UPDATE[04/10/2008]: The problem I experienced with Clickatell has since been resolved.
The new startup I'm working on depends on the sending and receiving of text messages. So naturally, when I got to the point in my development where I wanted to code up the SMS section of the app, I did a quick google search to see how other Ruby coders had accomplished this in the past. I felt pretty fortunate when I came upon a Ruby Gem already built to work with the SMS gateway service www.clickatell.com. Excited at the prospect of an easy touchdown, I installed the gem, got an account with clickatell, and my app was sending text messages within an hour. Great! Next step, I needed to be able to RECEIVE messages, so I started digging through clickatells "products" section trying to figure out how to accomplish that feat. It turns out it's pretty easy, just follow these steps:
1. Fill out clickatell's "application for two-way messaging".
2. Read the confirmation email they send you, asking you to pay 175 Euros through their website.
3. Go to the website, try to figure out where to make your payment for two-way messaging.
4. Go back to your email account, reread your confirmation email, realize how stupid the process is going to be.
5. Return to clickatell.com, buy enough text message credits to equal 175 Euros, then send an email to their support department asking them to reallocate the money into creating a two-way messaging account.
6. Wait for them to email you confirming the creation of your account.
7. Three days later, begin to suspect that you are not going to get that account after all. Check your credit card bill.
8. Send an email to support@clickatell.com asking for a status update.
9. Wait long enough to realize your not going to get a reply.
10. 4 days after sending the email, get a reply indicating that it can take weeks, or even months to set up a two way account.
11. write back asking how this is possible, since both the website and the confirmation email they sent you indicate 48 hours as the necessary time frame.
12. Get no reply. Ever.
13. realize that you just can't wait that long to have your website working, send multiple emails to clickatell requesting the closure of your account and a refund.
14. rework your code to work with the SMS gateway service ipipi.com instead.
15. watch in awe as ipipi.com has your two-way messaging set up in 3 business days.
16. watch in awe as you still have no reply from clickatell.
17. file a complaint with the better business bureau.
My advice to you is to skip directly to step 14.
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9 comments:
So... given that you have resolved the clickatell issues, can you tell me... do you still prefer ipipi? And what was the source of the problem, how were they resolved?
I took a look at ipipi, and whlie I can't see their pricing sheet because of a non-functioning link, it looks like its about 5x the price per message (although there seems to be no premium for inbound messages).
Is it really worth that price difference?
I'm going to kill myself over all the trouble that clickatell has caused me. From the ridicuolously slow customer support, to the incompetence of someone asking my customer (not even in the correct language) to provide them with the full credit card details, textual and scanned, to validate the account BY EMAIL ! The list of problems is endless, and their stupidity and arrogance is incredible.
Just my advice, stay away from clickatell even if they are some of the few with good prices...
ipipi.com is awful. I am currently working with them and can't get customer service to do anything. They say they will charge me one thing and then charge me something else. When messages take 7 hours to show up they blame other people's networks. We need more competition in this space and ipipi.com is not it.
I recently checked ipipi.com (actually parent company www.upsidewireless.com) as I needed tools to integrate my application with all US wireless networks. I found the pricing reasonable (each message costs 11 cents although there are volume discounts) and integration fairly clear - I was up and running in about 1 hour.
Brian
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Just adding that my experience with Clickatell is an almost daily battle with arrogance and incompetence in their support department.
Their gateway servers experience regular downtime, and messages often fail to arrive regardless.
I'm desperately looking for an alternative to jump ship.
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Upside Wireless has a Terms of Service agreement that looks like it was written by a mediocre fifth grader. There is no way a company presenting that kind of writing can be any good.
Clickatell blew me off completely.
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