Web Ace aced by ACMA

565459_vampireThe Australian Communications and Media Authority has flexed its Telecommunications Act muscles against ISP Web Ace, directing it to comply with the billing rules under the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code.

Web Ace is the trading name of Jason Kenneth McKay of Perth, WA.  ACMA says that McKay has been extracting payments from customer credit cards without authority, and failing to refund.

The issue was first publicised on Whirlpool, the Australian internet users’ town square.  In May 2008, Whirlpool user ‘yabbitboy’ posted:

I am signed up to webace’s email only plan ( $60 a year ), I get unauthorized billings by webace 4 times already, 4*$60. I had contacted them by email – never got replied and also tried contacting them by phone – I do speak to them by person to person but they said they are ‘busy’ and say they will call me back which is *******.

ACMA has now used its power to direct McKay not to extract payments without issuing a bill and in accordance with customer authorisation.


Effect of an ACMA direction

We’ve explained before what an ACMA code compliance direction means.  Any further breaches by McKay could cost him $50,000 each.

So will McKay comply ?

As late as last Saturday, Whirlpool user ‘tudorose’ reported another unauthorised debit.  We’ll watch with interest to see whether the customers’ nightmare is really over.

September 4, 2009 | Filed in Code compliance, Telecommunications Act 

Comments

One Response to “Web Ace aced by ACMA”

  1. roland armin-grimm on January 7th, 2010 2:11 pm

    Well he has now done this to me for the 3rd time.
    1 lot of $39 in December 2009 and 3 more of $39 in Jan 2010
    I was with web ace 4 years ago and every year they deduct amounts of $39 dollars in multiples (last time over $400.00).
    It has always taking me dozens of phone calls and e-mails and getting the bank involved in recovering my money.
    This time I’m going straight to the ACMA and my bank

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