Sending Sms With Pay And Go

[Tractorbuoy]

I've read elsewhere on this forum that you can't send SMS via a pay and go dongle.
I can't see why this service is barrred. Can someone from Vodafone explain this very annoying 'feature' of what is otherwise the best mobile broadband service for occasional users.
I'm sure Vodafone has the technology to turn on SMS remotely and would love it if they did!
What is the difference between SMS via a payasyougo SIM and SMS via a poayasyouttalk phone?
Currrently I'm preparing to change jobs. My current employer supplies all staff with a contract dongle. Next month, I'll be self employed and I can't justify the monthly cost of a contract dongle, but I want the reassurance of having connectivity when I'm out and about.
I guess many of the users of this forum are ICT consultants who have a similar need for a 'light use' technically sophisticated mobile broadband service with SMS, fast 3G and GPS assist. Can Vodafone not fill this gap in the market?

[Retired-Claire_]

Hi Tractorbuoy

I completely appreciate how this may be annoying, but there are reasons for the SMS feature being disabled on a Prepay dongle.

A PAYT dongle accepts Top Up amounts of only £15 increments. A text isnt recognised by the dongle as it doesnt recognise anything else used on the dongle apart from data.

With a contract dongle, you would be charged 12p per message, so this isnt included in the data allowance on a contract connection, it would be an additional charge.

Claire

eforum Team

[Tractorbuoy]

Thank you for your prompt and well structured answer to my query.

Surely these days when the media is swimming in phone deals offering 'free texts for life' etc and, I expect, the number of text messages that would be sent by mobile broadband users would be a very small proportion of Vodafone's total SMS bandwidth, you could offer free texts with the pay and go dongle without risk of Vodafone having to call in the recievers? :rolleyes:

[muppetry]

If that's the case, then why do you include the functionality in the software??

Sounds like twaddle to me. It's a classic metering / mediation issue. If it can be done for monthly contracts, it can be done for PAYG.

[Retired-Reidar]

Hello everyone and I too appreciate your points regarding sms functionality on the USB modems.

The software is basically the same as on the contract versions (VMC) however it is not the software that dictates availability and function of SMS GMS data/traffic, this is directly influenced by the price plan, namely a Pay As You Go plan versus a Contract plan.

At present there is no functionality for SMS sending via the PAYG devices, if this changes in the future we will make it known immediately, however for the time being we appreciate your concerns and continue to take note of your feedback.

Thanks

Reidar

eForum Team

[electrikall]

okay
I have read the comments and okay vodafone kinda have a point with not being able to charge for sending sms, unless as they actually wrote the software in the first place we use (which they did) and its their software we are using to send and receive sms although they do allow to recieve sms which is like as usefull as a chocolate bar in a sandstorm, how comes they can't control the sending and charging of sms when A its there software and B its there network, surely it can be monitored and charged for i spent over an hour figuring out that it was pointless the best thing they could have done is A not put the software on the payg dongle in the first place then there wouldnt be this frustration and annoyance or B actually as it is sending the sms say this will be charged at blardy blah data rate and give the sender the choice of not sending the sms, but crippling it and not making the reason obvious is just frustrating| *#!$ you vodafone for putting pointless and idiotic software that you wrote on payg dongles.

[RupertTheFridge]

Well, I have a heated seat switch hidden in my car by a blank. I think I'll contact Ford and ask why it's there under the same principal.