Premium rate TV show rip-offs

[Steven W]

Anyone see this on the news?

It was pretty obvious we were getting stung. What annoys me is that plenty of times I've had THE MINT on in the background and they wait until the last minute to give away the prize. What's really annoying is that they never tell you how they arrived at their answer if it's one of those stupid number related puzzles.

I emailed them a few months back to ask how they'd arrived at an answer and had no reply. Those shows bug me so much, although I'd never phone in. I've yet to meet anyone who does phone them? Anyone here?

Hasn't Richard & Judy show been mentioned in this scam?

For the record : I don't know if The Mint is one of those programmes involved in the scam, but if I ever met that blond hair bloke I'd love to poke him the eye.

[Clunk]

I hate them all, there must be some gullible eejits that sit there bladdered (or sober) redialing and then get stung for hundreds.

There was some woman on one of them the other night and she said "set yourself a limit as to how many calls you make", and then later on, she said "maybe you have reached your limit for calling tonight, but just ask yourself, have I missed out if I dont have one last call?"

Hopefully, she will be out of a job

[Funkstar]

BBC, ITV, C4 and Five have all admitted that they have had problems with premium rate lines. Sky effectively said no comment.

From the montage they showed on News24 last night, the only BBC program was Saturday Kitchen. Don't know what the problem with that was.

I'm pleased about the outcome of this. It was needed.

Apparently there is not going to be an amnesty period, so any programs/networks flouting the new rules will be refered directly to the police. I like the hard line they are taking on this.

[MadduckUK]

oh well, the think tanks are just going to have to come up with another way to seperate the fools from there money

[Mike Fishcake]

If they had Carol Vorderman screaming "GIVE US YOUR (expletive) MONEY YOU STUPID (expletive) MORONS!!!" You'd still get people phoning in.

[Nick]

The Saturday Kitchen one was that viewers phone in to vote for which dish the guest will eat.

The problem was that the particular guest on the 'live' Saturday Kitchen show just happened to be on Radio Five at the same time.

The telephone company said that they didn't know the show wasn't broadcast live and the BBC said that two endings are filmed to show the guest eating whichever dish gets the most votes.

Of course, you could just be like Channel Four and be blatant about it... you vote someone off Big Brother, they get evicted and then Channel Four stick em back in a week or so later...

[Lee H]

Will they get fined over this deception?

If you think YES please phone 0908 000 001
If you think NO please phone 0908 000 002

[Spud1]

These scams are annoying, but thats what the free web entry is for

I've won hundreds of pounds from quiz tv shows via the free web entry; the games themselves are frustrating yes and there are usually a million and one ways to interpret them..but you just have to be clever and not play the blatently improbably ones..if you wait a while they ALWAYS switch to an easy game to give away the big money..and if you time it right you can get on and take it.

We've (housemates and I) spent lots of time watching them (before our FYPs started, naturally) and even wrote auto-entry programs to constantly enter us online..the phone aspects may be a scam but if you use the free entry methods generally your fine

That said i'm still waiting for 60quid that biggametv owe me..won that in december

[mycarsavw]

I hate them all, there must be some gullible eejits that sit there bladdered (or sober) redialing and then get stung for hundreds.

There was some woman on one of them the other night and she said "set yourself a limit as to how many calls you make", and then later on, she said "maybe you have reached your limit for calling tonight, but just ask yourself, have I missed out if I dont have one last call?"

Hopefully, she will be out of a job

There was some buffoon on the radio last night saying

T'bill went to 900 pages and cost me nearly £3000, they should have cut off me phone when it went above £1000. Now t'bailiffs want to take me stuff

Or words to that effect.

Idiot.

[htid]

I have to admit, I called Quizmania once :$ Was only 60p though so hardly going to break the bank.

[Tarffie]

Mate won £15000 about a month an a bit ago and he's only just got the money in his account after 2 bounced cheques and a lot of promises.

[mcmiller]

Anyone see this on the news?

It was pretty obvious we were getting stung. What annoys me is that plenty of times I've had THE MINT on in the background and they wait until the last minute to give away the prize. What's really annoying is that they never tell you how they arrived at their answer if it's one of those stupid number related puzzles.

I'm glad im not the only one who gets annoyed by these itv shows like the mint a few times when ive watched it they have said there going to answer a call in the next 2 minutes and had a count down on the bottom screen tell ppl they only some much time left blah blah, eventually when its up they still dont put any one on.. and make them wait another few more minutes and on one occassion i've heard someone get through 2 or 3 times those shows are really dodgy

[this_is_gav]

What I hate is the ever-increasing trend to make the answers as easy as possible so as to try to con people into thinking they've got a bigger chance, and as such call in. Of course, the odds of winning grow no end and they're being patronising.

I have no sympathy for the people who phone up to these blatant cons. At least a few years (and I'm thinking 5-10+) it was moderately moral.

[Steven W]

What is the capital of England?

A: London
B: A penguin
C: A cabbage patch doll

Phone : 01985 514546

Calls cost £1.50 minute and may last for an hour.

[vinnyT]

What is the capital of England?

A: London
B: A penguin
C: A cabbage patch doll

Phone : 01985 514546

Calls cost £1.50 minute and may last for an hour.

Damn! That's anther £4.50 wasted

[Stoo]

Those easy questions are in there to side-step the gambling laws when running any sort of competition, it's specifically called "an element of skill".

Otherwise you run the risk of being declared an illegal lottery and being given a pretty hefty kicking from the powers that be..