tipsteria.com Charged me $9.99 without me knowing! Internet

The double opt-in sign up was not given to me.  I just got my new Samsung Galaxy 3 phone and had no idea what Tipsteria was.  I didn't even receive a text from them but noticed on my bill there was a $9.99 charge from the company.  I called my provider and asked them what that was for and she explained Tipsteria to me and mentioned that she has had to reverse multiple charges from this company with the owner of the phone stating they did not sign up for it.  Maybe there is a glitch in the sign up system at Tipsteria.

I do not know how this got on my phone.  I only know that the charge showed up on my bill.  Lucky my cell carrier took care of it.

By way of background, Tipsteria is a premium mobile text service that provides its subscribers with weekly tips on the use of their smart phone which is sent via text message to their mobile phone.  The service is marketed via the mobile web. We currently charge $9.99 a month which appears on our subscribers mobile phone bills. 

We use an industry best practice double opt-in sign up process which is fully compliant with the Consumer Best Practices Guidelines published by the Mobile Marketing Association and the various guidelines published by the major mobile phone carriers and the CTIA.  It is important to note that the double opt-in process virtually insures that inadvertent or fraudulent sign-ups do not occur.  Only after a consumer has twice provided verification and authorization to bill their mobile telephone number on their mobile phone are services provided and charges incurred.  To further verify a prospective customer's registration for the Tipsteria service, we send a confirmatory text message which affords them the opportunity to cancel the service by replying STOP by text message.  We also provide a toll free customer service number in this text message that is manned 24 by 7 by 365.

Please be advised that in our marketing of the service, we disclose all material terms of the service including the monthly cost, how the charges will appear on the subscribers mobile bill, a description of the essential features of the service and how to cancel.  We also include links to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.  

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused to you or the complainant.  If you require any further information or documentation, please feel free to contact us at 800-378-9850.