Repeated SMS text messages on T-Mobile

[Hands0n]

I have been having some problems with receiving multiple repeat copies of SMS text messages sent to me on my T-Mobile handset (a Nokia 6280). This started late last week and has persisted until today at least.

Finally getting fed up with receiving anything up to eight copies of a text message I called up T-Mobile Customer Services (150) who were very fast, courteous and efficient, although the problem persists. They ran through a series of tests with me to see if they can track the problem down.

At this stage it appears, from my own tests with them, that the repeat messages relate to those sent from a Vodafone number (contract or payt) to a T-Mobile number. It is not restricted to any particular handset - at the time of my call the CS rep went off to ask around and became aware of calls coming in from all over the place and relating to lots of different handsets.

I arranged text messages from friends on 3, Orange, O2 and Vodafone - it was only the Vodafone messages that kept repeating.

Details of the repeated messages were taken from my by T-Mobile, they have been passed to their SMS Text division and I should be hearing back from them in due course.

If you are getting repeated text messages (regardless from which network) please report these to T-Mobile so that they can gather as much information on the problem to help resolve it. Don't suffer in silence

[E616Vboy123]

At least CS actually gave a bugger unlike some networks.....

[Ben]

Curious. Is it just to your T-Mobile number, or do you know of other numbers affected?

[Hands0n]

The CS rep said that they were getting lots of calls from people making the same report as me. They at first thought it was restricted to Nokia handsets, but the latest call she said came from a woman with a Sony Ericsson W850i. So mine was not an isolated case, although she could not say whether the calls are reporting problems between Vodafone and T-Mobile. Which I suspect is the case, given my controlled test (only SMS originating from Voda are repeating to me).

[3g-g]

I sometimes get this with Orange too, only with MMS though. I'll send one picture then get a reply from friends asking why I've sent them the same thing 4 times!

[Hands0n]

Yea, I used to get that on Orange too, also with SMS, as did a friend of mine. They couldn't fix it and that was one of the contributing reasons I eventually left Orange. Interestingly enough, it seems to only have hit me where I've had a phone on a PCN network (Orange and T-Mobile), although I've not seen it on their MVNOs such as easyMobile. Strange, 'cos I'd have thought it all of the same physical infrastructure for the latter.

[maxspank]

There was a problem reported about this. Apparently Vodafone are working with T-mobile for a fix, I only glanced at it on the noticeboard for faults we have like this. I'll have a proper look tomorrow.

[Hands0n]

Cheers for that. T-Mobile SMS Text people have said that there is no known fault! They suggest that my phone is not properly acknowledging the SMS to their message centre, hence the re-deliveries. Plausible, but why are a number of us having the problem with only Vodafone-originated messages. They couldn't answer that, and kept banging on about it being my handset (despite it not being the case .....). So I'm suffering in silence at the moment

[Hands0n]

I am on the phone with T-Mobile right now - they are in full-scale denial and suggest that I contact Vodafone as the orignator of the problem. What kind of nonsense is that? What if I don't have a Vodafone account, they are hardly going to listen to me, from a rival network. The [T-Mobile] notion is absurd that I can get my Vodafone SMS correspondents to spend hours on the phone with Vodafone exploring a problem that they dont have (its only the T-Mobile recipient suffering).

It may well be that it is a Vodafone fault, equally it could be within T-Mobile. The problem is that unless they collaborate the fault will not be found and repaired.

I strongly suggest that anyone who is on T-Mobile who is getting repeat messages from Vodafone that they call T-Mobile Customer Services on 150, menu options 3 then 4 and report the problem. State that you are reading reports on the mobile phone forums of other affected T-Mobile customers.

I just repeated the test, within a few minutes of the last text I just replicated the fault.

Only by raising the profile of this fault will T-Mobile take any action - at the moment, from what I can gather from the Text Team, individual customers are being fobbed off with it being their handset at fault. If anyone can explain how my Nokia 6280 can discriminate between a Vodafone SMS and one from the other networks I will listen with open ears.

What is needed is a bit of collaboration between the T-Mobile and Vodafone SMS service centre teams to identify and remedy the fault. Denial and obsfucation are not equitable to gaining such a remedy!

[Hands0n]

I have just had a very polite and informative call from T-Mobile Customer Services, the Text Team. Apparently I was just over the 100th he has called today about this. The chap informed me that the fault has been identified as being at Vodafone's SMS Service Centre switches, but has not been tracked down, and is currently being investigted.

Apparently the SMS switch at Vodafone is not deleting the SMS message after it has been delivered to T-Mobile, and hence it is finding it in its outbound queue and re-transmitting it to T-Mobile. This can happen up to 80 times in some cases (never been so high for me, normally 4 and thats it). T-Mobile have been deluged with calls about this, and they have been in talks with Vodafone's own technical messaging teams about the problem.

So, at last, and after no less than a week or more, the collaboration begins. Good. How long we have to wait the solution no-one knows, but at least it has been flagged and they are working on it.

I have to compliment T-Mobile on getting stuck into this - even if it did take them a week to realise the scale of the issue. I am particularly gratified that they have taken the trouble to actually phone the list of customers who have raised the issue with them. Other mobile ops could learn a thing or two about Customer Services from T-Mobile!

[Ben]

Well, that sounds positive, I'm glad they're taking it seriously. These xnet issues can be extremely hard to deal with - all but the most enthusiastic members of staff simply go by the mantra "not my problem".

Hi
I have been having this problem for months now but have finally spoken to Vodafone today and they were as good as useless! I am now having to monitor every text, making sure it doesn't go over 160 characters and therefore staying as one text, to make sure I am not being charged for all the texts that my friends receive from me 2,3,4,etc times when I have only sent it the once! I told Vodafone it is definitely a problem their end as all my friends are on different networks but they receive repeat texts, sometimes from months back(!) and I also receive theirs! I also have the added problem of sending texts which show perfectly in my sent items, but arrive at the other end blank, meaning I have to resend them! This is very worrying as I could potentially be being conned out of a lot of money if I am being charged for these repeat/blank texts. I am having to monitor every text I send over the next week and then call Vodafone again with a log of any repeat/blank texts and see if I am being charged correctly. If I'm not, I will be raising the level of awareness of this problem as I don't believe I am the only one! I would therefore be very grateful to hear from anyone who is suffering like me!

[Ben]

Hey, welcome to Talk3G.

Out of interest, have you tried your SIM in another phone? I've not heard of this problem happening recently (last post on this thread Nov 06), and I have had SMS issues before that were handset related so it's definitely worth checking out.

You could also try asking for a replacement SIM card if the problem continues, just to get all the bases covered.

[Hands0n]

You won't be charged for the multiple text messages - if you are then raise a stink. Best also put your complaint in writing in the form of an eMail to Vodafone at least, so you have track record of the complaint and none of this "we have no record of your contacting us" stuff.

Vodafone are normally quite good at this sort of thing but the problem with the SMS is internal and between Vodafone and the other SMS networks.

As explained to me by Vodafone during my troubles (now over);

* - Vodafone's SMS service centre transmits your Text message to the other networks SMS service centre, which in turn delivers it to your handset.
* - When successfully delivered the other SMS service centre returns an acknowledgement to the Vodafone SMS service centre. The transaction is matched off and the job is done.
* - However, in the repeat messages scenario there is something going wrong with the acknowledgement part of the transaction and so the Vodafone SMS service centre re-sends your message to the other SMS service centre.
* - This goes on repeatedly until the Vodafone SMS service centre receives an acknowledgement that it can match to a transmitted message.

Why this is going wrong no one seems to know. But it is a problem that seems to afflict Vodafone users randomly. But, and this is the important point, it is not you generating the repeated SMS messages and so you should not be charged for them.

If the problem persists or you cannot get any satisfaction then ask to speak about your case with their more senior level support staff or the SMS specialist team (there is one).

[3g-g]

There are a couple of Vodafone CS guys/gals on here, perhaps they cant give you some direction as to what to do officially with this matter.

Although a pest, especially having to keep track of things for 7 days, I have every faith in Vodafone resolving the matter for you.

Do let us know how you get on, it's only of benefit for us all as to how things are resolved.

[Hands0n]

Oooh yes, why didn't I think of that seeing as I've actually had the excellent opportunity to have the team help me out, which they did admirably. The advice given to us on here by the team folk is:

go to www.vodafone.co.uk, select 'contact us' then 'email'. (you might have seen on here already, leaving the shortcode FIT135 in the email body

If nothing else, you should get confirmation of some/much of the above and also, for your own peace of mind, that you are not being charged for the duplicates (I wasn't and the CS at the time said that no-one was).

hth