TEXT “Biggest Waste of Money” to 75794

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As regular viewer of MTV and VH1, I take notice of the advertisements that are shown regularly. The ones that seem to get the most play are the commercials hocking cell phone ring tones or horoscopes/jokes/numerology sent to your phone. The way these commercials work is that viewers text a message to a number, and instantly the viewer has the content advertised.

However, the commercial keeps the price of these useless services in the fine print. So, some hapless teenager or oblivious parent will be spending money on a product that they didn’t know cost money. Today, I tried to get a glimpse of how much it would cost me to have my horoscope sent directly to my cell phone. According to the fine print that was at the bottom of the screen for maybe two seconds, a month of horoscopes would cost $5. There were also some hidden fees that I couldn’t make out, so it probably costs more. I can’t believe people spend $5 dollars to get something they could get for free online.

Every time my wife and I see these commercials we always ask ourselves “Who actually buys this crap?” My guess is clueless teenagers. I’m glad I’m not a parent who has to pay a cell phone bill.

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5 Comments

1. Andrew Flusche on 29.06.2007 at 14:47 (Reply)

   I couldn’t agree more! Now that I’m part of the cell-phone-owning population, I’m even more sensitive to these scams. And it’s amazing how often a “feature” on my phone turns out to require an added service or fee.

   Although, I’ve found myself asking “who actually buys this crap” when watching the actual programming on MTV.

   Andrew

2. Peter Glyman on 29.06.2007 at 19:33 (Reply)

   What really blows my mind that someone would pay to offer an opinion ($.99 to vote) or information (like/dislike) that companies would normally pay for. Got to give credit to the companies for flipping that business model on its head.

3. Kenlie on 29.06.2007 at 20:39 (Reply)

   Not to sound stuffy, but I’m surprised you boys watch MTV. To me, that is as ridiculous as the fact that someone will pay $5 for text horoscopes.

4. 4 Serious Money Saving Tips For Your Cell Phone | The Frugal Law Student on 27.07.2007 at 06:04

   […] If you don’t text message, don’t buy text messaging service. Also avoid sending pictures through your cell phone. Many providers charge a fee for each photo you send. And please, don’t waste your money on stupid ringtones and games. […]

5. clueless on 30.07.2007 at 12:11 (Reply)

   Just wondering.. how about all those “American Idol” texting? I don’t live in USA, but I wonder…

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