Mobile payments firm PaymentOne has unveiled One Care, a consumer advocacy initiative to help ensure a positive payment experience for consumers and the merchants that serve them.
One Care includes the creation of merchant marketing guidelines and investment in new IT systems that help consumers better manage their mobile transactions. With this initiative, PaymentOne says it is taking an even stronger stand against “cramming” (where fraudsters add unauthorised charges to your mobile phone bill), and deceptive marketing practices that plagued some of the industry’s earlier Premium SMS (PSMS) efforts, in order to ensure safe and secure mCommerce.
“Carrier billing has evolved and matured since the early days of PSMS-based ‘free ringtone’ and other questionable applications, and is today a secure and convenient way for consumers to purchase brand name digital goods and services,” notes PaymentOne executive vice president, Brad Singer. “PaymentOne is dedicated to driving full transparency and ethical business practices that give consumers the confidence to fully embrace the ease and safety of direct carrier billing.”
PaymentOne’s One Care Portal will launch on 1 November, and will offer consumers complete visibility into any transaction billed to their mobile phones using the PaymentOne mobile payment system. Through the portal, consumers can track individual mobile payment transactions in real-time, including the purchase date, a description of item bought, the amount, merchant name, payment status, other transaction details, and the total amount billed to their mobile phone. 
If a purchase looks unfamiliar to the consumer, consumers can initiate a dispute/refund request from the portal and/or connect to a live agent via phone or chat. Consumers will also be able to request specific lines to be blocked from third party charges.
To date, PaymentOne has processed more than $5bn (£3.2bn) in carrier-billed transactions. It was the first direct carrier billing company to provide a dedicated page and section on the phone bill allowing consumers to see the detail associated with PaymentOne transactions. The company is on the board of directors for MEF and is active in the Mobile Commerce Committee within the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA).
