Do you charge for failed messages?
We don't charge for messages sent to invalid mobile numbers (invalid country code/format). Our system will try and detect these faults and not allow them to send to the network.
When you try sending a message, we check if the recipient number is in the correct format and has a correct prefix that is registered with a mobile network. We don't charge for this. If a recipient fails this check, we exclude it (it isn't shown on the reports). If a recipient passes these checks, we won't know it's truly valid until we submit it to the network for delivery. At this point, you'll be charged.
However, like all other gateways, we charge for all messages that are sent to the networks. If a message fails, we automatically retry for free for the next 72 hours.
Once a status has updated to Failed it won't be sent again.
What causes a message to fail?
There are a heap of reasons why an SMS doesn't reach its destination. All of these are out of our control. When an SMS is sent using our platform, we forward it onto the mobile networks nearly instantly.
Some of the most common reasons for a message to fail are:
- Phone is out of signal
- Phone is switched off
- There is an account issue with the users phone plan
- The users inbox is full (normally on older phones)