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CBFSMS stands for CardBoardFish Short Message
Service. Since its introduction in 1989, the popularity
of SMS message transmission worldwide has increased
exponentially, becoming a part of the mobile telecommunications
industry in its own right. The use of the SMS
message service is increasing worldwide hitting
new targets and records. The GSM Association reported
that in December 2000, 15 billion short messages
were sent with an estimate of over 100 billion
per month for 2001 and 2002. CBFSMS is a free
service from CardBoardFish
which enables users to send instant SMS messages
to almost any UK mobile phone/network without
prior account signup or login, and receive replies
to those messages. All SMS messages sent from
the CardBoardFish
Short Message Service include a tag line which
we believe to be one of the shortest from any
free SMS site on the Internet allowing you to
send longer messages.
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Should
I put a "0" in front of the number
after I have chosen the country?
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The format for each number must be country code
+ network code + number, for example country code
44 + network code 07970 + number 123456 would
give 447970123456 - if your network code begins
with a 0 it should be omitted. However, if you
experience problems, try sending your message
both ways.
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What
is the maximum length of an SMS message?
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Standard SMS messages are 160 characters long.
CBFSMS allows messages of up to 137 characters
long in order to include the CBFSMS.com tag line.
However, if you open a VIPSMS
account, you can send messages up to 402 characters
long.
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Is
there a limit on how many messages I can send?
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No. Send as many messages as you want to as many
people as you want. However, spamming and abusive
messaging is strictly not allowed on the CBFSMS
service. Please read our terms
& conditions for more information. We
strictly enforce our terms and conditions. Regular
users are advised to use VIPSMS from vip.cbfsms.com
as this provides comprehensive features.
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I get the error "Session Expired", what does this mean and how can I prevent this?
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If you have already sent your message and tried
to go back to send it again, you will receive
this error. However, some messages appear because
your browser is not compatible with our service.
Check that you have cookies enabled on your PC,
and try emptying your browser cache. For best
results, use Internet Explorer.
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I
get this error "Cannot Send Duplicate Message!"
when attempting to send a message. Why?
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This is an anti-spam measure to ensure that mobile
phones cannot be spammed from CBFSMS. However,
the error can also occur if your Internet browser
has cached the send message page. If you receive
the message continuously, go to http://www.cbfsms.com/
and then hit the refresh button.
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I
get this error "Invalid message or message too
short". Why?
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This error occurs if the message you are attempting
to send only contains one word or appears to be
a wasteful message. In order to send the message,
you must make it longer with more words. If you
have done this already but still receive the error,
it is because your computer is caching the previous
request. Return to http://www.cbfsms.com/
and hold down the "Ctrl" key. Now press
the "F5" key. This should force your
computer to reload a new copy of CBFSMS.com
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I
get this error "Illegal calling method detected". Why?
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In order for CBFSMS.com to work properly, it has
to set a "cookie" on your computer.
This small, harmless piece of information allows
us to process your message. Some programs, like
Norton Internet Security, are set by default to
disallow cookies. You can also block cookies in
your Internet Options. This is because some websites
use cookies to get statistics on how often you
visit them - which infringes your privacy. However,
CBFSMS.com does not do this. Our cookies are entirely
safe and each cookie is only used once. So, if
you have Norton Internet Security (or similar),
or block cookies, please disable this when using
our site. If you know how, you could set your
computer to trust all cookies from CBFSMS.com
- see your web browser help files if you need
more information.
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I
get this error "You currently have no active replies". Why?
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The cause of this is will usually be that you
did not opt for replies when you sent your message.
Maybe this is because the replies option was disabled
when you tried to send your message. However,
if you did opt for replies then please scroll
up to the "Illegal calling method detected"
error above as the cause of this error is the
same. Of course, if your message sent from CBFSMS.com
without any problems, then cookies will not be
the problem. Try refreshing the replies page or
deleting your Temporary Internet Files via Internet
Options.
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Can
you confirm if my messages have been received?
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Yes. CBFSMS.com can, if you requested it, confirm
the delivery of an SMS message. When this feature
is available, there will be a check box that you
will need to tick on the page where you confirm
your message content. After your message has been
sent, on the Message Sent screen, you will be
given a confirmation code, and a direct link to
check the status of your message. Remember, this
is a free service, delivery confirmations can
sometimes be very delayed, even if your SMS was
delivered instantly.
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I
use CBFSMS to send text messages often. Can
I keep an address book of mobile numbers to
send to?
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Our service, VIPSMS,
gives you this feature and more.
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Is
it possible to send the same message to more
than one number at a time?
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Our service, VIPSMS,
allows you to send to up to 10 numbers at a time,
with 402 characters per message (extended message
formed from three SMS).
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Can
I receive replies to sent messages from CBFSMS?
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CBFSMS.com allows you to receive replies for
every message you send. For one text message
sent, you can receive an unlimited number of
replies. The more replies you get to your message,
the more outgoing SMS we will guarantee you.
A guaranteed SMS means you will never see the
"service will resume in..." message.
Guaranteed SMS are automatically used if this
is the case. If this is not the case, your guaranteed
SMS are stored up. A reply and its associated
credits expire three days after the last message
was received.
Receiving replies requires your computer to
accept cookies. Norton Internet Security or
your Internet Options settings may prevent you
from receiving cookies (small bits of harmless
information stored to your PC) and so prevent
you from seeing the Replies page.
You can receive replies directly to your mobile
if you open a VIPSMS
account. Infact, with VIPSMS,
people wont even know your message came from
the Internet!
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When
I try to send my message I am asked to enter
a PIN. What and where is this?
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The PIN is a number generated for you by CBFSMS.com
and displayed above a box where you must copy
it into. The PIN is shown in a small yellow box.
It is used for security reasons to ensure your
session with us is functioning properly. If you
cannot see the PIN you will not be able to continue,
so please ensure you are using a compatible browser,
like Microsoft Internet Explorer.
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Is
this service really free? Do you do anything
with my mobile number?
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CardBoardFish pays for SMS messages by depending
on you, the user, to support us by telling your
friends about this great service. We do not make
money from selling your information, and do not
store your mobile phone number or any mobile number
you enter into our site for marketing etc. Our
service is REALLY FREE.
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You can help by exploring our website and telling your friends about this service,
and also by linking
to us from your web site if you have one. Most of all, you must respect this free service, and abide by the terms and conditions.
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Do
you send to my country/network?
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CBFSMS supports the four major UK networks Orange,
Vodafone, O2, and T-Mobile. At times, other networks
may be available. No coverage is guaranteed to
so-called "virtual networks" like Virgin,
Fresh and Tesco, though you may find our service
works fine to many of their subscribers.
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I get an error saying the service will resume in XX minutes!
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Due to high demand, we sometimes have to suspend
the service. The service is reset every ten
minutes. To send your message after receiving
this error, wait the time specified and then
return to the home page and start again. Please
be aware that this is not a technical problem,
and you do not need to contact us about it.
Your patience is appreciated.
If you opt for replies to your message, you
will receive one guaranteed SMS each time someone
replies to you. That way you can avoid this
error for good.
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The button to Send SMS wont appear!
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Due to the way our site works, you must wait
for all images and content to load before you
continue past each stage. Not doing so can cause
errors. You must also view the adverts presented
to you that help fund this service. Once everything
is loaded, the button should appear. If it does
not, you need to enable JavaScript. See your
web browser help files for how to do this.
You cannot use CBFSMS.com without a graphical
javascript-enabled web browser that also displays
the few ads and popups we choose to show.
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Can I send messages to 3G mobile phones?
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Yes, we aim to ensure CBFSMS.com is compatible
with all third generation mobile networks!
If you would like to learn more about 3G mobile
phones and services, please visit the Talk
3G Forums - Help, discussion, news and reviews.
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I
run a website, would it be possible to provide
SMS to my users with CBFSMS?
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Yes, CardBoardFish can offer custom solutions
to meet all your text messaging needs. Click here
for more information.
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Can
CBFSMS offer business to business solutions
such as email 2 sms, bulk messaging, advertising
campaigns, news alerts, etc?
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Yes, CardBoardFish has an extensive SMS solutions
range with unlimited possibilities for custom
developed systems. Please go here
for more information.
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CBFSMS is a product of CardBoardFish (www.cardboardfish.com).
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