Skinny Prepaid Text problem

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Skinny Prepaid Text problem

ronw

1222 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 85

#293005 20-Dec-2021 10:10

I am on Skinny Prepaid and occasionally I get sent text messages from firms that require a reply. Usually from doctor, dentist, garage etc that want confirmation of appointment. The all come from a message services usually a 4 digit number. I cannot reply to these messages which is a real pain.
It I try to reply it fails. I am guessing that Skinny will not allow replies on a prepaid phone. But have no idea why. It is a very minor expense from Skinnys end.
Is there any answer to this without also having to add extra money each month which expires each month used or not

Nokia 7 Plus
Nexus 6P 32Gb
Nexus 6 Phone
Nexus 5 Phone
Nexus 7 2013 Tablet
Samsung TAB A 8"
Samsung TAB A 10"

& many Windows laptops, Desktops etc

1 | 2

3141 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 944

Lifetime subscriber

#2835878 20-Dec-2021 10:42

Money doesn’t expire each month. You only have to top up once a year to keep balance.

I’m on the $16 prepay one. I carry about $3 above this on my account for charged text’s, voice mail, and the odd data binge.

The text’s you’re trying to reply to are probably charged text’s. I do myself find it annoying to pay to confirm a Doctors appointment etc, when I have text’s on my plan. I’ll need to filter charged ones out sometime and just not reply. Forgot to reply to one once and appointment still there when turned up.

Most voice messages I don’t check with either, I just call back number if it’s one I know. Have minutes that expire each month. Last looked Skinny charge 20 cents to check vs some others who take minute off balance.

Overall I’m very happy with Skinny. I think the text’s that are charged is 20 cents for confirming appointments, so if wish to reply carry a small excess balance. I’ve only tested it once but looks like it makes no difference if don’t reply.

Edited: Took word bother out, and tried to make less negative, as Skinny does provide good service overall.

Linux

12173 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8469

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2835927 20-Dec-2021 12:14

Most short code SMS you reply to are charged so you need a prepaid $$ balance

ronw

1222 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 85

#2835930 20-Dec-2021 12:20

I worked that out but why there would not be a big usage pfor it so why not make replies free. Having to buy a text add on every month that you might not use for months is just silly if you are trying to attract people to your services. Do the other celluar companies do this.?

Nokia 7 Plus
Nexus 6P 32Gb
Nexus 6 Phone
Nexus 5 Phone
Nexus 7 2013 Tablet
Samsung TAB A 8"
Samsung TAB A 10"

& many Windows laptops, Desktops etc

cokemaster

Exited
4937 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1089

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2835934 20-Dec-2021 12:24

To elaborate further: your included national SMS allowances do not cover text messages to/from shortcodes. They only cover mobile to mobile texting eg. 0211231234 to 0221231234. They do not include any text messages to short codes.

Shortcodes have different rates depending on their configuration. Some are free. Some are charged at ‘standard SMS rates’ aka 20c. Some may be premium and charge even more eg. 50c, $1, $3. These will absolutely require a cash balance on your prepaid account in order to charge.

The consequence is that for folks that just do an auto renew for their package, they’ll usually have a $0 balance which means any short code that is not set to $0 will be out of reach.

webhosting

Loose lips may sink ships - Be smart - Don't post internal/commercially sensitive or confidential information!

Linux

12173 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8469

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2835940 20-Dec-2021 12:49

You do not need to buy a SMS addon to reply to SMS shortcodes the number just needs some prepaid balance

ronw

1222 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 85

#2835953 20-Dec-2021 13:24

But my account with skinny is $36 approx each month. That's is no way to purchase extra unless you are suggesting that I pay more each month than I need to do so that I have a balance to allow me to reply to the text. Would that balance just disappear each month when the account renews.

Nokia 7 Plus
Nexus 6P 32Gb
Nexus 6 Phone
Nexus 5 Phone
Nexus 7 2013 Tablet
Samsung TAB A 8"
Samsung TAB A 10"

& many Windows laptops, Desktops etc

Geekzone support

Support Geekzone with one-off or recurring donations Donate via PressPatron.

Linux

12173 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8469

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2835955 20-Dec-2021 13:31

You need a Prepay balance nothing to do with the $36 addon you buy each month

As already advised most short codes are charged for each response 9 to 20 cents each

antonknee

1133 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1145

#2835959 20-Dec-2021 13:37

Annoying that these are chargeable yes, agree.

Just top up your phone with an extra $10 or $20 of credit now and let it sit there. As you reply to these that balance will drop by 20 cents per message but it won't just disappear. Could also be helpful for anything else you want to buy, like an hour or extra data or something. Totally separate to your $36 combo.

MaxineN

Max
2049 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1662

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2835960 20-Dec-2021 13:37

ronw: But my account with skinny is $36 approx each month. That's is no way to purchase extra unless you are suggesting that I pay more each month than I need to do so that I have a balance to allow me to reply to the text. Would that balance just disappear each month when the account renews.

No.

What you do is that you top the phone up with $40 every month. You spend $36 on the plan itself leaving you with $4, then you just top up $36 exactly until you need more credit for the short codes. Having spare credit is the key to solving this and the credit lasts for 364 days from top up. It does not expire every month. Your plan renews every month. This is where the confusion lies.

Ramblings from a mysterious lady who's into tech. Warning I may often create zingers.

ronw

1222 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 85

#2835964 20-Dec-2021 13:42

Everyone seems to avoid the problem. Many people including elderly have the monthly auto top up. Why would anyone makes it harder for people to use a service. If as you say it is a nominal fee up to 20 cents approx why would the service that uses the text pay for the fee in their rental or whatever to use the services. My garage texted me today and demanded that I reply via the short code message. They could ring me instead they use a system that many people cannot reply to. I'm fact I would posit many people would not even be aware that they cannot reply or why.
I had a quick look at Skinnys web page and cannot see any mention that such a stupid system exists.

Nokia 7 Plus
Nexus 6P 32Gb
Nexus 6 Phone
Nexus 5 Phone
Nexus 7 2013 Tablet
Samsung TAB A 8"
Samsung TAB A 10"

& many Windows laptops, Desktops etc

ronw

1222 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 85

#2835978 20-Dec-2021 13:58

The problem is that Skinny does not seem to work that way. They debit my bank account with the $36 each month. I don't do anything. Not even sure how I would go about paying extra each month. It is a pity that when they advertise their services they don't make this clear. My original question do every cellular service operate like this or do some not charge extra for the recipient to reply to such messages.

MaxineN:

No.

What you do is that you top the phone up with $40 every month. You spend $36 on the plan itself leaving you with $4, then you just top up $36 exactly until you need more credit for the short codes. Having spare credit is the key to solving this and the credit lasts for 364 days from top up. It does not expire every month. Your plan renews every month. This is where the confusion lies.

Nokia 7 Plus
Nexus 6P 32Gb
Nexus 6 Phone
Nexus 5 Phone
Nexus 7 2013 Tablet
Samsung TAB A 8"
Samsung TAB A 10"

& many Windows laptops, Desktops etc

Apple TV

Stream your favourite shows now on Apple TV (affiliate link).

Linux

12173 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8469

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2835981 20-Dec-2021 14:07

The terms of Skinny would mention something around unlimited SMS is person to person only to NZ and AU numbers

This is nothing new and has been in place for 20 plus years!

MaxineN

Max
2049 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1662

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2835984 20-Dec-2021 14:10

ronw:

The problem is that Skinny does not seem to work that way. They debit my bank account with the $36 each month. I don't do anything. Not even sure how I would go about paying extra each month. It is a pity that when they advertise their services they don't make this clear. My original question do every cellular service operate like this or do some not charge extra for the recipient to reply to such messages.

They do. Just need to read T&Cs and every carrier is like this.

See if Skinny can change the auto debit to $40 from $36. Problem solved.

If you were on a pay monthly on account basis with a different carrier, it would just be added to your bill at the end of the month vs needing the prepay credit now in your case to reply.

Ramblings from a mysterious lady who's into tech. Warning I may often create zingers.

wratterus

1687 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 678

#2835989 20-Dec-2021 14:15

As others have said, what you are seeing is totally normal & expected. It's not a Skinny issue at all - if you had a prepay plan with any of the other providers, and never had any extra credit, you'd see the exact same behaviour.

Just pop into your skinny app & chuck $5 or something on, problem solved. As you'd only be using it for checking Voicemail or replying to those txts, it would last ages.

RunningMan

9184 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4834

#2835994 20-Dec-2021 14:21

This really isn't Skinny's issue at all. Every telco handles these essentially the same way. If you do not want to use the chargeable service, then don't do it. Any complaint should be directed to the company using that number - i.e if your garage demands you use it, the easy solution is go to a different garage. The only demand I would accept from a garage is payment of a reasonable bill for services they provided.

1 | 2