Message Centre number puzzle

[Anonymous]

My husband got a new phone (from Three's online shop) about 2 weeks ago.

When he did basic tests to make sure it was working ok, he could send & receive texts with no problem.

But another day, having composed a text to his daughter, he pressed Send as usual, and it started a phone call to her instead.  Same when he tried again, and to other people, and at other times.

I asked about that in an ongoing thread about another problem (in case it was a clue), and was told that in order to be able to send texts, he would have to enter Three's message centre number into the phone, and that Three's Message Centre number is +353 868002000.  And they confimed that the number is the same for everyone.

I didn't understand having to enter a number to restore something that had worked before entering any number, but (as his tech assistant) gave it a go anyway, this morning.

But first, I checked that the problem was still there, and this time the text sending was successful (as were later ones).

Thinking the Message Centre number must have already been in the phone from the start, then disappeared and reappeared, I checked in the settings.  And there is a number there, but it's +353830000800.

So, as texts are now working again, does that mean it's an alternative number for Three's Message Centre?

It's all a bit academic, as I also found that we can't enter anything there anyway.  But it might be useful for future reference if anyone could shed any light on this?

Thanks.

p.s. to save people repeating instructions here, this is what happens;

This phone has the same setup as our old phones for the left & right buttons nearest the screen, with 'Options' above the left one and  'Back' above the right.

I navigate in the normal way to Settings - Messages - SMS settings.  Then pressing SMS Centre displays the number.

When the number is displayed, there is nothing on the screen above the left button (And pressing it anyway has no effect).  The only possible option is 'Back' (on the right as usual).  So the only possible action is to exit the setting.

(I can't find any symbols on the keys that might mean 'edit', or any reference in the manual to an edit option via the keypad).    

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Sorry to hear that you are having issues with this again.

Are you now unable to change the message centre number?

[Anonymous]

Hi Lisa.

Not so much having issues (as he's now able to send texts again); it's just that I'm confused about whether I was told right about the Three Message Centre number.  (And we never have been able to change it; not that we even looked at that phone setting until today).

I was told that we had to enter +353868002000 in order to make texts work.  But texts were working to start with, then stopped working, and are now working again, and the (apparently) wrong number has been in the phone all the time (+353830000800).  So it can't have been this number that was causing the problem with texts.  (That's why I wondered if it's an alternative Three Message centre number?)

So can we just leave this existing number (whatever it is) in the phone?   Or do we have to somehow get it replaced with +353868002000?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

If the existing number is working in the phone you can leave it in it. If you are able to sends SMS with this number.

[Anonymous]

To the Community Mailer ('Did you get the answer you needed?)';

Not trying to be awkward (just truthful), but it's Yes and no.

Yes to 'Can we we just leave the number there?'.  (Texts are still working fine with it).

No to ''Why was I told we had to change it, then?', and 'What is it?'. 

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi, there would be different message centre numbers for customers who are ex O2 customers and people who are originally Three. If the texts are working now you can leave the message centre number as it is 🙂

[Anonymous]

Ah, mystery solved!  Thanks.

[Anonymous]

No worries 🙂