I received this text today

"You qualify to access unlimited TV shows and movies on demand with NEON! We just need to know if you are already signed up to NEON so we can send you the correct code. Pls reply Y or N"

Note only the company name of Neon is given in the SMS message.

Only when I replied "stop", did I realize it was 2 Degrees, my cell-phone provider, not Neon.

And this is not the first time I've received opt-out texts from TwoDegrees.

When it first happened some months ago, I called their help desk and made it clear to remove me from all text spam. I made a formal complaint to the DIA, by forwarding the text via 7726.

On the 2Degrees website, there's mention of how to not get spam "opt-out" text messages. There's two options: sending a "stop" to 222, and under my account preferences I unselected "text" as a communication means.

Then as now, I did both.

By the way, texting 222 to stop future texts is clearly "opt-out" marketing, which is illegal in New Zealand.

For the second time, I called the helpdesk. They informed me that the "text" option is ignored for marketing emails. (What???)

I asked to speak to the supervisor. Reina first repeated that texting 222 was the only way, and then backtracked. She did a search of her 2Degrees own website which contradicted her.

However she insisted the only way to opt-out now was to send a "stop" message to "222" (again "opt-out" is illegal)

She promised that sometime in the future TwoDegrees would fix the account preferences, so the account settings would actually be used.

It's annoying when New Zealand telecommunication company wilfully ignore New Zealand laws, the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007.