Just like every form of communication between businesses and their customers, too much texting can be a bad thing. When implementing SMS marketing campaigns, it's important for senders to understand the appropriate number of texts to send in a given amount of time. In some cases, this can be just as crucial as the actual content of the message.
Earlier this summer, Fred Weiss, a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, sued the organization because, as he stated, they sent him too many texts. Weiss initially signed up to receive promotional texts as well as alerts regarding trades, game time changes and other bits of breaking news from the team. According to Weiss, the program he signed up for stated that no more than three texts would be sent per week.
However, after he registered, Weiss says that the team repeatedly exceeded the promised limit. He says he received five texts in the first week and four the second. Claiming that the limitations of his carrier's SMS plan was in jeopardy, Weiss filed a lawsuit.
The official complaint reads as follows:
"Defended as caused Plaintiff and the other members of the Class actual harm, not only because they were subjected to the aggravation that necessarily accompanies the invasion of privacy caused by unsolicited text message calls, but also because consumers frequently have to pay their cell phone service providers for the receipts of such wireless calls."
While information similar to what the Penguins relayed to their fans may be valuable, this incident goes to show that sending too much information can be detrimental to any business texting. Companies should be cognizant of the agreements they have with their recipients and ensure that they are not exceeding any agreed upon limits. Working with a provider such as Swift SMS Gateway can give businesses the tools and the acumen they need to launch successful texting programs.
