Teletrivia game to stop

Press, 4 March 1989, Page 1

Teletrivia game to stop

By

SARONA IOSEFA

Telecom will stop its Teletrivia telephone game on March 31. A spokeswoman for Telecom’s corporate communications unit, Ms Debra Sturm, denied the announcement had anything to do with complaints by angry parents in Aranui, Halswell and Linwood. Parents had told “The Press” that it was an unsolicited service costing them hundreds of dollars because children were playing the game without their knowledge. They had begun petitions against it. Ms Sturm said the game had been on a trial due to end on

March 31. Its success would then be assessed. Teletrivia was a type of service whereby Telecom supplied network capacity to an information provider wishing to market a service, Ms Sturm said. Such an arrangement was known as a 0900, service. The service had been trialled only in Christchurch and would be launched nationally in July. “Before we launch the 0900 service we will look very carefully at all the problems associated with it, based on experience with the Teletrivia trial and extensive overseas research. “There will be centralised vetting of information providers as Telecom does not wish its net-

work to be used in an unsocial or unethical way,” Ms Sturm said. Telecom would consider safeguards for the public. “Barring devices do exist which a customer can connect to their telephone to scan out 0900 calls. Telecom is investigating supplying these as part of its research before the launch,” she said, A Linwood resident who complained about her children billing up the game without her authorisation was told she would have to pay for a telephone bar. Telecom is inviting public opinions of Teletrivia and 0900 services generally before the game’s national launch. These can be addressed to Debra

Sturm, Corporate Communications Unit, Telecom Corporation of New Zealand, Ltd, P.O. Box 570, Wellington. One of the petition organisers, Mrs Debra Robinson, said she had been busy yesterday fielding visits, telephone calls, and inquiries on the street from concerned residents. “Many offered to sign the petition because they said they had no idea they were in danger of paying for an unwanted service. “But it’s wonderful to hear it’s being cancelled, and we will be keeping a close eye on any other developments similar to it being marketed by Telecom,” Mrs Robinson said.