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  • THURSDAY JUNE 30 2005 2:00 AM

Crazy Frog, Crazy Prices

Submitted by JohnnyForeigner

Edited by SomeOneUK

mBlox, the parent company behind the abominable 'Crazy Frog' ringtone, are to be investigated following a slew of complaints. Large numbers of customers, who saw the ringtone advertised on prime time television, didn't realise that by ordering the tone they were actually signing up for a £3 per week subscription plan.

"If it's a subscription service, that has to be made perfectly clear," said a spokesman for the regulator, known as ICSTIS.

The regulator has the power to levy fines of up to 100,000 pounds ($182,200) and shut down services that do not comply with its guidelines. Crazy Frog may also face additional restrictions if it is found to be targeting children under the age of 16.

"Because it is a cartoon character, to us that seems arguably targeted at children," the ICSTIS spokesman said.

The BBC website includes comments made by disgruntled downloaders.

'Crazy Frog' made history this month, after a remix with the 'Axel F' theme from Beverly Hills Cop became the first ringtone to reach no. 1 in the UK singles chart and stayed there for 4 weeks.

 

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Comments
TheSeadog

TheSeadog

Reunion
September 2004

JUN 30, 2005 02:04 AM

Wait... People actually ordered that ringtone?


Fucking karma's a bitch, man.





Spelling too, aparently.

[Edited on Jun 30, 2005 by TheSeadog]

Walker

Walker

Sacramento, CA
March 2005

JUN 30, 2005 02:12 AM

That's what they get for wanting that damn ringtone.

Huck

Huck

United Kingdom
July 2004

JUN 30, 2005 04:23 AM

something tells me there's a moral to this story

jake_lex

jake_lex

Lexington, KY
February 2003

JUN 30, 2005 04:37 AM

This same scumbag company does ads for ring tones here in the US, where they blab on about how you can get some awful song downloaded to your phone (for example, one lets your phone play that Ying Yang twins song), and only mentions in the small print that this will "subscribe" you to a service that's like $9.95/month.

The practice of having purchases lead to a "subscription" of any kind is just horrible, and should be banned unless it is made explicitly clear that it will indeed be a subscription.

FleurDeGuerre

FleurDeGuerre

United Kingdom
August 2004

JUN 30, 2005 05:03 AM

It is terrible to rip off kids, but anyone who has contributed to this excruicatingly cringy Ringtone scam deserves everything they get!

n old saying about a fool and his money being easily parted comes to mind.

wickedmonkey

wickedmonkey

Pawtucket, RI
June 2004

JUN 30, 2005 05:08 AM

people are idiots if they don't read the fine print. whatever

Belllla

Belllla

Houston, TX
February 2004

JUN 30, 2005 05:18 AM

Saw this one coming for miles.

Seriously - people ordered that shit?? surreal

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

JUN 30, 2005 05:21 AM

wickedmonkey said:
people are idiots if they don't read the fine print. whatever


Yeah, because expecting people to read and understand the "fine print" in a fraction of a second when they aren't expecting anything is perfectly reasonable.

[Edited on Jun 30, 2005 by bean]

JohnnyForeigner

JohnnyForeigner

United Kingdom
July 2003

JUN 30, 2005 05:51 AM

There's also the issue of whether the company is aggressively targetting kids (who are obviously less likely to think about the small print etc).

Trahern

Trahern

United Kingdom
March 2003

JUN 30, 2005 05:54 AM

Frel the frog, frel his ringtone and frel the frelniks who wanted it, for they're probably too braindead to give a dren.

Why yes, I have been watching a lot of Farscape recently; why do you ask?

Idjit

Idjit

HOPEFUL

I'm lost

JUN 30, 2005 06:02 AM

SuicideBomb said:
'Crazy Frog' made history this month, after a remix with the 'Axel F' theme from Beverly Hills Cop became the first ringtone to reach no. 1 in the UK singles chart and stayed there for 4 weeks.



If this doesn't say enough about the current state of the music industry, I don't know what does.

PointBlank

PointBlank

New York, NY
November 2004

JUN 30, 2005 06:13 AM

wickedmonkey said:
people are idiots if they don't read the fine print. whatever


Yeah, kids are stupid!

chilung

chilung

Australia
April 2005

JUN 30, 2005 08:40 AM

Hooray! : biggrin
the evil frog tone has been punsihed!
lets hope that sinks it permanently, and may every single mobile phone that has any of their idiotic ring tones, backgrounds or whatever, blow up so no one ever ever has to hear or see any of their shit anymore.
mad

KMFCM

KMFCM

Peekskill, NY
September 2002

JUN 30, 2005 08:43 AM



good

get jamster next

i'm sick of them

StarBelliedBoy

StarBelliedBoy

Philadelphia, PA
December 2003

JUN 30, 2005 08:44 AM

PointBlank said:

wickedmonkey said:
people are idiots if they don't read the fine print. whatever


Yeah, kids are stupid!



Why do little kids have cell phones, anyway? I mean...Jeez. You'd think the type of parent that is willing to risk their kid running up a massive bill would expect this sort of thing to happen.

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