Archives: Phones & Cell Phones

Recently a consumer in Alabama shared her experience with us; she downloaded one ringtone to her phone only to discover she also ended up with weekly charges of $1.99. She complained, but got no help from her cell phone company in getting those charges off her bill.

It turns out her experience is becoming more common and has already resulted in a lawsuit accusing Cingular, T-Mobile and ringtone giant Jamster of deceptive practices.

When you go to a website to download a ringtone to your phone, read the terms of service agreement. It is the long message that comes with the "I agree"check box that you have to click before you can go further in the download.  Some of these agreements include enrollment in weekly or monthly service plans. That means you are automatically charged a weekly or monthly fee for the ability to download a certain number of new ringtones over that period.  Usually this fee is charged on your cell phone bill. If you don’t want to keep on paying, don’t check the box. Find another way to download the single ringtone that you want. If you want to try out the service, find out exactly what you need to do to cancel it. 

If you have experienced a ringtone rip-off, you are not alone. If you have a story, please share it, consumers across the country are waiting to hear from you!