FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What kind of questions can I ask?
  2. Can anyone use ChaCha?
  3. How does ChaCha's location lookup impact my privacy?
  4. Will my personal information be shared?
  5. Is there anywhere I can view the questions I've asked?
  6. Is ChaCha available 24/7?
  7. How can I let Guides know where I am when I ask a local question?
  8. I like doing quick searches for weather and stocks. How can I do that?
  9. How much does it cost?
  10. Can I ask more than one question in a text?
  11. Do I get the same Guide every time I ask a question?
  12. How many answers will I get for a question?
  13. I called 1-800-2ChaCha and it isn't working. Am I doing something wrong?
  14. When I text ChaCha, it says that it doesn't understand my question. I have a Blackberry, can I fix this?
  15. How do I cancel my service?
  16. How do I get help?
  17. Can I use ChaCha while I'm in Canada?
  18. What carriers do you support?
  19. Even though ChaCha is available on 98% of phones, it is not available with my cell phone company. When will ChaCha be available on my phone?
  20. Is there anything I can't ask?
  21. Is ChaCha serving ads with my answers?
  22. Do I have a limit on the number of questions I can ask?
  23. Can I ask more than one question in a text?
  24. My mobile service provider is Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile or Boost. Why can't I get ChaCha SMS text answers anymore?
  25. Other than the mobile web page mentioned above, are there additional ways for me to get ChaCha answers?

1. What kind of questions can I ask? ↩

  • What is cytoplasm?
  • What is the weather in Naples, Florida?
  • What was last weekends Bengal's game final score?
  • Where is a great Italian restaurant in Manhattan?
  • What is Procter and Gamble stock trading for?
  • What is the name of the stadium where the Cincinnati Reds play?

What we're getting at here is that you can ask any question…at any time. All it takes is a mobile phone!

2. Can anyone use ChaCha? ↩

Of course! Your Mom, your Dad, your neighbor…nearly all carriers are supported by ChaCha. If your mobile phone handles text messaging*, you're good to go! Just call 1-800-2ChaCha (800-224-2242) or send us a text to 242-242.

Please note: calls from your home phone or landline phone will not work with ChaCha so be sure to use your mobile phone from one of our supported carriers. *Normal text or voice charges from your carrier may apply.

3. How does ChaCha's location lookup impact my privacy? ↩

Your privacy is of the utmost importance to us. We'll never sell or give your phone number to any third parties. To better serve our customers, ChaCha attempts to determine where our consumers are when they ask a question. We will use this information to aggregate data and to make sure you are matched to the most qualified Guide who is knowledgeable on specific local information. This will give our Guides another tool so they can answer your local questions as accurately as possible. It is important to note that your location will never be stored relative to or attached to your phone number. We will use your location for reference when looking up questions.

> To find out the location we have for you, text: GETZIP

> To update your location, text: SETZIP 12345 (where 12345 is your Zip Code)

If you have any more questions regarding our location services, please refer to our Terms of Service.

4. Will my personal information be shared? ↩

Your privacy is very important to us. We use your personal information only to enhance your use of ChaCha. ChaCha does not rent, sell, or share your information. For a complete policy on privacy with ChaCha, please view our Privacy Policy.

5. Is there anywhere I can view the questions I've asked? ↩

Yes. When you visit ChaCha.com, you can create an account and register your mobile phone so that every time you send a question, ChaCha will recognize it and save the question and answer to your account. In addition to saving your questions and answers, you'll be able to view the site where the Guide found your answer. Also, you'll be able to view the profile of the Guide that found your answer!

6. Is ChaCha available 24/7? ↩

Yes, ChaCha is available 24/7. Wondering what drug store is open at 5am in Albuquerque? ChaCha can answer your question... even if it's 5am.

7. How can I let Guides know where I am when I ask a local question? ↩

For better answers to local questions, you just need to tell us where you are. And its as easy as sending a text message. Simply send us a message that says SETZIP [your city or zip code]. For example just send SETZIP 02101 to set your location to Boston.

Just be sure to update if you've moved since your last setting.

8. I like doing quick searches for weather and stocks. How can I do that? ↩

ChaCha has many ways to answer your quick searches:

Weather

You can get fast access to weather info. Just send us "weather" or "w" and your ZIP or city and we'll send back current weather with a short forecast.

For example: W Carmel, IN or Weather 46032

We'll send back:

> Indianapolis, IN

> 70F, Fair

> Thu: 58F-65F, Decreasing Clouds

> Fri: 60F-68F, Partly Cloudy

> Sat: 62F-70F, Partly Cloudy

Stocks

You can get fast access to stock info. Just send us "stock" or "s" and a company name or symbol and we'll send back current trading price and it's change for the day.

For example: S IBM or STOCK International Business Machines

For a full list of options, text MENU to 242-242.

9. How much does it cost? ↩

ChaCha is free for you to use. You only pay standard text messaging rates from your carrier if they apply to you. There are some usage limits in place as we work to keep ChaCha free and accessible to everyone. You can always get your ChaCha fix by using unlimited ThmbSavrs.

Just text the following menu items to ChaCha for lots of great, unlimited content: MENU, INFOMENU, FUNMENU, JOKEMENU, NEWMENU.

Or you can check out our complete list of ThmbSavrs here. ChaCha will let you know when you are running out of questions.

10. Can I ask more than one question in a text? ↩

Yes, but to ensure a great experience, keep in mind that answers can only contain 160 characters. Therefore if your additional question can be answered within that character limit, go for it. If not, we suggest sending one question per text.

11. Do I get the same Guide every time I ask a question? ↩

No. The ChaCha system is set up so that each question is routed to a trained Guide who is knowledgeable in that particular subject matter. The Guide will research your question and send the answer back to you as soon as possible. The Guide will be able to see your previous questions so they will understand if you ask a follow-up question.

12. How many answers will I get for a question? ↩

You will only get the answer that is appropriate for your question. Your answer will be sent back to you within text message parameters of 160 characters.

13. I called 1-800-2ChaCha and it isn't working. Am I doing something wrong? ↩

If it isn't working, here are a few things to check:

  • Are you calling from a landline phone?
  • Do you have your Caller ID blocked with your cellphone carrier?
  • Are you calling from a carrier we do not support? View our Supported Carriers.
  • Do you have text messaging disabled on your phone?
  • Are you unable to receive premium text messages?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you won't be able to use the service. Please call back from a valid cell phone.

14. When I text ChaCha, it says that it doesn't understand my question. I have a Blackberry, can I fix this? ↩

Yes, you just need to adjust two settings on your Blackberry phone. The first is the phones Language setting. To set it correctly, follow these steps:

  • Go to your Blackberry Applications page (Blackberry icon)
  • Scroll towards the bottom of the page and look for settings (wrench icon)
  • Select the Language option.
  • Make sure Language and Input Language are set to 'English (United States)'.
  • Save your settings, or your changes will not work.

The second is the SMS encoding setting. To set it correctly, follow these steps:

  • Go to your Blackberry Applications page (Blackberry icon)
  • Scroll towards the bottom of the list, look for Settings (wrench icon)
  • Look for the menu option named 'SMS' or 'SMS Text'
  • Locate the 'Data Encoding' setting and set it to the default '7-bit' encoding.
  • Again, remember to Save your settings, or your changes will not work.

Once these settings are adjusted, you should you're ready to start asking ChaCha questions!

15. How do I cancel my service? ↩

ChaCha is a per-use service -- we are not subscription based. Therefore, to end service, simply do not text or call the service again. You can also text STOP or CANCEL to 242-242.

16. How do I get help? ↩

You can receive help on the service by texting HELP to 242-242 or by calling 1-800-820-0827.

17. Can I use ChaCha while I'm in Canada? ↩

Currently ChaCha is not available in Canada, although some US phones may work in Canada while traveling. Please check with your carrier to determine whether your device and/or service works in Canada.

18. What carriers do you support? ↩

SMS/Text Carriers:

  • ACS Wireless (Alaska Communication System)
  • Alltel
  • AT&T
  • Bluegrass Cellular
  • Boost
  • Cellcom
  • Cellone Nation / MTPCS
  • Cellular One of Northeast Pennsylvania
  • Cellular South
  • Centennial Wireless
  • Chat Mobility (NW Missouri Cellular)
  • Cincinnati Bell
  • Cox Wireless
  • Cricket
  • East Kentucky Network
  • ECIT - Cellular One of East Central Illinois
  • Element Mobile
  • CGI Communications
  • Golden State Cellular
  • Illinois Valley Cellular
  • Immix Wireless
  • Inland Cellular
  • i wireless
  • Nex-Tech Wireless
  • Nextel
  • nTelos
  • Pioneer Cellular
  • Plateau Wireless
  • Pocket Communications
  • Revol Wireless
  • Rural Cellular Corporation (Unicel)
  • Simmetry Wireless
  • Sprint
  • T-Mobile
  • Thumb Cellular
  • Union Wireless
  • United Wireless
  • US Cellular
  • Verizon Wireless
  • Viaero Wireless
  • Virgin Mobile
  • West Central Wireless

MMS Carriers:

  • Alltel Wireless
  • AT&T
  • Cricket Wireless
  • Sprint
  • Verizon Wireless

19. Even though ChaCha is available on 98% of phones, it is not available with my cell phone company. When will ChaCha be available on my phone? ↩

ChaCha is striving to have our service available to all cell phone users across all carriers. Here are some of the carriers we plan to add to our service soon:

SMS/Text Carriers:

  • None Known at this Time

If your carrier is not listed, please contact your carrier to alert them that you are in interested in having ChaCha's service available via their network. View our Supported Carriers.

20. Is there anything I can't ask? ↩

ChaCha has a strict policy against certain types of questions, words, and phrases and will not answer those pertaining to topics we deem unacceptable. Please keep in mind that ChaCha is to be used for entertainment purposes only. For more information, you can refer to our Terms of Use.

21. Is ChaCha serving ads with my answers? ↩

At ChaCha, we work with advertisers who wish to provide targeted offers and messages to our users. These advertisements are included after an asterisk in the confirmation and answer messages we send. We work closely with the advertisers to ensure the messages are as targeted and as valuable as possible. As a ChaCha user, you have agreed to receive these messages by agreeing to our Terms of Service.

22. Do I have a limit on the number of questions I can ask? ↩

Yes. We are working to keep ChaCha free and accessible to everyone. You can always get your ChaCha fix by using unlimited ThmbSavrs. Just text the following menu items to ChaCha for lots of great, unlimited content: MENU, INFOMENU, FUNMENU, JOKEMENU, NEWMENU.

Or you can check out our complete list of ThmbSavrs. ChaCha will let you know when you are running out of questions.

23. Can I ask more than one question in a text? ↩

Yes, to ensure a great experience, keep in mind that answers can only contain 160 characters. Therefore if your additional question can be answered within that character limit, go for it. If not, we suggest sending one question per text.

But remember, you can always get your ChaCha fix by using unlimited ThmbSavrs: INFOMENU, FUNMENU, JOKEMENU, NEWMENU.

24. My mobile service provider is Sprint Nextel or T-Mobile. Why can’t I get ChaCha SMS/text answers anymore? ↩

If you are a Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile or Boost customer, SMS text answers and ChaCha voice service are not supported due to significant fees charged to free service providers such as ChaCha. We still want to provide great answers for our users; therefore, we have provided a mobile web option for your ChaCha Q&A at: http://ask.chacha.com/

25. Other than the mobile web page mentioned above, are there additional ways for me to get ChaCha answers? ↩

Yes, you do have options!

You can ask your own Q's at ask.chacha.com, or you can access all of ChaCha's Q&A by visiting ChaCha.com.

Need More Assistance?

If you need assistance with something other than what is listed, please contact us. If you would like to report an erroneous charge or speak with a representative about billing questions, please call your service provider.