Service providers that offer products/services using the 1900 pay lines usually have the tagline "Callers under 18 must obtain parental permission".
What this actually meant is that:
"All telephone subscribers must pay the charges regardless of whether under-18 callers have obtained permission"
This became clear when my 11-year-old daughter was moved to make the 1900 call after viewing a sob-sob presentation on the television by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) in Singapore.
After she told me, I immediately called the NKF to notify that a donation call was made without permission. The concluding answer is that because they had put the tagline "Callers under 18 must obtain parental permission", they cannot refund
the money.
To prevent such calls from being made, I checked the Singtel website for ways to disable 1900 calls from my telephones since this service was activated for me without being requested.
Fortunately, there was a page that says the first request for termination of 1900 service is free.
I called Singtel and the conversation went something like this:
Me: I would like to cancel 1900 service on all my phone lines.
Singtel: OK, that will be S$10 per line.
Me: But your website says it would be free for first request.
Singtel: Oh? Let me check.
.. A while later..
Singtel: Could you give me the URL that said that?
Me: The URL is (and gave the URL)
Singtel: Give me a moment...
Singtel: OK, for first line, it is free.
Me: What about my second line?
Singtel: It will cost S$10.
Me: But I thought first termination request is per line, not per subscriber.
Singtel: Let me check.
Singtel: OK, my supervisor agrees to waive the charges.
Me: Thanks. And I also need to terminate the 1900 service for my 5 mobile phone lines.
Singtel: For that, you need to call 1626 (Singtel Mobile).
... Call Singtel Mobile...
Me: I would like to cancel 1900 service on all my mobile phone lines.
Singtel Mobile: OK. That will cost S$10 per line.
Me: But you website says it would be free for first request.
Singtel Mobile: Oh? Let me check.
.. A while later..
Singtel Mobile: Could you give me the URL that said that?
Me: The URL is (and gave the URL)
Singtel Mobile: Give me a moment...
Singtel Mobile: Oh, that is only for land lines.
Me: But the website did not say it is for land lines only.
The website states: "SingTel may offer the 1900 fixed barring
facility at no charge for a first time request made by registered customers.
Singtel Mobile: Let me check...
Singtel Mobile: Yes, it is only for land lines only.
Me: Are you saying that you activated the service without my consent and now you are charging me S$10 to stop the service?
Singtel Mobile: Yes.
Me: And you know very well this service allows you to bill me for unauthorized calls as well?
Singtel Mobile: Yes.
Me: Could you give me the name of your supervisor please?
Singtel Mobile: Her name is Adeline.
Me: And her telephone number?
Singtel Mobile: We do not have her telephone number.
Me: Singtel is Singapore biggest phone company and your supervisor does not have a telephone number?
Singtel Mobile: Yes, that is right.
Me: How about Adeline's manager?
Singtel Mobile: No telephone number too.
Me: So how do I speak to them?
Singtel Mobile: They will call you.
Me: OK, tell one of them to call me.
A day later,
Singtel Mobile: My supervisor Adeline has agreed to waive all charges in terminating the 1900 service.
A few days later there was a newspaper report of a teenage boy who chalked up over S$5000 (about USD 3000) in phone bills for one month using the 1900 service to chat with others.in spite of that, Singtel and all the 1900 service providers continue to use the misleading tagline and have not made efforts to help
subscribers from being billed for unauthorized calls.
Wee chow
Singapore
Singapore
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