Emotional Costs
By sishy7
@sishy7 (27166)
Australia
September 21, 2012 7:23am CST
I just learned about this. New research here shows that users pay as much as double average bills when we add emoticons to our text messages. I wonder if this also happens in other places... Without realizing, it is like we are sending two text messages instead of one when we start adding emoticons. I guess emoticons cost double of our text message size limits.
3 responses
@fashionfever (2200)
• Indonesia
24 Sep 12
Hello Sishy7, messaging service in my country is almost free (for example when we send 5 sms then we will get 100-1000 free bonus sms all day, etc) so we dont have to worry about sending double text messages. But I think in here we are free to add emoticon as much as we want at no cost.
Maybe because in Indonesia the cellphone providers in tight competition so giving free bonus talk time and free bonus sms are part of the marketing tricks, if the operator had the idea to charge emoticons as double text messages the customers would leave the operator immediately and change to another provider. Blackberry is quite popular here because of BBM (Blackberry Messenger) many people here use BBM instead of sms..they said we can add more emoticons and characters in our text but Im not interested to use it, I still prefer my old nokia and I dont text a lot...I mylot a lot 
1 person likes this
@fashionfever (2200)
• Indonesia
24 Sep 12
Lucky you realize the hidden fee so you can avoid it , there are many ways to show your expression. You dont have to insert emoticons....You can use alternative way like this (hugs) or (happy) or create your own way hihihihi...1000 ways to go to Rome.
@echoforever (5180)
• United States
8 Oct 12
That is outrageous. I saw that it was a smartphone on above replies - I don't use one but what a way to rip off those who invest in smart phones. I bet a lot of them won't realize this either. I do smileys out of habit on texts mostly, here, I love them so I use them a lot 
1 person likes this
@sishy7 (27166)
• Australia
10 Oct 12
Yeah, I happened to come across this information while reading some news. Luckily my sons use prepaid, so I was not too schocked by a sudden high bill. It's good that I know this now; I passed on the information to my sons so they are too aware what could make their prepaid credits run out faster...
@echoforever (5180)
• United States
9 Oct 12
Oh that is good you do not have to worry about it either. Sorry for your sons who likely did not know. It must have been a hefty bill that brought this to your attention?
Or did you fall on this information somewhere else?
@BabyCheetah (1911)
• Australia
3 Oct 12
What? That's crazy! I use smileys when I txt what a rip! Is it reliable research though?
1 person likes this
@sishy7 (27166)
• Australia
3 Oct 12
I should perhaps add that it only applies to Apple iPhones and Samsung Smartphones as said in article below:
http://www.news.com.au/technology/smartphone-users-could-be-paying-double-for-texting-smiley-faces/story-e6frfro0-1226478443351?from=public_rss
I'm using as many as allowed here and it won't cost me anything... 
@BabyCheetah (1911)
• Australia
4 Oct 12
Ahhhh well that's alright then I am safe, no smartphones for me, just an older Nokia. Oh yeah true here you can use up to 3 at no cost thankfully
