones, horoscopes and music downloads to yoga classes and diet plans.
消费者最终为他们从没有签订过的业务买单,从铃声,星座运程和音乐下载,到瑜伽课程和饮食计划。
Landline cramming affects 15 to 20 million US households, says the FTC - and now mobile phone scams are becoming a real issue too.
座机诈骗影响了15到20万美国家庭,美国联邦贸易委员说,并且现在手机诈骗也已经变成了一个真正的问题。
According to a US Senate inquiry completed in 2011, cramming costs American consumers about $2bn a year, and only one in 20 realises they have been scammed.
根2011年完成一个的美国参议院调查,手机诈骗使美国消费者每年损失2亿美元,并且只有二十分之一的人意识到他们被诈骗了。
The report states that leading US telecom companies Verizon, AT&T and CenturyLink/Quest are not only aware of the issue, but pocket millions from allowing cramming charges on their bills.
该报告指出美国领先的电信公司Verizon,AT&T和CenturyLink/Quest 不仅意识到了这个问题,并且通过放纵手机欺诈而获利百万。
Although there is no legislation yet to deal with cramming, the FTC recommends "that wireless providers be required to offer consumers the ability to block third-party charges, and to make this option clear to consumer".
虽然现在还没有专门针对手机诈骗的立法,美国联邦贸易委员会建议“应该要求无限服务供应商为消费者提供能够阻止第三方收费的能力,并且使消费者清楚的知道他们的选择”
Both AT&T and Verizon have recently promised to limit the ability of third-party firms to put charges on their bills.
AT&T和Verizon最近承诺将限制第三方公司在账单上添加收费的能力。
Back home in Moscow, Mrs Dementieva is happy she no longer has to pay for something she never chose to have.
回到莫斯科的家,Dementieva太太很高兴她再也不用为非自己选择定制的业务付费了。
And in future, she says, she'll keep a closer eye on her monthly bill and on incoming texts.
并且在将来,她说,他将密切关注她的月账单和收到的短信。
Even if she has to read them on her handset's tiny screen.
即使他必须要在她手机窄小的屏幕上阅读。
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