INFORMATION FOR USERS OF PREMIUM RATE TELEPHONE, FAX and INTERNET SERVICES
The information below is designed to help you understand your telephone bill, how premium rate services are accessed from your telephone, fax or computer, the costs involved, and to answer the most common enquires we receive.
Premium Rate Telephone Numbers
Premium rate telephone numbers are those where the information or entertainment content of the service provided is charged at a premium over the normal telephone charge. In Hong Kong these numbers have 11 digits beginning with 900-. The charge per minute can be $2, $4, $6, $8 or $10 per minute. Most services are charged at $10 per minute.
Numbers belonging to TeePlus look like this: 900 60 54 XXXX or 900 90 54 XXXX.
54 is the code number that identifies TeePlus as the Service Provider. On a telephone bill our services are identified by the letters TPC.
TeePlus has a contract with PCCW-HKT. They bill and collect on our behalf for premium rate calls. TeePlus has various telecommunications equipment which allows us to handle telephone, fax and internet calls. TeePlus sometimes operates its own services, but mostly provides its infrastructure to third party companies who specialise in marketing their services.
Most enquiries that we receive are because the customer has forgotten that they made a premium rate telephone call some weeks before the telephone bill arrived.
Services
There are many different services available on premium rate telephone numbers. Some are audio, provided over your telephone, and some are data, provided by your fax machine or computer.
Examples of audio services are: financial information, horse-racing betting tips, astrology, adult entertainment, mobile phone ringing tone downloads, and dating services.
Similar services are available by fax and by internet dialler.
Internet Services
Many internet web sites have ‘pay-sites’ or ‘members areas’ that contain information and entertainment that is only available to users who pay. Traditionally the payment has been by credit card. Recently some of our clients have used premium rate telephone numbers instead. This is achieved using a ‘dialler’.
The Dialler
When a user chooses to enter the pay site a small piece of software is quickly downloaded onto his computer. This software then launches an internet dialler. The dialler disconnects the user from the normal internet service provider (ISP) and instructs the modem to dial out to a premium rate telephone number instead.
A Warning Screen is shown before the dialler is activated. This tells the user that connection will cost $10 per minute. The user must select ‘OK’, ‘Connect’ or ‘Accept’ to confirm. Once the user has confirmed agreement to be charged, the dialler will disconnect the existing ISP connection and re-connect to the internet via a premium rate telephone number.
The dialler will not work until the ‘Accept’ button is clicked. It is not possible to activate the dialler without clicking this button. The dialler is under the clear control of the user.
If the speaker volume on the PC is sufficient the user will hear the dialler dial-out. The user is therefore fully aware that the dialler is activated and dialling the premium rate number. Clicking the ‘Cancel’ button will interrupt the process.
Once the dialler is connected, access is given to the ‘pay-site’. The user is then being charged $10 per minute for as long as they remain connected - up to a maximum of 20 minutes. At this point the dialler will automatically disconnect.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Below are the questions we are asked most often:
Q: ‘I have not made these calls’
A: If a premium rate telephone number has appeared on your telephone bill then someone in your home or office has made the call. It is not possible for a premium rate call to appear on your bill by mistake. Please study the date and time of the call to help you understand who might be responsible. Also, if you have more than one telephone line please check which number the call was made from. Perhaps the call was made from your fax machine or PC.
Q: ‘There was nobody in my house when these calls were made’
A: Again, it is not possible for calls to appear on your telephone bill unless the call was made. In the case of internet dialler services, it is not possible for the call to happen without positive action from the user of the PC.
Q: ‘There was no indication of the cost of these calls’
A: In all advertising for audio services the cost of the call is shown. With internet dialler services there is a warning box which clearly shows the cost of the call.
Q: ‘How can I find out what the service was?’
A: This is the question we are most often asked in relation to internet dialler services. With internet services the premium rate number dialled by the dialler routes the call to an internet ISP. The number dialled does not influence which service the call is connected to. The web site accessed is controlled by software within the dialler which TeePlus does not control. So, unfortunately, we are not able to tell you which service you accessed.
Q: ‘How do I prevent minors accessing internet services’
A: Firstly please understand that because adult material is widely available on the internet it is not wise to allow minors to surf the net unsupervised. We would recommend the following:
Your PC is not in a bedroom or quiet part of the house so can be kept under your supervision.
Use generally available filtering software such as ‘netnanny’ or ‘surfwatch’ to prevent access to some adult material.
Password protect access to your PC to prevent usage during unsupervised periods.
Further Information
If you require further information please contact us by the following methods:
Fax: 2576 7448
Email: office@teeplus.com
Tel : 3073 7357 (office hours Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm)
www.teeplus.com
When faxing to us please enclose a copy of your telephone bill including the front page showing your name and address and the page that has the premium rate calls on it.