So I have a new Samsung s3 - purchased from vodafone online store, and working perfectly fine after having activated the sim. I had upgraded from a Sharp gx15!

Now, the issue is that all Australian numbers appear to be blocked from sending me a text. They receive my texts just fine but when they reply, or even do a new SMS to me they get the message along the lines of "Non functional number, service provider blocked" 

I find this odd as in two particular cases below.

1) A mate who's recently moved to Australia got an Australian SIM so I've never had that number in my phone before.

Mate texts me, for the first time with his new number, text comes through perfectly fine from Australia.
I reply to my mate, he receives text fine from NZ.
Mate goes to reply, text won't send, "non functional number, service provider blocked"

2) My sister continually is unable to text me on her telstra plan. In frustration she got a prepay Virgin Mobile sim for the sole purpose of texting me as it was quite urgent.

The first text comes through fine, I reply.
Sis goes to reply to my text, and ruh roh... "non functional number, service provider blocked."


It's not just the one number either. There are several other Australian numbers that are unable to text me, but they all receive my texts perfectly fine. They have contacted their various network providers who all say that there is no block on them texting to me and it appears to be a Vodafone NZ issue.

This happened on both the Sharp GX15, and now with the S3 - so I doubt its a phone issue.


I have contacted Vodafone NZ, but they keep fobbing it off as being an Australian service provider issue.

Any one else familiar with this? I've had the same phone number with Voda for 12 years, and this only started happening from November 2011 when I took the GX15 to Australia and used a virgin mobile SIM while I was over there.

Now Im on the s3, I used someone else's microsim to txt australia and received a reply to their number no worries on my s3. Swapped it out for my microsim, and whaddya know, "non functional number...."

It's all highly odd given that Australian numbers can text me as a 1 off when they are a new number, can receive my texts no worries, but are unable to reply or send new texts following that first time.

Any suggestions please?