HelpSMS (text messages)A visitor did not get a text
A visitor did not get a text
Start with what the visitor’s screen says. Each message points to one cause, and most are fixed by the visitor in a few seconds.
The visitor’s place in the line is never at risk. The tracking page and the lobby TV keep working whatever happens to a text. Texts are not switched on in any country yet, so today no visitor is offered them; this page is for the day texts open.
What it is
Texts are closed in every country for now. turnda has not opened text messages in any country yet. Until it does, no visitor sees Get text updates, and the answer to “why no text?” is simply that texts are not available. Visitors are told by WhatsApp (if your business uses it), by email if they left one, and always by the tracking page and the lobby TV.
A text can be missing for many reasons: it was never asked for, it was refused, it was blocked on the way, or it arrived and the visitor did not see it. This page walks from the sentence on the visitor’s screen to the cause.
Start with the visitor’s screen
| What the visitor’s page says | The likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| There is no Get text updates button | Texts are off for your business, your pack or limit has run out, the visit is an appointment or a kiosk check-in, or your business uses WhatsApp, not texts. | Check the Text messages card in Billing. See the list below. |
| Text updates aren’t available for your number at this business. | The number’s country is not open for your business. | Tap See which countries. The visitor keeps the tracking page. See Countries for text messages. |
| We can’t text this number. Your place in the line is safe. | The number is not a mobile, or a check did not pass. | Try a mobile number. See Why a visitor was not signed up. |
| Please try again in a few minutes. | Too many attempts in a short time from that phone or connection. | Wait a few minutes and try again. |
| Tick the box first — it says you agree to the texts | The agreement box is not ticked. | Tick the box. Text me then works. |
| Sending your first text… | The number is being checked. | Wait a few seconds. |
| Texts are on — the first one is on its way. | turnda has sent text 1. | Wait a minute. If it never comes, see the table further down. |
| Your text didn’t reach you. Tap “Get text updates” to try again. | A network blocked the text or it failed. It was given back to your pack. | Tap the button again. If it fails twice, use the tracking page. |
| We couldn’t reach this number — your place in the line is safe; this page keeps updating. | The network could not reach the number. | Check the number is right. Tap Wrong number? Change it. |
| Texts are off because you replied STOP. | The visitor stopped texts earlier. | Reply START to the number the texts came from. The button is not shown until then. |
| Text updates aren’t available here right now. | Texts cannot be turned on for the moment. | Nothing was sent and nothing was taken. The page keeps your place. |
| Text updates can’t be turned on right now — this page keeps updating. | Text sign-up is unavailable for a moment. | Use the tracking page. Try again a little later. |
How to check it in turnda
- Open Messaging → Usage and look at the card Did it arrive?. Ask the visitor for their ticket number and find it there. The row says whether the text arrived, why it did not, and whether it was given back to your texts. Alerts above the list say when texts are paused, blocked by a network, or none are left.
- Open Billing and the Text messages card. If it shows You’ve reached your limit, or Your card was declined for the next text pack, that is the cause.
- Look at Texts left. If it is zero, new visitors are not offered texts until the next pack or the next month.
- Open Messaging and look at Usage, then This month, by country for the visitor’s country. A high Not delivered — phone off means phones were off. A country with only Not sent — given back means a network is blocking.
- Check that the visitor’s country is open for you. See the countries page.
A real example
Rui tells the cashier at Ana’s Bakery that he never got a text. The cashier asks him to open his tracking page. It says Texts are on — the first one is on its way. It was sent. The cashier asks if his phone was in flight mode on the bus. It was. When he switches it back on, the text arrives. A minute later, Lena says her page has no button at all. The cashier checks Billing: the monthly limit was reached this morning. Ana raises the limit, and Lena sees the button on her next refresh.
What happens in the system
- 1Offered?Texts on, pack left, country open
- 2Asked for?Number, tick and confirm
- 3Accepted?A mobile number, within limits
- 4Sent by turndaOne text from your pack
- 5Delivered by the networkPhone on, not blocked
- 6Read by the visitorTheir phone, their eyes
If the page says the text was sent, but nothing came
| Possible cause | What helps |
|---|---|
| The phone is off, in flight mode or out of range | Switch it on. The text arrives when the phone is back on. |
| The number was typed wrongly and confirmed | Tap Wrong number? Change it. It can be done once. The old number gets no more texts. |
| The phone filters unknown senders, or the sender is blocked | Check the phone’s spam or blocked-messages folder. |
| Slow network | Wait a few minutes. Networks can delay texts. |
| The visitor’s phone is set to Arabic | The text is in plain-letter English. Their tracking page is in Arabic. |
| Text 2 did not come | Text 2 is sent only if the visitor is still waiting and has not stopped texts. If they were called straight away, no “almost up” text is sent. |
What you need to do
- Ask the visitor to open their tracking page and read you the sentence on it. Match it to the table above.
- If the cause is on your side (limit, card, texts off), fix it on the Text messages card. Only the owner can raise the limit or change the card.
- If the cause is the visitor’s side (phone off, wrong number, STOP), tell them what to tap. Staff cannot type a number for them.
- If a whole country never gets texts, write to support with the country and the time. Say what the table in Billing shows for that country.
What turnda does not cover
- The mobile networks. They decide whether and when a text arrives.
- The visitor’s phone. Its settings, its signal and its battery are the visitor’s own.
- The country’s registry. A country that is on request has no texts until its registration is ready.
- A guarantee of delivery in a second. Texts are best-effort. The tracking page and the lobby TV are always the sure way.
Common questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Did I pay for a text that did not arrive? | Only if it was sent and the network accepted it. Texts a network blocks, and texts that fail, are given back. |
| Can staff resend a text? | No. A failed text is never sent again by itself. The visitor taps Get text updates again. |
| Is the visitor still in the line? | Yes, always. |
| Why did the visitor get English when their phone is in Arabic? | A text can only use plain letters. Their tracking page is in Arabic. |
| The visitor is offered WhatsApp updates, not texts. Why? | A business uses WhatsApp or texts, not both. See WhatsApp or text messages: one channel. |