Picture message charge from nowhere

[Alcatraz68]

I've been with EE for about 15'years. Send about 200 text messages a week. All in contract.

2 months ago I got charged for 2 picture messages for very first time. 

Nothing last month

This month I was charged for 3 picture messages. 

I never send photos or moving images. NEVER. I only use the symbols which are on my phone typewriter keyboard. So #£_&?!😁

Nothing else

Today I phoned EE as this is confusing. I also wanted to pay the bill as the DD had failed. It's taken from an account I only used for phone bills. Only the contract amount was there so it failed.

The lady I spoke to was really sharp and abrupt. Didn't really expect that. She just said you be charged if sending symbols or smiley faces. This has puzzled me on many levels. I've sent symbols like &£?% and 😁 for 20 years and never been charged. My bill would be over £2,000 a month if this was true. Plus everyone sends me these symbols on bucket loads. Their bill would be huge.

I asked her if she could look at the 3 messages which had been charged a picture message fee. She just said you must have sent a smiley face, goodbye. She then closed the line.

I am baffled and a little shocked. Plus I wanted to pay the bill by credit card. The DD wasn't taken. 

I think I'll be leaving EE. Symbols off my phone keyboard have never been charged before? What if I ask a question. Is this symbol ?  now charged at 89p. And it was extremely rude. 

If these symbols are charged at 89p each and classed as picture messages (*£&%{}×😁#@) my bill would be astronomical every month. 

Alan

[Northerner · Accepted solution]

Hi @Alcatraz68 

Depends on your handset but messages over 160 characters are converted to MMS messages. 

As you can see by your own post using some variations of text can convert that text to an emoji.

This is an old but still relevant thread:

https://community.ee.co.uk/t5/Mobile-Services/Sending-and-Receiving-Picture-Messages-on-EE/td-p/1132...

Thanks 

[Alcatraz68]

That certainly makes more sense. Father died July so I may have sent some long text messages.

Thank you, would have been nice if the lady I spoke to (customer services) had known that. She just said must've sent a smiley face or somut bye .. and hung up. 

[XRaySpeX]

She wasn't talking about printable symbols like '£&+-#@' that are to be found on a typewriter keyboard but emojis and smilies like 🙂 not found on a typewriter. These convert the text into an MMS charged at 89p each. 

Texts longer than 160 chars are not always converted into MMS. Up to some limit I'm not sure of they are just broken up into parts less than 160 chars & each charged as 1 text. This is up to your phone.

[Alcatraz68]

So you are saying every time I use the 😉 STILL smiley face it is an 89p charge?

These would be 89p each?  😁🤣😤 All still itny images which are part of my texting typewriter. 

My bill would be over £1000 a month if that was true. Same for the people who text me. 

Perhaps this is a new thing with EE only and you're right. I'd be really amazed though if that was true. 

Thank you. I'll stop using smiley faces

[bristolian]

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@Alcatraz68 wrote:

So you are saying every time I use the 😉 STILL smiley face it is an 89p charge?

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It might do, but that doesn't mean it necessarily will do. It's down to how your phone is configured. It's not a network function in any case.

On Android at least, the messages app can be set to use the "Unicode" alphabet, and then virtually all the emojis are covered by SMS. If any content you insert into a message can't be sent via SMS, your phone will give an onscreen warning of "converting to MMS" or suchlike. You can then choose to proceed or delete the offending content.

I have no experience of how Apple handles this.

[Alcatraz68]

Thank you

I go no message saying converting to MMS. I don't think I've been charged for 😁. That would mean a random charge now and again. Think of school kids. They send 100s of these still images every day. I was charged for 2'picture messages in July and 3 in September. Nothing in August and nothing in the 15 years prior. 

I think the first solution is likely reason. My father died at the end of June and I've been sending a few very long text messages. 

However no need for customer service to be so sharp and abrupt. I wouldn't think it unusual to ask about added fees. Not only that she was most probably 100% wrong. 😁 that still image does not cost 89p to send. I've sent over 10000 times with no fee. If it's a new charge mums and dads need to be informed quickly. Their kids are racking up £s in added charges.