Can't send text message - Error 0

[GlennAA]

Hi EE Community Support Team,

We both have Sumsung A22 phones. We have gone to Australia for 8 months. We send each other a text monthly to make sure that our phone accounts are not cancelled due to non-use. It worked December 1st. We went to do the same this week (first week of January) and got the message "Can't send text message - Error 0". Nothing has changed with our phones as we really don't use them (apart from WhatsApp) as we have local phones.

I cannot text anybody (can't send....), nor call anybody. I get a message saying "calls to this number are barred". I can use WhatsApp, but the phone is hooked into our router.

Any ideas why things have suddenly changed?

Thanks,

Glenn

[Leanne_T]

Hi @GlennAA 

Thanks for coming to the community. 

Is the account pay as you go or pay monthly? 

When was the last time the SIM was used for a chargeable call or text? 

Leanne 🙂

[GlennAA]

Hi Leanne,

Thanks for the quick reply.

We left the UK Sept 19 and on Sept 16 I arranged to move to PAYG. We were on the pay monthly (10 or 13 pound) and our last payment was Oct 12. On Nov 26 I had a 45 min call with EE (Wales) and got 10 pound credit put on both our phones.

On Dec 1 we sent texts to each other. That worked fine. On Jan 7 we went to send texts to each other and got the "can't send message" reply. Now the bizarre thing: Pat recieved my text message ("Test text, Jan 7") around 10.30pm on Jan 8th. My phone showed no record of the text being sent. Then, around 11pm on Jan 8th, I retried and sent a text to her ("Test text, Jan 8") and that went through. She replied ("Got it") and I recieved that. All good.

I checked my account this morning (Jan 9) and I still have 10 pound credit and no activity. The Dec 1 text was not charged, nor any of the Jan 7 or 8th texts. Pat's phone also has 10 pound credit and no activity.

So, to anwser your last question, the last time that the SIM had a chargable call (3.77 pound) was when I did something in Vancouver on the way to Australia. I was charged 13.77 pound for my phone on Oct 12.

We have always had EE phones, but the last time the account was cancelled due to a lack of activity whilst we were visiting Australia. So, I want to make sure that our phone accounts are not cancelled like last time.

Very wierd. Do you want to take this off-line to my private email address?

Cheers, Glenn

[XRaySpeX]

There's confusion here about who's doing what to whom. E.g. ' On Jan 7 we went to send texts to each other and (we implied) got the "can't send message" reply.' Yet Pat received your text message. So did you both get the "can't send message" reply or was it just you?

Did Pat also switch from contract to PAYG in Sept. or is she still on contract or PAYG whichever she was before leaving UK?

[XRaySpeX]

What also may be pertinent here is:

It takes 30 days to cancel a contract & before it is moved to PAYG , leading to Oct. 16. Therefore you never used that PAYG SIM for making calls or texts in UK before you left to go abroad. EE PAYG SIMs need 1st activating on EE's home UK network before they can be used abroad. 

The fact that have been making calls & texts after Oct. 16 & not being charged for them leads me to believe you're still on contract. 

Is it possible to text AL to 150 from your no.? What does it fully report verbatim (it is free)?

[GlennAA]

Hi XRaySpeX,

Thanks for helping me.

Sorry for not being clear. Yes, both of us received the "can't receive message - error 0" when we sent texts to each other. The bizarre thing is that she received the test text message hours after I sent it (I cannot remember how long), but my phone never recorded it being sent. Does being hooked into our router here do anything? I use WhatsApp feely on my English phone without problem. I turned off local wi-fi and sents texts (Jan 10) and same message "error - 0".

Both of us switched to PAYG on the same day (Sept 16 +/-), meaning I called and requested the switch (since I could not do it in the store). I made two separate phone calls, one for me and one for her.

Another weird thing: Last night I sent her a text (RCS chat with Pat, "Test text, 9th Jan (3)"). This was a 3rd attempt. The first 2 were "Texting with Pat (SMS/MMS)". She got it and replied to me "Looks good" and I got that. I cannot remember how I swapped from SMS to RCS. Maybe because we are on wi-fi?

I sent AL to 150 and got the same message back "Can't send text message - Error 0"

My big concern is to not have our numbers cancelled. We get back to the UK August 31. A few years ago I had both of our UK phones (EE) cancelled because I forgot to send a text or make a call within 3 or 4 months. We were on PAYG then as well, same situation, we swapped from a monthly plan to PAYG but I cannot remember the exact details of how we swapped.

I do not believe that we are on contract as the last debit taken from our UK bank accounts was on Oct 12. Nothing in Nov or Dec. Presently, we both have 10 pound credit on our accounts.

Finally, when I call her, I get the message "Calls to this number are barred".

Thanks so much for your help,

GlennAA

[Christopher_G]

Hi @GlennAA 

I'm sorry to hear that you're having these problems with your phone. I think it's going to be best if you can speak to our Mobile Care team, so they can check your account and make sure everything is set up correctly on our side.

I know of users in a similar situation as yours using a VoIP service, such as Skype, to call.

Contact EE

Chris

[GlennAA]

Thanks Chris,

Is the number that I call +44 7953 966 150? That looks like an expensive mobile number. Is there a landline number that I can call?

Thanks, Glenn

[XRaySpeX]

Try calling CS on the Freephone no. in my sig. on Skype over WiFi. It should be free.

[GlennAA]

Hi XRaySpeX and Chris,

I called Customer Service, and the contract initiation date (we were not in the UK) is in fact the problem. We went through a number of solutions (sending phones or sim card back, having a new sim sent to our family in the UK for activation), but since we will be back in the UK in August we settled for the following: our account will be suspended before being cancelled. I can call and have the numbers/account unsuspended and then we go through the process again until we get back.

Thanks for your help in getting me to understand what caused this, and we now (hopefully) have a solution.

Best wishes,

GlennAA