Graham. wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Graham. wrote
News wrote

OT, I know ...

We have rarely, if ever, received SMS messages on our landline phone
until now. Son's school have started sending updates by that method,
which is OK, but is there any possibility we will be charged for using
the service?

Whilst I'm confident the school service is OK, I don't know who the
caller is until accepting the message. What concerns me is accepting
something that is not from the school, and somehow being conned. Is
that possible?

As has been explained, the only chargeable *incoming* calls are from
reverse charge (collect) automated services like 0800MUMDAD &
0800REVERSE and even then, the IVR system explains that it's
chargeable and you have to press a key to acknowledge that you
understand.

So don't worry about being charged.

If you still find these calls a nuisance, do as I have
dine and bar them by dialling 0800 587 5252

Then tell the school about email and to stop wasting their money!

Far fewer of the kids' parents would have an email
that they check regularly than have a phone number.

Don't they all have overpriced contracts and smartphones?

Nope, plenty don't have an overpriced contract, plenty
only spend something like $20 a month on their mobile
phone contract and plenty of those who do spend more
than that don't bother with a landline anymore and are
spending not much more than they did for the landline.

Don't they set them up with their email accounts?

Plenty of people don't have an email address and plenty
don't check them very often even when they do.

The absolute vast bulk of the parents would have either
a landline or a mobile phone or both and those are much
better ways of getting the info to those who can use it than
an email. Which is why we now have broadcast SMS
messages to all mobile phones in the area with urgent
stuff like bushfires and floods and mega storms etc.