Joddle

We occasionally need mobile broadband and in July signed up for the Yoigo 7euros per month package. We cheked in the shop very carfully the terms andconditions and bought our own USB dongle from Yoigo and although the amount of download on the tarriff we signed up to was pretty limited it would provide enough cover for what we needed when not on our normal landline based broadband. However recently we have had amounts of 25e and 49e taken by Yoigo from our account rather than the contracted 9euros.

On contacting Yoigo they say we have since "signed up" to a download package called "Blinko" and have been receiving downloads from them - but this is not correct - we have signed up to nothing and certainly have not been downloading anything. All we use the mobile ADSL for is to view a few sites associated with our work and check emails and occasionally to use messenger.

Has anyone else fallen foul of this and if so what did they do? - it seems to be some sort of scam or con or possibly a malware issue although my system security system has not detected anything. Yoigo seem pretty unwilling to do much about it - is there an equivelent of trading standards in Spain?

discoman

I inadvertantly downloaded a Blinko link to my Movistar PAYG phone and it is persistant and charges you for every message it decides to send you. It is not only an irritant, it is the worst kind of inertia selling that I have come across and should be banned, but I suppose the Spanish authorities dont see it that way. You'll have to go onto www.blinko.es and find and click on the "Baja"· box and go through the rigmarole of removing your email address from their list. Rather like you have to do to stop the equally irritating (and expensive) Movistar adverts that keep on coming.

snikpoh

My son had the same problem via Movistar!

Basically, what happens is that you get a 'push' message from a tele-marketing company which costs loads.

My son only has his phone for emergencies yet had racked up bills of around 80euros for 3 months before I was able to stop it.


What we had to do was to contact Movistar and ask them to put a block on the number. We also got hold of the number for 'Blinko' and send various SMS's to them saying BAJA. We also rang them but no one answered so we left several messages. Eventually they stopped.

Best of luck.

You may have to cancel the contract and take out a new one.

Joddle

Have already cancelled the Yoigo contract - did notwork well anyway - but this was a usb dongle not a mobile so we did not have any SMS messages - so how on earth did it get started? Now taking the matter up as a formal complaint against Yoigo as they changed the terms of our contract without advising us - there is no way they should have pemitted any traffic above that limited in the contract we had - the max being 9 euros per month - sounds like this scam is really legalised robbery!! or perhaps it is not legalised??? Not letting this go.

johnnyone

Have you considered a Carrefour pre pay dongle?
It costs 1 euro/day with a min. spend of 3 euros per month. The download amount is limited but on what you say your usage is, it sounds ample.

Joddle

Sounds good so thanks - will check it out next time I am on "The Planet".