wafflesatnoon.com » Consumers » EventTexter Text Messages From 79249
EventTexter Text Messages From 79249
Did you receive a text from short code 79249 telling you that you are signed up for Event Texter for $9.99 per month? Let’s take a look at Event Texter and what this message is all about.
This service, which is called EventTexter, offers to send you three messages per week, alerting you of the “latest events in your local area” for a cost of $9.99 per month. There are reports of people who insist they neither subscribed to, nor confirmed, such a service. This is often the case with these types cell phone subscription services, which make it far too easy to accidentally subscribe (I once hit a wrong button on my phone and was immediately signed up for a $9.99 a month service!). There is also a complete lack of any discussion or reviews of the EventTexter service, pro or con. If you have used the Event Texter service, please let us know more about it.
The issues at hand are how people are claiming to be subscribed without their permission, and if 12 text messages about events in your area is worth $10. This article (for now) will take a neutral stance on the matter, and hopefully we’ll get some users to comment about their experiences with the service.
Information about Event Texter
A cursory whois lookup tells us that EventTexter.com was created on October 18, 2011. The registration information is:
Registrant:
Yep Text Mail LLC
717 N. Union Street #73
Wilmington, DE 19805
US
619-244-2552
Administrative Contact:
Savary, Michael yeptextmail@gmail.com
717 N. Union Street #73
Wilmington, DE 19805
US
619-244-2552
According to the eventtexter.com, this service is described in the following manner:
Enter your cell number to get the Latest Events in your local area.
3msgs/wk for $9.99/month
The website further states:
Summary terms: You must be the account holder or have permission from the account holder. This is an auto renewing subscription service that will continue until cancelled anytime by texting STOP to short code 79249. Available to users over 18 for $9.99 per month charged on your wireless account or deducted from your prepaid balance for 3 alerts per week on T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, Virgin Mobile USA, Alltel, U.S. Cellular, Cincinnati Bell, Centennial Wireless and Unicel (Cricket $4.99 and Boost $6.99). For support: text HELP to 79249, email or call 1.888.672.5617 for automated help or call 1.888.672.5617 for a live operator. Message and data rates may apply. Your phone must have text messaging capability. Call for your money back within first 30 days of service if you are not satisfied. By signing up for this service and entering your personal PIN Code delivered to the cell phone number supplied by you on this website, you acknowledge that you are agreeing to the full Terms of Use.
They list an email address of support@eventtexter.com
In their privacy policy, we read:
By participating in the Service, you will receive regular messages which include content and service information. In order to participate, you must first enter your cell phone number and opt-in with the personal identification number sent to your cell phone. During registration, you are required to give your contact information (such as cell phone and/or email). We only use this information to contact you about the services on our site in which you have expressed interest. We also from time to time use this information in order to identify and present other products and services to you that we believe may interest you. We do not share, sell, rent, or trade your personal information with third parties for promotional purposes unless expressly stated.
Again, if you’ve had any any experience with Event Texter, please leave us a comment below.
By the way, most cell phone carriers have an option which will allow you to block such purchases as these. If you find yourself “accidentally” subscribed to such a service, you may wish to call your carrier, or log onto the website, and investigate purchase blocking.
7/25/2012 Update
I have located another, apparently related, “premium” service. This one is known as “Calendar Czar” which can be found at calendarczar.com. It comes from short code 44909. It appears to be the exact same service as Event Texter, as it claims you will get the “latest events in your area” with 3 messages a week for $9.99 a month. The summary on the website is identical, including the 888-672-5617 live operator number. Calendarczar.com was created one day before eventtexter.com.
Filed under: Consumers
I just started receiving text messages from EventTexter (79249) on July 28th. Never heard of them, never signed up for it (or any service), never replied to any of their messages, and never will. Funny, after ignoring the first three messages (wanting me to confirm my subscription) they now just say that I’m subscribed.
I’ll just wait for it to appear on my phone bill, and then notify AT&T of the fraudulent company/service charge.
Their website says you must subscribe using a PIN code they supply to you. I’m guessing you never saw such code. Hmm…
I received 3 texts. The first one at 11:14 and the confirmation text 2 minutes later. First text said eventtexter Event Alts: 9.99/mo. 3 msgs/wk Reply y to finish or enter the pin online. Reply HELP for help. Msg&data rates may apply. 2nd text 2 minutes later was eventtexter Event Alts: You?re subscribed to Event alts, 9.99/mo. billed to cell, 3msgs/wk, Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel. Msg&Data rates may apply. Next message at the same time was venttexter Event Alts: No new events in your area. Now the thing is I was sleeping when this all happened. I never signed up for anything online and have never even heard of this company. I called T-Mobile and He said I had to have signed up for something. I told him I was sleeping so NO I didn’t. He removed it.
Same exact story for me as for Kevin, except I am on T-mobile. I am a computer professional, and I know many many of the tricks these folks try to use, and I am 100% sure that I did not authorize this service.
What are the tricks these people use to get these charges put on my phone bill. I don’t understand how it could just happen without my knowledge.
I received the three texts as well, just as Crystal did, offering me the service and then 2 minutes later stating I had subscribed and would be charged $9.99 a month. I called AT&T and they saw the messages on my account. They cancelled it and credited my account for the charge, as well as set a purchase block (parental control), so that this won’t happen again unless I provide AT&T with a pin. I also texted back STOP, which was acknowledged (you have been unsubscribed and will no longer receive messages or charges. 888.623.7087). Finally, I forwarded these text messages to the AT&T SPAM (7726) number, which I do with all of the spam that comes into my text message box.
In response to the person named “Hi There” what are the tricks these people use to get these charges put on my phone bill. I don’t understand how it could just happen without my knowledge.
I started receiving these text and I never authorized them or gave them a pin number.I ignored them but had a bad feeling so I googled eventtexter. They gave a phone number for a live operator and I talked to her. She was very nice and said she was a 3rd party service but would cancel the service and put a stop to anyone else charging my phone. The interesting thing is we had a charge 2 years ago and AT&T took it off and also supposedly put a block on our phone. What’s the deal. I think these companies and AT&T are just planning on 5% not checking their bill and paying. That is a lot of money for both of them.
Also got three (3) or more messages from 79249. I distinctly remembered to text STOP in the reply. Also, the incoming phone
was 1-619-212-1338. In spite of the recorded message that they
will delete or unsubscriber me within 72 hours, they did not.
I am going to my cell phone provider to not permit taking them
from charging $9.99. Or else I will change to another provider.
Does not the FCC looks into this? How can I file my complaint?
As an employee of a wireless company I am FULLY aware of how to subscribe to these services. I DID NOT initiate any contact with this company. On 9/12/2012 I recieved 3 consecutive text messages from them out of the blue. I NEVER authorized or gave any pin number. Knowing full well I did not initiate any subscription, I too just ignored it and did not reply STOP thinking they were just phishing … if you reply to a phishing scam like that, they then know they’ve hit on a live phone number an will then sell that information to countless other services who will then bombard you. But today I checked my billing and I have been charged $9.99. I immediately had them blacklisted and requested a refund. I am now in the process of gathering my outgoing text records from the company to show there has never once been any contact on my end. I plan on exposing these folks to the highest levels I can within my company in hopes of having their status as an authorized 3rd party provider revoked.
Thanks for your comment and please keep us updated in your pursuit!
This is simply theft. I don’t text. I never signed up for anything. It was difficult to find on my ATT bill and then after wading thru 20 screens or so, I found the screen to dispute the mobile purchase. I flagged it as a fraudulent charge and submitted the dispute. Hopefully that’s the end of it.
I am with T-Mobile. I too was fraudulently subscribed by this scam of a customer. Upon calling T-Mobile they first told me that this was a company they did business with, and I would have to contact them to dispute charges. They gave me this contact info for the company:
info for them.
Name: Byte Spike LLC
Support Phone: 888.623.7087
Support Url: http://eventtexter.com
Support Email: Support@eventtexter.com
I said that was not acceptable, that they needed to reverse the charges because it was fraud and I had never had contacted or subscribed with this company. Then T-Mobile said they would credit me the charges, and took it off my account. I also got them to block my account from such billings in the future.
If you are firm (but be nice) and demand the right thing, I think they will do it for you, but first they will say you have to contact the company yourself.
Also, thank you to the others on this site, who have taken the time to tell others about this. I know no one wants to take the time our of their lives to do it…but we HAVE To! Sad as it may be, if the consumer doesn’t put in the effort to counter these shady business practices, it will only get worse. You are here because this happened to you, so you have a reason now to put in some effort and speak out. The business world has too many people who will sell you down the river, so the only thing left is to fight back. T-Mobile knowingly does business with this scam, so that tells you all you need to know about who is looking out for you…no one but yourself and other consumers. Fight these business practices. Let them know you will not be an easy target. And for God’s sake, demand better from your authorities at every level of government and business, or have fun becoming a peasant in the land of plenty.
Same thing happened to me. It seems to me that T-mobile really knows how to rob money from customers.
First, they seperate my phone number out of the family plan when we just want to change the holder of one of the cell-phone numbers. This cost me almost $74 a month(a whole family plan with 4 people only cost this amount of money)! As a result, I have to call T-mobile for like 10 times, and also went to a T-mobile store, to got the problem solved. I thought I could trust T-mobile again! But I was wrong!!!
The next month, I receieved this spam message!!! I thought it is just some fraud message and just ignore them. Today I checked the bill and found the extra charges! It’s been three months! So they stoled $29.7 from me!!!
I googled and saw lots of complaints like mine. This means that T-mobile definitely knows this problem; they just use it to fill their pocket!!!!
I have been getting these messages for several months and have texted “STOP” several times per their instructions but the messages keep coming. But at least nothing has shown up on my bill yet. I have never given them authorization for anything, have never seen a confirmation PIN, and have made no contact from my end other than to tell them stop. Terrible scam that has been annoying me for months!
Familiar story. The only issue with our phone is that we never received the text messages and when I called the # for Spike Byte listed by John above and asked what these charges we for, they said it was something that had to be subscribed to on a website. Sounds like they have changed their story. Was also told that they are a third party for Event Texter. I told “Brenda” that Event Texter is a scam and they might prefer not to represent them anymore. I am being refunded ALL of the charges. I also reported to Latricha at T-Mobile and they “blocked” the site and supposedly refunded the most recent 9.99 charge. This is lunacy!!! I hope all of you who indicated you are employed by cellular companies can not only make them aware, but assist us in making them take action. Most of you may remember that AT&T landline used to have the same relationship with some companies and it stopped when they got into trouble with the FCC. Good Luck!
I have never subscribed to this. Every text says ” no new events in my area”.
I have twice been told by t mobile that I will get a refund. I have not received it. Today the text about the t mobile bill still has this charge on there.
Seven times the person at t mobile said I must have accidentally subscribed to it.
Any more trouble and I will no longer be a t mobile customer.
They charge to tell you that there are no events in your area? Wow… Can’t T-Mobile block these types of purchases on your account?