Adult content blocked on mobile data...

[Towser]

... But comes through on WiFi. Adult content filter is set to off in the app, and when I authorise the £1 payment to verify I'm over 18, the app gives a failed  transaction message yet my bank notifies me it's gone through?

Any ideas? I've cleared the cache in the app and re-booted the phone. 

[SimonShuttler]

Yes I have had exactly the same problem. I tried it 4 times thinking it hadn’t gone through but 4 x £1 deductions have been taken out of my bank account. I did wonder whether it might be an issue cos my bank card isn’t a credit card. And the screen before says it needs to be a credit card to confirm I’m over 18. But if that’s the case, then why was the money taken out in the 1st place? 

[WelshPaul · Accepted solution]

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@SimonShuttler wrote:

I did wonder whether it might be an issue cos my bank card isn’t a credit card. And the screen before says it needs to be a credit card to confirm I’m over 18.

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You've answered your own query. However, it goes on to say the following:

If you don't a credit card, don't worry. Please get in touch with us via web chat where we'll just need to confirm you're over 18 through receipt of valid photo ID such as a Passport or Driving Licence.

[GrahamP_1030224]

Why have you taken adult content off when It was on 

[MSF]

@GrahamP_1030224  This is a Community Forum. Nobody here has altered anything on your account as we are not all Smarty employees. You will need to web chat with the Support Team so that they can take a look at your account for you.

[salvatoremattiu]

I was born 01/06/1958

[MSF]

@salvatoremattiu  You are responding to something written well over a year ago.

I am assuming that you want to remove the block on adult content. If I am right, you need to read this article: https://help.smarty.co.uk/en/articles/1066648-parental-restrictions

We are forum members like you and do not work for Smarty, so we cannot access your account.

[JJP2RidesAgain]

Then follow these instructions :

https://community.smarty.co.uk/t5/faq/how-can-i-turn-off-the-adult-content-filter/ta-p/7913 

[xopher]

I pay for my plan in cash at a Paypoint. I tried to set up card payment. My bank authorised  £10 payment to smarty.co.uk. SMARTY said that the payment method had not been set up and told me to contact my bank. SMARTY customer services FAIL, (again)

[WelshPaul]

Just because you have a pending transaction on your bank/card statement @xopher doesn't mean the transaction was successful. You will probably find that the pending transaction will vanish from your bank/card statement within the next few days and any hold on said payment released.

[xopher]

The pending transaction did not appear on my bank statement and I was not charged. My complaint is that SMARTY would not deal with my enquiry, although they requested authorisation for payment. Instead they fobbed me off by telling me to contact my bank even though the problem is with SMARTY. 

[WelshPaul]

Then your bank didn't authorise any payment and SMARTY is correct when they request you speak to your bank. Out of interest, what bank/card did you try to use to make said payment?

[LukeFran_667741]

Hi

[Felix_364801]

It didn’t work for me, three different banks, £3 never returned - I guess it could be some sort of spectacularly poorly thought out revenue generator - but probably it just doesn’t work although they keep trying to tell me it was my fault, and that they are protecting the children, although of course they have my date of birth etc… - eventually I made a complaint and they just did it - no explanations and no refund, basically they are a bit useless and their system is half-assed.

[MSF]

@Felix_364801  Firstly, you should raise a complaint and ask for your £3 back.

Secondly, anyone can start an account and give a date of birth - you need to back that up with evidence for the adult block to be lifted.

Thirdly, yes they are trying to protect children - goodness knows someone needs to do it these days!

[TrevorH_2691686]

I can never fathom this  ... children can access **bleep** all over the place and of the most extreme varieties with no filter at all. There is no consistency ... the banks see themselves as a gatekeeper (to cover their own backs) but the government says carry on regardless. (Off topic, as a septogenarian I believe the human body cannot corrupt human beings as we all have one. What really screws a person's head up is being kept in total ignorance, as my generation were.)

[MSF]

@TrevorH_2691686  Just because you say that children can access totally inappropriate content doesn't mean that a provider of mobile data should make it any easier for them.

We should be grateful that some companies are at least trying to stop this and not decry them. I'm not sure it's just the human body - it's extremes and violent material s well.

[Felix_364801]

Another complaint, about the way they failed to entirely resolve my initial complaint, feels like Kafka might back down from that one. This answer was purely to tell others that you should use the complaint system to get them to remove the block as giving them a pound is a waste of your time and money, and if you think that a teen doesn’t know about VPNs then send me a pound to prove you are a very naive adult, and not a very literate four year old.

[MSF]

@Felix_364801  I replied with the purpose of trying to assist you with your problem.

It is not right for them to keep your £1 - it is usually taken as a check on the card and then refunded. I assume that you used a credit card to show that you were over 18 and not a debit card that is available to under 18's.

I am fully aware that many teens will be able to circumvent blocks . I am also aware that plenty of people would have plenty to say if companies like Smarty did not at least try to take steps to prevent minors accessing inappropriate material.

So, no I will not be sending you a pound since I am not a naive adult.

[JJP2RidesAgain]

That’s out of order ! 

Remember, this is the Smarty community forum, populated by Smarty customers like yourself. We do not work for Smarty.

There are good people like @MSF and others here, who all try to help people.

With your attitude, don’t be surprised if you do not receive help in the future ! 

You should ask your charm school for a refund ! 

[gingerbeardman]

I have this issue... today I am unable to access various domains including Internet Archive archive.org

I don't have a credit card, only a debit card, so my only option to toggle this setting. So, this is a very slow process and can't be done out of hours at all!

I'd love to know why this setting keeps needing to be toggled to work correctly. This has happened twice in a month. Prior to that there were many months were it worked as advertised after my initial setup on jointing SMARTY.

Also, worth noting that it took 5–7 working days for my multiple £1 to b refunded.

[JJP2RidesAgain]

This is the Smarty community forum, we are customers just like you, so of course we don’t gave access to account details. 

Webchat is your only option, we can’t help you on this forum. 

[gingerbeardman]

I have this problem. 

Today, out of the blue, I was unable to access Internet Archive. No SMARTY error page is shown, my browser shows an SSL error page. Which makes it more difficult to realise, but I have learned the ways! This has happened twice in a month, but before that I had many months where it worked as it should.

"Adult content" seems to be deactivated even though account setting says "enabled". The solution is to toggle, but I don't have a credit card (only a debit card) so my only option is to do a web chat which is very slow and means the setting cannot be toggled out of hours.

It's a really annoying situation. 

[MSF]

@gingerbeardman Adult content is disabled by default in an attempt to protect minors - that is a very good thing.

Yes, it may be an inconvenience to get it enabled, but it is done for a sensible reason.