What are premium services?
Premium SMS and MMS are a suite of messaging services including competitions, voting, content subscriptions, chat and dating services that are charged at a premium rate to your 3 account. Premium SMS numbers are called shortcodes and they are either 6 digit numbers starting with 191, 193, 194 or 195, or 8 digit numbers starting with 196, 197 or 199
Do I have access to premium services from my 3 phone?
To access premium number services you have to opt in. You may opt in by either going to My 3 in the Customer Care section at www.three.com.au or you can contact 3 Care on 133 320.
How will I be charged for premium services?
You can be charged for accessing premium services in several ways:
There are a number of industry guidelines and regulations that relate to the provision of Premium Services aimed at ensuring that customers are fully informed about the price and content of the services. If these rules have been broken, you may not have to pay for the service. You are not liable for charges resulting from a fault or billing error.
Responsibility for your phone bill
Remember you are usually responsible for the cost of any calls made from your phone, including calls made by family and friends, even when made without your knowledge.
Because of this it’s a good idea to keep track of how many calls you make, or how often you access these services, and how long they last as the cost can quickly add up. This can possibly create an unexpected high bill which may be difficult for you to pay.
If you are unable to pay your phone bill it could result the restriction of your telephone service and ultimately could result in recording of a default in your record with credit rating agencies, reducing your ability to obtain credit for other purposes in the future.
What steps can you take to lessen the risk of high, unexpected bills?
1. Always check the cost of the Premium Service before you use it.
2. Keep track of how many calls you make, or how often you access these services.
3. Keep track of how long they last as the costs can quickly add up.
Another option is the use of a 3 prepaid service. This will ensure that you are in complete control of your spend.
Can I bar access to premium services?
You can BAR all Premium SMS and MMS services for free. This means that your mobile account will be barred from sending and receiving Premium SMS and MMS messages and you will not be charged for any of these services. No other services will be affected. We will bar all premium SMS and MMS services from your account within 1 Business Day of receiving your request. To bar call 133320 (Postpay) 131921 (Prepay) or 133103 (business) from your mobile to request to unbar and follow the prompts.
Concerned about your use of premium services?
If you have concerns about specific Premium SMS or MMS services, including about charges that appear on your 3 bill, you should contact the premium rate service provider operating the service in the first instance. Their contact details can be found at: http://www.19sms.com.au/. You should be aware that sometimes the service provider is not the actual content provider with whom you have an agreement, and they may refer you to a content provider.
If you are unable to resolve your concern with the service provider or the content provider, please call 133320 (postpay) 131921 (prepay) 133103 (business). If we are unable to resolve your concerns you may wish to contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman on 1800 062 058 or http://www.tio.com.au/, or the ACMA http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/HOMEPAGE/PC=HOME.
If you have questions or concerns about Premium SMS or MMS services generally or about the barring of all Premium SMS or MMS services, you can contact us on 133320 (Postpay) or 131921 (Prepay) or the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman or the ACMA using the contact details above.
