Reminder: Standard Rates Do Apply
As you know, Twitter is a free service. However, Phil took time to remind folks today in a blog post that if you choose to send and receive some of your Twitter updates by text message, standard texting rates do apply. So, (depending on your particular mobile contract) if you go over your texting limit you might get billed more. Not everyone uses texting with Twitter but if you do, it's good to know what sort of contract you have. Is it unlimited or are you allowed only a fixed amount per month?
We do state that normal rates apply in our FAQ, help pages, and other spots but Phil found some prolific Twitter-texters who were surprised that they went over and got charged. Tomorrow, we're going to scour the site and see if there aren't some more prominent places we can make sure folks are aware of this. In the meantime, do keep in mind that while we don't charge for any of our Twitter services, standard rates do apply if you do text messaging on your phone.
Phil also floats the idea that Twitter somehow earns money from your texting while in fact the opposite is true. We've negotiated for good bulk rates but we still pay for this SMS traffic just like we pay for storage, hosting, employee salaries, Odwalla bars, tea, the occasional team lunch, and all the other parts of running Twitter at Obvious HQ.
We do state that normal rates apply in our FAQ, help pages, and other spots but Phil found some prolific Twitter-texters who were surprised that they went over and got charged. Tomorrow, we're going to scour the site and see if there aren't some more prominent places we can make sure folks are aware of this. In the meantime, do keep in mind that while we don't charge for any of our Twitter services, standard rates do apply if you do text messaging on your phone.
Phil also floats the idea that Twitter somehow earns money from your texting while in fact the opposite is true. We've negotiated for good bulk rates but we still pay for this SMS traffic just like we pay for storage, hosting, employee salaries, Odwalla bars, tea, the occasional team lunch, and all the other parts of running Twitter at Obvious HQ.
32 Comments:
i dun know if this has been asked or answered before but many of us are wondering if this bulk rate that twitter pays cover the cost of sms being sent from the UK number (for international users) to us here in Singapore. It's pretty crazy.
clif bars are cheaper than odwalla bars i think, and they're yummy!
thanks for the information. So am I right that I won't be charged for receiving text messages if receiving them in Germany is free in general?
i have a plan that gives me a bunch of free texts in the uk. however, twitter messages do not count under this allowance. please explain.
anonymous 2:11AM: I have an O2 payg account that gives me a bunch of free texts, and my twitter messages DO count under this allowance (i.e. they don't cost me anything - at least until I've used up my free allowance).
What concerns me right now is server capacity. I can't get into the twitter.com site for love nor money; the twittervision map's way behind lots of the time; plainly, capacity is becoming a major problem. How is Obvious going to pay for more capacity without raising funds from the users?
I'd recommend mentioning that receiving messages would also cost money on the page where you enable your phone and in the first text message you receive.
I don't understand how Twitter could charge me for receiving, since normally you would recognize the 'charging' number (but since it's international, it could be easily different).
And by not stating that standard rates apply for RECEIVING messages, I'd guess that you might violate some laws. In the Netherlands you would.
As that anonymous person said, I have a similar problem. Under my T-Mobile contract, I get 50 free texts a month.
But, T-Mobile don't count texts to Twitter, so I actually have to pay for them, even though it's going to a UK number.
Hi! I write from Finland.
-What I understood is that I pay when I send an sms from my cell phone.
But do I pay also when I receive an sms notification on my cell phone because some of the friends that I 'follow' posted on Twitter?
If yes, means that I pay to 'follow' my friends.
And in this case, is there any way to follow without paying?
-When I post from Twitter (this means from the Internet) and on my account is selected 'Send notifications to phone', do I pay for the message that I'm publishing?
And if I pay...do I pay for one sms or do I pay for all the smss that my followers will receive?
-Settings: What happen if I set 'OFF' my mobile phone notifications ?
Means that I don't receive anymore notifications on my phone when people that I'm following post? or means that I can't post from my phone anymore?
And what change/happen if I select 'Direct Messages'?
I mean Twitter is defenatly interesting but we need more information to better understand WHEN we pay by using it.
Andrea
Hi guys,
Twitter is free, but some providers count the UK number as an international number, while others do not.
since every provider is different, and every individual's text plan is different... if in doubt, call your service provider and ask them. If you give them the Twitter number you're using and ask them what financial effect your Twitter usage will affect, they can tell you if it's covered in your plan.
From a UI, experience and potency standpoint, a simple poppup warning/javascript tooltip when users click on any of the 'enable phone/SMS' buttons would do the trick.
President Bush would not be in the White House right now if God didn't want him there. President Bush was put in a position of leadership in order to wipe the devil's religion of Islam off the face of the Earth, so that the Christian God can fill the world with His message of peace and love. President Bush has stated numerous times that he speakes with God in the Oval Office, he even asked God for military advice before the invasion of Iraq. Modern liberalism is the equivalent of atheism, liberals are in favor of killing babies, raising taxes, teaching evolution, and same sex marriage. Jesus is opposed to all of these horrible things.
In case there's some confusion, Twitter doesn't charge anyone for the SMS messages. By "standard rates" I believe they mean the rates your cell provider charges you.
Right?
I think particularly people in Europe are confused about the "paying to receive SMS" bit - it's an alien concept here. However, in the US users typically pay when receiving messages.
So to anyone in Europe here: ignore the parts about paying to receive messages, you'll only pay for sending SMS to twitter.
so, how DO you guys pay for this site?
So how does Twitter recover the costs, mentioned herein, i.e. for sms traffic, storage, salaries...?
I have submitted a ticket since 21/3/2006 and nobody reply
My support ticket title is
"texting from Australia to Malaysia thru twitter" {17975}"
Is there really a support team exist in twitter ? or ???
I am from Germany and I tried receiving SMS with a prepaid phone where you can see directly how much is charged. I can confirm that RECEIVING sms is free in Germany. Rates for sending to uk numbers are up to 0,49 EURO I think.
It doesn't really say anywhere whether it's MO or MT but then as its not on a shared or owned shortcode in the UK it kind of doesnt matter, apart from the legal details that the site should carry that is. It certainly does not seem to be on a 4000 series AFAIK.
In any case the site would need to fully detail any billing details (even it is free) plus the required contacts etc. etc. to comply with UK regulations.
It doesn't say anything in the T&C about use of the mobile numbers that are being harvested? They would be worth a small fortune for the right product push, although using them without implicit opt-in would be illegal in various countries.
Twitter doesn't seem a particularly hard service to set up by any stretch. Plus any half decent SMS aggregator can offer a sharp price against the volume, and probably copy the numbers too (LOL) and with a mobile number database @30p a number every time you sell it or a £50 bounty for say a MVNO conversion it could be a great way to push product. Plenty of mobile gambling services would love to get back in the US market too.
Are you guys planning on fixing Twitter IM for AIM, uh, ever? Still not working on my Sidekick.
Yeah, I switched my plan to unlimited texts after getting a bill for $83 in texts. Oops.
maybe you jokers should pay for it.
We pay normal text messaging rates --- the same as sending a text message to ANY usa cellphone...?
Or do we pay a PREMIUM text message rate --- since it is a special 5-digit code (40404) we are sending to...?
(Please reply via email if possible)
Bruce in New York City
http://brucewagner.com
bruce@brucewagner.com
PS - QUESTION 2: In general, is there any way to know if we will be billed a PREMIUM charge to a certain 5-digit code BEFORE we send the message & get the bill?
Are you guys lookin for rapidshare accounts.Here it is http://rapidshare.com/files/26039699/RS_FREE.rar
It's good to know, I was just wondering about this.
i have a plan that gives me a bunch of free texts in the uk. however, twitter messages do not count under this allowance. please explain.
I get a 1000 free texts on my contract with 3 here in the UK.
When I first started using Txt to Twitter, I checked my account a couple of times to check that I didn't get charged, which I didn't. I carried on merrily using the service then when I got my bill at the end of the month was shocked to see that 3 had suddenly started charging me for them.
They say that as the UK Txt number is a Guernsey number and is NOT a mobile number but a PERSONAL NUMBER I get billed for it. They say that there was a problem with the billing and that it has been corrected, although I did get 1/2 a month of free texts to twitter sadly it's no longer free :-(
I have unlimited texting through AT&T and yet somehow I manage to get charged 5 cents per message to and from Twitter. Makes no sense at all.
I have the same problem with 3...
Just got my bill and all texts to Twitter are tagged 'MANX MOBILE' and charged at international rates. Feeling highly wound up by this and am contacting Ofcom, but in the mean time I'd warn anyone on three to not sure the mobile service - at 25p a text it's no good.
@joe: Can you submit a ticket and include your username and phone number. We'd like to investigate the problem with 3.
thanks good post
I think twitter is great, but i have to say i don't think it's very responsible to be so ambiguous about charging, when you could easily alleviate everyone's fears and stop some getting huge bills. Surely it wouldn't take much to pull some costs together yourselves rather than prod us towards our operators? Even if it was just to indicate which countries/operators were charging you to receive, or like 3 in Uk where they're not part of bundles?
I'm on tmobile in the UK - all texts cost me 3p (or should). Twitter texts to SEND cost me 20p. Not sure about receiving :(
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