At Christmas, explain to children the parents traditionally their Smartphones. If Sony and Telekom come to that, is it cozy.

"The thing begins inconspicuously, at Christmas, namely," photo: Westend61

The thing starts inconspicuously, the Christmas namely. I have some days off with the family firmly behind me, and I will not tell to my ears, as my father, the Telekom have just debited so 145 Euro from his account, for nothing, look. He waves a phone bill, four one-time payments, made on 12. 11. 2018 between 9.54 and 10.06 PM. He had brought the money but the Bank.

in addition, he had been in the consumer, which would have told him he was right: The Telekom, it was said, would not only charge the services of a third party, if these have been previously informed about the costs, the withdrawal interval, and the termination options. He should urgently SMS and special services of third-party providers to block. I understand only train station. My father and his Smartphone, an unfortunate story, I say aha and eat a cookie.

A few weeks later, I'm listening more closely. As my father, 80 told that he had written a letter to Sony Entertainment in London. He asks the company, which he allegedly bought for her. The Telekom he writes letters in which he explained why, it must be in the bill a mistake. Sony Entertainment is not responding, the Telekom will send reminders.

I'm trying to help, and calls in the call center of Telekom. The friendly staff, the Telekom was only the Accountant. We would have to apply with complaints to Sony. In the call center of Sony Entertainment, an employee on taps, someone had hijacked my dad's phone. What exactly was on that November morning bought, could not track, but it is sure to be something in connection with his Playstation.

"What is that?", asks my father. "No matter," says the grandson, "didn't you." In April, my father refunded to finally criminal complaint with the police. He has a suspicion: In a Telecom-has he a salesman "was very nice" – times his mobile phone is not given, because "the thing to work again". In time, he says, could go.

I'm not shouting, that there is this address, because there is no Account

at the end of may, the Telekom will send a further reminder, and writes: "Now it is, unfortunately, seriously: We will ask you for the last Time, of our total receivables balance." It can't be, according to my mother, that no one could explain what had been delivered for 145 euros to whom.

I think she's right.

I'll call again in Sony call center. A nice young man asks me the E-Mail address of the Playstation loaded in the account and listed our phone numbers. After I explained to him the case of elongated, he proposes, is best will call me once the accounting of Sony Entertainment directly. He gives me a 12-digit number, so the call center can call my case a new call immediately, and I don't always tell the whole story. That sounds good.

11. June didn't call me the accounting still. So I call again to their call center (I have fortunately only a Half day). Cheerfully, I call the number. How loud is sent to the E-Mail address of your Playstation account, ask the smart young woman on the phone. I tell her the whole story. I ask you, why the accounting has not called. "We have already informed you via e-Mail," she says. To which address have you sent the Mail, I ask. To the mail address of your PlayStation account. I'm not shouting, that there is this address, because there is no Account and no Playstation. "Oh," says the lady, piqued, "then that is the Problem. The colleague didn't know who sent the Mail.“

to my father for the consumer, who advises him to be quiet. He makes but, he is terribly upset, especially, because in July a Letter from the German collection arrives service from Hamburg. "You have not paid your invoice/s at the company Telekom Deutschland GmbH on time. This can happen to you!“ In order to avoid further costs, "you pay simply the amount of 221,79 Euro".

mobile contracts offer the possibility to pay via the mobile phone bill third-party services. So about applications for computer games, Hotlines, or subscriptions.

With this method of payment there is always Trouble. The consumer advice "financial test" illustrates it with the sentence: "The Baker, the customer has not bought anything – but the butcher wants from him money for it."

consumer advocates rates: invoice no case numbers. Debiting by Bank book, and only the legitimate part of the claim (subject to payment of the provider) to transfer. Invoice by the contractual partner file a claim, complaint mail to the Federal network Agency in writing. Sample letters there are on the Website www.verbraucherzentrale.de or test.de.

Julia Rehberg, a lawyer of the consumer centre of Hamburg, considers the design to be fundamentally wrong, that mobile phone companies collect invoices for third parties. "The customer hangs between third party providers and contract partners and has no clear point of contact," says Rehberg, "and the cellular companies can quickly build up large pressure, by switching off, for example, the Internet."

A demand to the police, the clerk is on holiday. For More Letters, Calls, Call Center Queues. Autumn comes, and with him a new Letter from the German Inkasso-service. "Good day, soon you will be visiting a foreign service, employees of our house." The great sense of shock for the person Concerned. Now it's enough.

I'll call in the press to make, Sony, Telekom. That is not a concern of journalism, the. I but now. The information by phone are oblong, uninformative, and "of course not intended for publication". To sum it up: The competent speaker of Sony Interactive Entertainment, with the shares, only the Telekom had the necessary information.

Telekom spokesman informed, you get the data from Sony. I put the two of them about their statements in regard to and that it is the customer concerned for my father. Aha, Oh, we need to investigate, then both are only sporadically reachable. At the end of October a letter from the Telekom in the parental letter box: as a gesture Of goodwill they would waive reasons in the receivables.

This is my contact no longer reachable neither by phone nor by Mail. I will send out a questionnaire to the collective address of the Telekom-press office. What services or products were ordered from the phone of my father? To whom they were delivered? Why did the Telekom to their demands? The Telekom checks before you turn on collection services, the legality of claims of third parties? How often Telecom has switched on in 2018 and 2017, debt collection services, receivables from third-party to enforce?

After a few days the answer: "When our customers use the services of a third-party, we get a proof, on the basis of which the Invoice will be issued to the customer. The data storage is, respectively, for 6 months. The information services are no longer accessible afterwards. After our documents were taken by our customers on third-party services. The proof of performance of the third-party is the customer. The customer acknowledges this. As a gesture of goodwill, our Service staff has granted the customer a credit. The claim was withdrawn from the collection procedure. I hope this information will help you more.“

The final e-Mail from Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited is: "Unfortunately, we were unable to find due to the age of the transactions, not purchases in our System, which were made via the mobile phone number."

The police has handed over the display after half a year, to the competent public Prosecutor's office. There "to take the investigation. Further information can be given of determination tactical reasons until Further notice.“

Sounds exciting.