Psychic TV - WTF?

[Roxy Rose]

Got a little drunk and teary last night over my ex oyfriend. I sadly ended up watching Psychic TV and texting in a question:

"Will he talk to me again?" Psychic texts back yes, and says he still has feelings for me.

2 hours later I test the psychic again.....

Text the same question and a different psychic replies, "No. He doesn't love you anymore."

I swear - if I was a manic depressant I'd have chucked myself under a bus.

The tv channel doesn't claim to be for entertainment purposes only - but surely this is all a hage sham!?!

[dalriada]

this is terrible. At least in a one-on-one psychic reading there is at least an entertainment value to be had, but pay-per-text and coming out with crap like that is very non-amusing.


However entirely free, gratis and for nothing are some patented cures for heartbreak:

A New lipstick can cure depression

Hydrogen peroxide is the happiness molecule, bleach your teeth, bleach your hair, bleach the bathroom or the kitchen floor- you will feel better

In any relationship the balance of power always rests with the person who cares the least. Think of your ex- and be that person...

[Roxy Rose]

this is terrible. At least in a one-on-one psychic reading there is at least an entertainment value to be had, but pay-per-text and coming out with crap like that is very non-amusing.


However entirely free, gratis and for nothing are some patented cures for heartbreak:

A New lipstick can cure depression

Hydrogen peroxide is the happiness molecule, bleach your teeth, bleach your hair, bleach the bathroom or the kitchen floor- you will feel better

In any relationship the balance of power always rests with the person who cares the least. Think of your ex- and be that person...

I enjoyed reading this!

In the past I have had "psychic readings" and they have never come true. It has sat with me today, even though it is complete rubbish, but the negitive "HE IS COMPLETELY EMOTIONALLY DETATCHED" text I got was really harsh. Seeing as a few hours before I got "HE STILL HAS VERY STRONG FEELINGS FOR YOU."

When I complained I got a crappy explination about people using different methods of "channeling"..... ok.......... Then they said, "I have just pulled out a card for you and it says you should forget about him." I never even asked them to freaking read another card for me!

Seriously, £1.50 per text..... what a con!

[Matt]

Seriously, £1.50 per text..... what a con!

You wont find much disagreement here. Most skeptics are of the view that no psychics are reliable guides to future events. Whetehr it's £1.50 for an SMS of hundreds of pounds for a consultation with one of the big name like Sylvia Browne

It looks very much like you were ripped off. I imagine that most of Psychic TV's customers just go in for a bit of fun and don't take it too seriously. If you were led to belive that you can get reliable answers for the price of a premium rate SMS then I doubt that this is despite the service providers best efforts to persuade you otherwise. I agree that they should probaly emphasise thet their services are for entertainment purposes only.

If you really want to get under their skin complain to the regulator for premium rate services, PhonepayPlus. They're a regulator with teeth. Back when they were called Icstis I've made a couple of complaints, one about a Prank Call hotline that was promoting their services via illegal junk faxes to my workplace. The complaint was that they marketted their services in such a way that would encourage people use their services from work telephone number wihtout bill payers permission. Complaint upheld. They no longer market their services in that way anymore on pain of being banned from opperating completely. A minor fine was imposed. The other was a provider of pornography via a program that installed on your PC and dialled a prium rate number. They were installing the program through deceptive means - my clients merely visted a website that provided lyrics for songs and malicious code in an advert that they hosted was installing the software illegally. I complained to the server hosting companies that held the illegal code to no avail but my complaint to Icstis resulted in their number being shut down, a six figure fine and a compensation fund being set up. All this despite there being no financial loss from my clients. I'm just a complainer.

Your case is less clear cut. There's new legislation just recently come into force which may mean that if someone claims to be psychic they may be forced to prove it.

Looking at the latest Code of Practice from PhonepayPlus there might be a few areas worthy of investigation.

3.3.2
Before promoting or providing services, service providers must have
readily available all documentary and other evidence necessary to
substantiate any factual claims made. This material, together with a
statement outlining its relevance to the factual claim in question,
must be provided without delay if requested by PhonepayPlus.

This might mean you can ask Phone Pay Plus to get the service provider to prove the claim that their operators are in fact psychic.

3.3.3
Service providers must use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that
all of their services are of an adequate technical quality.

And if their are psychic (some claim we all are) are they in fact psychic enough to be charging for their services?

5.2
Services and promotional material must comply with the law. They
must not contain anything which is in breach of the law, nor omit anything
which the law requires. Services and promotional material must
not facilitate or encourage anything which is in any way unlawful.

With reference to recent legislation on unfair commercial practices, can they justify thier claim to psychic ability. Are they targetting vulnerbale people?

5.3.1
Services and promotional material must not, or must not be likely to:
...
b induce an unacceptable sense of fear, anxiety or distress,

...

Clealry your conflicting readings and subsequent customer service experience qualifes as distress. It's up to the regulator to decide if it's unacceptable.

5.4.1
Services and promotional material must not:
a mislead, or be likely to mislead in any way,
b take unfair advantage of any characteristic or circumstance
which may make consumers vulnerable.

Again if they're not really psychic they're misleading their customers. If they're tragetting peopel who belive in psychic ability are they targetting particular vulnerable people?

7.1.1
All advice services must:
a be conveyed in a responsible manner,
b indicate clearly in the promotional material or at the beginning
of the service, the identity, current status and any relevant
professional qualifications and experience of the person(s) or
organisation supplying the information or advice. If the advice
is given by a person with no relevant qualifications, the service
must explain the source of the information,
c be prefaced with a statement that the service user should
not act upon advice which needs individual interpretation
without first consulting a suitably qualified practitioner.

What are their qualifications
(a) as a psychic
(b) to offer realtionship advice


I don't suppose you're under 18, if so there's a whole lot more in the code of practice that is relavent - did they do anything to discourage under 18 year olds from texting in?

[econundrum]

Got a little drunk and teary last night over my ex oyfriend. I sadly ended up watching Psychic TV and texting in a question:

"Will he talk to me again?" Psychic texts back yes, and says he still has feelings for me.

2 hours later I test the psychic again.....

Text the same question and a different psychic replies, "No. He doesn't love you anymore."

I swear - if I was a manic depressant I'd have chucked myself under a bus.

The tv channel doesn't claim to be for entertainment purposes only - but surely this is all a hage sham!?!

Are you truly shocked that a TV psychic hotline with a premium text number isn't for real??

Not sure I know anyone who believes in textomancy.

[skbuncks]

Wooooo. You must be a necromancer to bring this thread back from the dead


skb

[Trinoc]

I guess the new folks are the only ones who bother to look over the whole forum and find threads the rest of us had forgotten about.

[Graham Lappin]

I think this is a good illustration of why the adage "where's the harm" holds no water. Some might say that on the face of it, it's all a bit of fun and doesn't really matter. In my book, not so. Roxy Rose summed it up perfectly when she said:

I swear - if I was a manic depressant I'd have chucked myself under a bus.

It's all very unethical, I feel.

EDIT: Don't mention bringing things back from the dead, or you will just attract the real nutters

[tiswas]

When I watch the television, I want to watch entertainment. But in some respects I do believe certain unexplained stories out there.

[Graham Lappin]

.... But in some respects I do believe certain unexplained stories out there.

Don't follow?

I'm off-line for a little while. I have to move apartment and I am flying back to the UK for a couple of weeks, before returning States-side. Be back sometime next week. Will you be able to cope without me?

(Some of you on this thread are a little literal and so I just wish to point out that this is a rhetorical question)

[Trinoc]

There will always be unexplained stories. Sad fact is, many stories simply do not contain enough evidence for a definitive explanation, or even a plausible guess. That's fine, so long as one side or other doesn't claim "you don't have an explanation therefore my explanation must be true".

(And I don't mean only when the paranormalists make this claim ... skeptics sometimes do it as well.)

[tiswas]

Unexplained stories are like listening to the best novels out there.

[Croydon Bob]

Unexplained stories are like listening to the best novels out there.

I agree with that. But, unfortunately in more ways than one. They're usually also fiction just like a novel.

[asydhouse]

Unexplained stories are like listening to the best novels out there.

That's crap! I worked in a big bookshop for 12 years, and the science fiction section is full of dynamic, creative, original authors with knowledge of cutting edge sciences writing gripping plotlines with wonderful characters... whereas the MBS section is full of boring dull people bringing out pseudofactual rubbish, rehashed ideas poorly written and with no plots or characters to speak of.

I generalise, of course... but you can easily come to these conclusions by reading the blurbs on the backs and dipping in here and there.

I hasten to add, I'm talking about sf, not fantasy, when I characterise the sf section as I do. (Also, it was because I ran the sf section that it was full of good stuff... many other branches will be dominated by fantasy fans running the section, and you will find less of real interest... Having said all that, fine writing is fine writing, and some intelligent and creative people have produced some fine fantasy writing over the years... just not usually in the clone-like quest fantasy trilogyitis-inflicted commercial successes, generally!)

For an example of truly creative and finely written fantasy, check out John Crowley's "Little, Big" (not to be confused with old-time bullshit mystic and con-artist Wossname Crowley!).

Or Charles Stross "The Atrocity Archives", wherein a hacker gets recruited by a secret government organisation fighting demons with science... wacky fun!