Well I posted another message about an issue recently and only one person replied, so perhaps really nobody cares, but here goes...
I am horrified and annoyed to discover that Garmin are using a premium-rate international telephone number for the inReach messages,
which appears dishonest in that it has all the appearance of a British ordinary mobile number (079..), but which I just discovered when checking my
mobile bill is an offshore International, Jersey (tiny island population maybe 150,000?) number that is billed at about $1 (US equivalent)
PER text message reply. Here in England it is well known by everyone that numbers beginning 07 are UK mobile numbers
and given that almost everyone has unlimited texting for no additional phone charge, are effectively free. OFCOM the comms watchdog
here try to be robust and insist that number prefixes are identifiable if they are premium-rate. Well sorry Garmin, using an 079 prefix
which is a premium International rate number MASQUERADING as a free local number is just not on. Some would call it a dishonest
business practice, it is certainly misleading. You already charge the inReach customer to send messages.
Now I cannot prove that this was not the way with deLorme, but I can say the number prefix changed to 079 not too long ago
because I thought mmm... 079 that's an Orange network number isn't it? Wrong.. Duh... and it seems I've been had.
Why do companies in virtual monopoly positions behave like this, Surely Garmin would want to ENCOURAGE the uptake
of inReach in Britain? Maybe US residents don;'t care, but here in UK we have a strange mindset that sort of goes....
you mess with me and you ***off. It goes with out sense of humour that many US people don't understand. Please Garmin, Play fair
and be a decent company???
I will probably submit a report to OFCOM about this now that I have seen my mobile bill. And it only was discovered as I had to send
test text messages to my inReach and back after Garmin BROKE the messaging facility (bluetooth) between the inReach
device and the Android app. Certainly Android versions 2.9 and 2.8 don't work. I've been an advocate of satcomms to the masses
for years, but not any longer with this behaviour. If this message is disjointed it is because I am very ANGRY.
