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Iwas 'nakaw-load': Telcos urged to notify users of credit deduction

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Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5c2wK67iqfU" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>MANILA - Telecommunications firms should notify prepaid subscribers of all mobile load deductions real-time, Senator Paolo Benigno &quot;Bam&quot; Aquino IV said Tuesday.</p><p>Aquino, who heads the Senate science and technology committee, made the suggestion amid numerous consumer complaints on the disappearance of the prepaid credits, hidden charges or errors in opt out mechanisms.</p><p>He said telcos admitted during a committee hearing Monday that prepaid load is sometimes eaten up by value-added services.</p><p>VAS, he said, are non-core services or those beyond text and call transmissions. Unknown load deductions may happen when users click on the pop-up buttons or advertisement links of VAS providers.</p><p>Unwanted credit deductions from VAS can be prevented if telcos notify users of their load balance in every transaction, said Aquino.</p><p>&quot;Ang pinakamadali talaga, bawat transaksyon ng ating mga subscriber, may nakukuha silang notification o text, &#x27;Your balance is now ganito.&#x27; Para mayroon po tayong parang resibo,&quot; he told radio DZMM.</p><p>(The easiest solution is for subscribers to get a notification or text saying, &#x27;Your balance is now this much&#x27; for every transaction. This will serve as our receipt of sorts.)</p><p>The firms, he said, should also have an opt-out scheme where consumers can confirm or cancel the VAS they avail.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1438213" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>Major telcos have promised to run a program to notify subscribers real time of their load consumption, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said in a separate DZMM interview.</p><p>Other countries, she said, are already employing this scheme.</p><p>The firms and DTI have also agreed to penalize &quot;unethical&quot; VAS providers, Aquino added.</p><p>Some VAS providers post deceitful advertisements that lead to automatic load deductions when closed by subscribers, the senator noted, citing a resource person during Monday&#x27;s Senate hearing.</p><p>There are some 200 accredited VAS providers that share their revenues with telcos, firms had confirmed in the inquiry, said Aquino.</p><p>Around 97 percent or some 126 million of the country&#x27;s 130 million mobile phone accounts are prepaid, he earlier said, citing data from the National Telecommunications Commission.</p>

<p>Telecommunications firms should notify prepaid subscribers of all mobile load deductions real-time, Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV said Tuesday. </p>

Telecommunications firms should notify prepaid subscribers of all mobile load deductions real-time, Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV said Tuesday.

Iwas 'nakaw-load': Telcos urged to notify users of credit deduction

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Iwas 'nakaw-load': Telcos urged to notify users of credit deduction

Jamaine Punzalan,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 06, 2018 08:35 AM PHT

|

Updated January 07, 2020 12:35 PM PHT

Read More:

DZMM

telecommunications

nakaw-load

consumers

prepaid load

Bam Aquino

Senate probe

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