Jamster, a ringtone and mobile content sales company, has been sued for false advertising. The suit which was filed in San Diego states that Jamster falsely advertises that users can get a free ringtone. In reality said ringtones cost $1.99.
Jamster is the U.S. name of Jamba, a German mobile content provider that VeriSign acquired in June 2004. VeriSign is no stranger to consumer wrath. T-Mobile USA and Cingular Wireless are also named on the suit, presumedly because they allow Jamster to bill for "free" services.
bq. Jamster advertises on TV and other media that mobile customers can get a free ringtone if they send a text message to the number displayed on the ad. In fact, those who sent the text message got multiple messages back notifying them that content was available for download, according to the complaint. The customers had to pay for all those messages (premium SMS).
On a related note, MobileTracker is currently hosting a discussion on SMS.ac which has caused a stir by using premium SMS messages to bill users of its community.
[via Engadget]