What the FUCK. I had a measly 2 dollars left on my account and then Page Plus decides it’s a bright idea to keep bombarding me with text messages as to run down my balance (each text, whether received or sent, costs me 5 cents).
I had to turn on Airplane mode to disable the cellular connection so I wouldn’t be killed by the veritable avalanche of text messages screaming YOUR BALANCE IS LOW. REFILL NOW.
When I disabled Airplane mode for 5 seconds as to make an actual phone call, I received EIGHT MESSAGES FROM PAGE PLUS IN WHAT MUST HAVE BEEN 2 SECONDS. My phone could not stop vibrating during those two seconds; the thing I held in my hand, I thought, had suddenly been transformed from a smartphone to something out my bedside drawer.
So now my balance has been run down from 2 dollars to $1.15.
I suppose this is a cellphone thing.
I use prepaid Virgin Mobile, and I never have enough cash available to send or receive a text (this is deliberate). Still, I periodically get tests from Virgin that it’s time to buy another minute pack. I am not charged to read these. It surprises me that any carrier would send and charge for an administrative housekeeping message.
I know. The absurdity. Even to check my balance, I have to text Page Plus, and with each text I send, my balance decrease by 5 cents. I did this two times to check whether administrative texts actually cost money, and hell yes they do. This, compounded with the multiple texts I received from Page Plus … has run down my balance significantly.
When I got my new cell phone, I had the texting function disabled. Nobody texts me. Every two or three months, I have a situation where it MIGHT be a teensy bit convenient to be able to send and receive texts, but for the most part, I don’t need them. When I had texting enabled, the only texts I received were from spammers.
<rant> Texts should be free to receive. Senders should pay the entire charge, so that situations like this never even come up. After all, long distance phone calls are free for the receiver, unless the receiver specifically sets up an 800 number or some other way to make the call free for the caller. Texting should follow the same model. </rant>
I agree, Lynn. Seems blatantly unfair and stupid to force someone to pay for messages they did not choose to get. Make the person who’s choosing to send pick up the tab.