Cornered! is a blog devoted, most of the time anyway, to telecommunications: local and global issues, technology, people and trends from the perspective of someone who's been reporting, analysing and commenting on the industry since the dark ages (BC - before competition). Sometimes serious, sometimes flippant, sometimes frivolous. Controversial, analytical, informative, amusing, but never boring; a vehicle for examinations of important issues and observations on my encounters and experiences in an industry where polarised views and hyperbole are the norm.
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Cornered! An unholy alliance: Opera offers one touch access to Jamster
Cornered! An unholy alliance: Opera offers one touch access to Jamster | An unholy alliance: Opera offers one touch access to Jamster |
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| by Stuart Corner | |
| Thursday, 21 August 2008 | |
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Page 1 of 2 Coincidentally, Opera announced the deal just two days before the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued a warning telling people to be wary before signing up to mobile premium phone services. "These mobile services include extras such as ring-tones, wallpapers and information services," chairman Graeme Samuel, said. "They are featured in many advertisements in magazines, on television and on the Internet. While these extras may offer variety and entertainment for some consumers, they are also the subject of ongoing complaints." This has led the ACCC to turn its attention to the advertising practices in the industry and as Samuel comments: "As many of these services are directed at the younger, less experienced consumer, the ACCC is particularly concerned over what it considers is the failure of certain advertisements to adequately disclose the costs and ongoing nature of the services offered." The ACCC's concerns mirror those of the EU which, according to a recent report in BusinessWeek has launched inquiries into ringtone websites across Europe following an initial investigation that found many were tricking consumers into expensive subscriptions when they thought they were downloading a single ringtone for free. Samuel said: "Television advertisements with small print disclosure and busy or distracting images and magazine advertisements featuring tiny print and confusing clutter mean that many consumers would not appreciate the significant ongoing costs they could incur by simply texting in to the number on the screen or in print." This is exactly what I complained about in an earlier blog .CONTINUED |
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