Why do I see charges from companies like Microsoft, Boku or Google Play on my bill?
Microsoft, Boku, or Google Play charges on your Koodo bill, and other third party service providers where the charge on the bill is displayed as ‘In-App Purchase’ are third-party charges for digital content such as apps, games, music, or subscriptions that you’ve authorized to be charged to your Koodo bill.
It's important to note that Koodo only acts as a billing facilitator - these charges are billed to you after you've given explicit consent to the third-party service provider or vendor.
How did I authorize these charges?
These third-party charges require your explicit consent through a verification process:
You entered your phone number within an ad or on a service or website
You received an SMS that showed up as a shortcode (i.e from numbers like 5415, 53876, 7552) with a unique PIN that needs to be entered back on the site where prompted
You received a confirmation message with pricing details as well as instructions on how to STOP the service if you no longer want to benefit from it
How to check what the charge was for
1. Log into Self Serve
2. Go to Usage→View details
3. Match the charge date with your device’s SMS history
4. Check your phone’s Blocked and Spam folder for related messages
How to dispute or cancel the charge?
Since Koodo only facilitates the billing process for these purchases, to resolve any disputes or refund requests you’ll need to contact the company that issued the charge.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when signing up for 3rd party applications:
1. Always read the Terms & Conditions before signing up.
Things to look out for:
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Is it an ongoing subscription or a one-time purchase?
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How many times will you be charged per month?
2. Review your monthly bill, and get in touch with us if you have any concerns about any application purchases.
Make it a habit to review your monthly bill, including the section that outlines third-party charges.
3. Educate your kids about third-party purchases.
If you have a child with a mobile phone, take the time to explain third-party application purchases to them. They may respond reactively to in-game credits without fully understanding their costs.
4. Keep your phone in a safe place.
This helps to minimize the risk of another person using your phone without your knowledge.
Here is a chart with helpful information about the most popular vendors.
Description on the bill ‘Google Play Purchase’
- Contact Google Play Store support via the app or the Google Play Store website
Description on the bill ‘Application Purchase’
- The vendor Boku offers billing to various developers and app/content partners such as Microsoft, Xbox, Facebook, Lavalife, Angry Birds, DAZN and more.
- For Microsoft or Xbox charges, contact Microsoft directly at Microsoft Store Support
- For all other charges call Boku at 1-877-261-3874 or email support@boku.com Instructions on how to cancel Boku can be found here Customers can also request to block any further Boku payments through the "Submit a request" form on their website https://www.boku.com/support
Description on the bill ‘pbm.cx’
The vendor PM Connect provides Vortex Cloud Gaming platform - think of Netflix but for games
- Contact them directly at 1-844-336-1188 or Email support.ca@paybymobile.info
- paybymobile.info for account/subscription management
- https://vortex.gg/ for Vortex Cloud Gaming
- cloudygaming.io for Cloudy Gaming
- SMS Shortcode received for this purchase is 5387
- To request a refund, you’ll need to log into your account on http://www.paybymobile.info/ and select the unsubscribe option under active subscriptions. Please note that 2 factor SMS authentication is required
Description on the bill ‘ccsupport.biz’
The vendor NTH Mobile provides customers the ability to purchase mobile subscriptions for a variety of services and have the charges billed directly to their invoice.
- Contact them directly at 1-800-991-8519 or Email info.ca@ccsupport.biz
- Website: ccsupport.biz for account and subscription management
- Languages offered: English https://playhubca.applandstore.com/en/ and French https://playhubca.applandstore.com/fr/
- To receive a refund, customers can manage their service via ccsuport.biz where they can log in to their My Payments.
Description on the bill ‘3rd party service purchase’
The vendor for this charge is Telmate. (in partnership with Synergy). Telmate, in partnership with Synergy, provides phone services to prison inmates. Using Telmate phones, inmates can place collect calls.
When you receive one of these calls, you will hear a prompt similar to a regular collect call. This prompt will inform you of the caller's identity and the applicable per-minute or per-call rate. To accept the call, you need to press 1 to agree to the charges.
You can contact them directly at 1-866-713-4761 or visit their website inmatephones.ca. Please note the only language they offer is in English.