Eliminating Dishonest and Fraudulent Practices  
The SMS Competition Association (SMSCA) is independent and maintained with funds from companies in the Mobile Marketing Industry
SMSCA was formed to ensure that communication to members of the public and/or potential customers remain honest, factual, legitimate and informative 
Associations similar to SMSCA contribute significantly towards detering potential violations of the laws of our country by dubious practitioners 

• Compliance to the Code of Conduct remains the responsibility of the companies who signed an acknowledgment of compliance before they are approved as members of the Association
  
• SMSCA is associated with WASPA, DMA, Business Chambers and FABASA and handle complaints received from the public directly or through any of these associations
  
• Consumers who have grounds for a complaint under the terms of this Code can lodge a complaint online, via postal address or by calling SMSCA directly
  
• Lodging complaints are not restricted to Members of SMSCA only and can be lodged against any company, whether the company is an SMSCA member or not
  
• Should attempts from SMSCA fail to reach a satisfactory conclusion, the consumer has the right to refer his complaint in writing to any other Association.
  
• Complainants are advised to, wherever possible, provide copies of the transactions and full details of the steps already taken to resolve the complaint 
  
• With the majority of the cases, advice is given by telephone to prospective complainants
  
• Investigations of the complaint may not be undertaken by SMSCA, should full details of the complaint not be in the posession of SMSCA
  
• Complaints will be dealt with swiftly while all possible options will be investigated to find an equitable solution 
  
• Lack of sufficient information may cause delays in resolving complaints, however, SMSCA members are obligated to co-operate in seeking solutions to those complaints   
• SMSCA lays down the minimum criteria required for companies in order to comply with the Code of Conduct and provides the public with a clear indication of those potentially offering dishonest and fraudulent SMS Competitions and/or Marketing
  
• Legal avenues are not equiped to distinguish between companies providing the best professional standards, and those failing to do so. 
  
• This situation allows non-credible operators to enter the market with premeditated motives to generate revenue through dishonest and fraudulent mobile practices 
  
• SMSCA members joined voluntarily and because members of the public are entitled to fair and honest practices, maintaining the highest operating standards goes without saying
  
• Past experience proved that when professional regulations were applied voluntarily, elimination of unsavoury practices were faster with significantly lower costs normally associated with government legislation
  
• These type of resolution methods make an impact because they are more adaptable to changes within social & economic conditions.
  
• SMSCA's Code of Conduct ensures that members of the public are provided with accurate information about all services and the pricing associated with those services. 
  

• Deal with the public in a professional manner
  
• Conduct dealings within the laws of South Africa
  
• Only offer or promise services that they are able to provide
  
• Deliver services without unnecessary delays
  
• Respect intellectual property rights of clients and refrain from knowingly infringe on such rights
  
• Not knowingly facilitate, transmit or publish illegal content
  
• Terminate illegal services or content immediately whenever they become aware of it 
  
• Refrain from marketing products or services, to a database created from unrelated products or services 
  
• Provide an automated Opt-Out function regarding mobile services
  
• Adhere to the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act and/or WASPA's Code of Conduct
  
• Not offer any SMS Competition with a price band exceeding R1.50 per SMS
  
• Award the prize(s) as advertised within 30 days of the SMS Competition's closing date
  
• Award the prize(s) irrespective of the volume of SMS messages received
  
• Refrain from offering prizes that include CASH amounts of any amount