452-44
Complaint 120618 Details

Received 3 texts from IQ Power Trivia. Texts indicated I could receive trivia questions for $9.99 a month. Last text indicated I could text STOP to cancel.

Like any reasonable person, I ignored the text. After all, you can't be charged for something you didn't order, right? I did go to Verizon's website and blocked so-called "premium messaging," so I received no further texts. I did, however, discover the $9.99 charge on my Verizon bill.

When I contacted Verizon, they told me that I had accepted a text from IQ Power, that I was responsible for the $9.99 and that I needed to send a STOP text to 45244. She said that even though I disabled "premium messaging" I would continue to be billed until I texted a STOP order to them.

After 10 minutes of pressing the Verizon rep, she gave me a credit for the $9.99. I texted AND called IQ Power, where I was told they're a "legitimate company (legitimate companies don't have to instruct their reps to tell people they're legitimate) and that Verizon had already "blacklisted" my number with their company. (Legitimate companies also don't get placed on blacklists.)

Verizon claims they're just the billing agent, but do you really think there's nothing in it for them?

Bottom line: If you get scammed by IQ Power, don't let your carrier off the hook. Insist that they issue a credit. To prevent getting scammed in the future, go to the carrier's website and block "premium messaging."