[Vodacom] Please RechargeMe sms

K

kedul

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Hi,

I received sms from a number that I do not know, like this:

Please RechargeMe 076822xxxx

(The full number in the message, same than the sender number), on my hsdpa card.

Any idea what this kind of "spam" is trying to accomplish?
Or is it an additional reminder service from Vodacom?
 
I copied your text above and mailed it as is to [email protected]. Below the response I got back two hours later:

Thank you for your e-mail.

Please be advised that the Please Recharge Me service is offered by Vodacom and will allow a client to send the request to someone to have airtime loaded onto their number. In order to use the service the following procedure would be used:

*140*02*cellphone number# .
Replace ''cellphone number'' with the number of the person you would like to request to recharge your airtime. This service is free to both the sender and receiver.
You can send up to two ''Please Recharge Me'' requests per day.

Should you have any further queries, please contact us via e-mail at [email protected].

Warm Regards
Click to expand...

So it's probably someone who typed in the wrong number when they sent it to you.
(Or someone trying their luck??)
 
Can Vodacom possibly introduce a feature which allows one to send free "Please Bugger Off" messages by entering *140*03*cellphone number# and call? That would be so useful, I might even start using my Vodacom SIM again. ;)
 
vodacom3g said:
I copied your text above and mailed it as is to [email protected]. Below the response I got back two hours later:



So it's probably someone who typed in the wrong number when they sent it to you.
(Or someone trying their luck??)
Click to expand...
How exactly is the response related to the complaint?:confused:

Looks like they don't actually read the letters - just see that it is about a recharge request and then they fire off whatever they know about that subject. Hardly customer service now is it.:mad:
 
Skeptik said:
vodacom3g said:
I copied your text above and mailed it as is to [email protected]. Below the response I got back two hours later:



So it's probably someone who typed in the wrong number when they sent it to you.
(Or someone trying their luck??)
Click to expand...
How exactly is the response related to the complaint?:confused:

Looks like they don't actually read the letters - just see that it is about a recharge request and then they fire off whatever they know about that subject. Hardly customer service now is it.:mad:
Click to expand...
Eish not again, let me see if I can explain this, the reply that v3g got from [email protected] explains that the "Please RechargeMe 076822xxxx" SMS received by kedul [albeit via an HSDPA data card's sim card], is a result of someone with the number "076822xxxx" having used Vodacom's *140*02*kedul's data card MSIDN here# "Please Recharge Me service".

Capiche?
 
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vodacom3g said:
Don't think so. It's just like call-me.

Do you return any call-me you get, or only the ones you recognise? Same here.
Click to expand...

I do think so. Something like Skypes option not to allow contacts other than from numbers in my contact list would be really nice. I don't want every Tom Dick or Mary spamming me with requests for a top up or call back.
 
bekdik said:
I do think so. Something like Skypes option not to allow contacts other than from numbers in my contact list would be really nice. I don't want every Tom Dick or Mary spamming me with requests for a top up or call back.
Click to expand...
This comes back to an SMS spam discussion from a long time back - spam SMSes are hugely annoying, sufficiently annoying to drive customers away from network X to network Y, IMO what is needed is an online SMS & MMS management service [e.g. on vodacom4me.co.za] where one can block all SMSes & MMSes and whitelist certain senders, as well as view a log of all blocked senders - in case one of them needs to be whitelisted...

PS: It's a huge problem now that cannot wait for handset vendors to provide comprehensive blocking features, maybe Vodafone can start developing an SMS & MMS blocking feature for data cards etc.
 
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ic said:
This comes back to an SMS spam discussion from a long time back - spam SMSes are hugely annoying, sufficiently annoying to drive customers away from network X to network Y, IMO what is needed is an online SMS & MMS management service [e.g. on vodacom4me.co.za] where one can block all SMSes & MMSes and whitelist certain senders, as well as view a log of all blocked senders - in case one of them needs to be whitelisted...
Click to expand...

Agreed, but getting general spam is slightly different to this issue. I feel that a message which is going to potentially cost the recipient needs to handled differently. Either by the recipient opting in to receipt of a message of this type from anybody or from nobody or from persons in the contact list.
 
bekdik said:
Agreed, but getting general spam is slightly different to this issue. I feel that a message which is going to potentially cost the recipient needs to handled differently. Either by the recipient opting in to receipt of a message of this type from anybody or from nobody or from persons in the contact list.
Click to expand...

I'll bounce it off the product guys and see if it's doable at a system level.

As ic said, this is just another SMS, so we'll have to treat all SMS's the same way. I still feel the best solution is a blacklist / whitelist feature on the handset. Just like in your mail client.
 
vodacom3g said:
I'll bounce it off the product guys and see if it's doable at a system level.

As ic said, this is just another SMS, so we'll have to treat all SMS's the same way. I still feel the best solution is a blacklist / whitelist feature on the handset. Just like in your mail client.
Click to expand...

It would be nice to have a web interface to the black/whitelist feature as an addon. (Obviously for free).

A handset based system is required though because many people don't have web access.

The "Voetsek" freebie reply option mentioned below would be a winner!
 
kaspaas said:
It would be nice to have a web interface to the black/whitelist feature as an addon. (Obviously for free).
Click to expand...
Working on it.....

A handset based system is required though because many people don't have web access.
Click to expand...
Exactly, and it gives the added pleasure to know the bugger paid for the SMS you never saw. :D

The "Voetsek" freebie reply option mentioned below would be a winner!
Click to expand...
Submitted as a new product requirement. ;)
 
There are situations where handset-level-blocking of SMSes & MMSes, will probably be a pain or not work at all, e.g. swapping the same sim card between handsets - if the blocking list is stored on the sim card and is compatible with every possible combination of handset that the sim card finds itself in, then sure it will work perfectly - until one puts another sim card into one of these handsets only to find that one has to create a new blocking list for the new sim card. If however the blocking list is stored on the handset, then one has to create a new blocking list for another handset when using the same sim card between handsets, also what happens to one's blocking list when a firmware update is performed - maybe best to have the blocking list stored on an SD card or memory stick etc.

Now for the major problem, we were discussing all this at least 1.5 years back, and in that time, the handsets being used in SA, have not been endowed with magical blocking capabilities, IOW when and if handset manufacturers get around to providing blocking capabilities on new handsets, we will probably all have half a foot in the grave, which is why I kinda prefer the idea of an online blocking [and whitelisting] feature - sooner rather than later :).
 
The networks largely control the phone handsets. Since the networks sponsor the emission of SPAM for their own benefit, I think there would be a conflict of interest if they were involved in controlling it.

We need to enforce fines for anyone responsible for breaching the ECT laws. That way, any financial benefit for the networks from SPAM becomes unworkable.
 
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