How can sending just 13 texts in a group be classed as "business purposes" and banned ??

[IanTil]

I tried to send just 13 texts on a group msg and received a "Message not sent: service not activated on network" error.

After a long and painful online chat (you know the kind: turn off phone take out SIM wait 3 min etc etc) the online rep decided I was contravening SMARTYs "terms and conditions, using the phone for business purposes or sending spam or "smishing".

Just 13 texts to addresses in my contacts list ?? Really??

[JJP2]

 

This is the Smarty community forum, populated by Smarty Users. 

As we obviously cannot speak on behalf of Smarty, you need to open a webchat with Smarty.

EDIT : Just saw you had an online chat. 

You may wish to email Smarty :

[MSF]

@IanTil  I have seen this happen before on another network. I imagine that an algorithm looks at your usage and decides that this looks like business usage.

Not sure there is a way around it, but you could raise it as a complaint and see if management answers you with anything better.

[jassingh]

This is the sort of thing that worries me - and then the amount of time it'll take them to reinstate the service. Safe to say, avoid doing any group texting using SMS and use apps like WhatsApp instead. Even if its just to notify people that your number changed etc. A way around it could be send a single text to each person, individually rather than a bulk one which triggers this rule.

The algorithm is probably sensitive as I've not experienced this with any other network- I wonder if the same applies to calls too? In my case, just calling the doctor is a good example of this - often I need to repeatedly hang up, dial again, hang up etc just to even get into the queue. I'm curious if that constitutes business use also? I've done this and not had any issues, however time will tell lol 🤔

[MSF]

@jassingh  When I was with Giffgaff, they reasonably frequently cut off people who were sending a 'bulk' text to let people know that they had changed numbers. As you say, the algorithm is a bit sensitive maybe.

As far as calls are concerned, never heard of any problem with that. Let's face it, some people spend all day on the phone calling different or the same number - I think the algorithm might suffer with that!

[jassingh]

@MSF Yeah! Interesting that it happens at other networks too. I read a trustpilot review where someone had their account suspended for quote 'calling too much' lol, I mean .. 😁

[MSF]

@jassingh (tongue in cheek!) I agree that people should have their accounts suspended.....particularly when they insist on talking at high volume on their mobile throughout a journey on public transport! 😡☠️ I long for the day when there is some form of legal signal jammer that works in a 5m radius!🤣

[jassingh]

@MSF Them ones!! 🤣

[Rebekah_150]

Hey  IanTil 

This may have been the case but should have been something that was confirmed with our technical team, did they confirm this at the time?